Whether you’re a high school student yourself, or a teacher looking for fun projects for your welding technology class, you’ll find lots of fun and unique ideas in this article.
Many teens get their first welding experience in high school, and sometimes even in middle school. Metal fabrication courses are often more interesting for students, but the choice of welding projects matters. So, let’s take a look at some fun projects, from scrap metal welding to more complex metal fabrication, but with an emphasis on basic skills.
1. A standard steel cube
This is a very basic project that provides a basic TIG welding experience. It’s perfect for beginners just joining the welding department. There is no wrong way to solder – you can only learn from it. What makes this project interesting is the need to weld a uniform shape without too much warping and deformation.
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2. Scrap Metal Phone Holder
Teens without smartphones today. So it’s a good idea for soldering teachers to have their students make this simple phone mount. They use it every day and it will show them that welding is an applied skill through a simple example.
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3. Become a welder’s third hand
Most welders use this useful tool in their workshop, and most make their own. This is a great project for students in high school welding classes because they can use it during their classes. This small project teaches self-reliance in the welding trade. If you don’t have the tools, you can craft it if you have the necessary soldering skills.
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4. Welding infinite cubes with square tubes
While this project looks intimidating, it’s pretty easy to make, especially when you break down the soldering process into categories. It teaches patience and fillet welding. Students love welding projects like this, they have something fun to remember about their welding procedures. Plus, they’ll show it off to friends and family, who will be amazed at their skills, further reinforcing a student’s love of the industry.
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5. Simple Industrial Pen Holder
To make such a small industrial pen holder, all you need is basic welding skills and a few square steel pipes. This is the perfect program for high school students just entering technical education. It can be welded with the gas metal arc welding process because it does not require precise surface preparation. Or you can instruct your students to try TIG welding it and compare the results.
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6. Welding workbench
https://www.instructables.com/Welding-Table-1/
Creating a welding station is an excellent group project for high school welders. It’s not realistic for a welding student to do it themselves unless they are really motivated. But if everyone is involved, they understand the value of teamwork and create a form that they can all work on for the rest of the welding program. Afterwards, you can decide who gets to keep it; maybe this can be a motivator beyond grades.
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7. Welding signs with rebar
https://www.instructables.com/Rebar-Welcome-Sign/
Rebar is an excellent metal for welding techniques and metal fabrication classes. It is easy to form and does not require a lot of welding skills to join rebar. Welding flags can also be a group project. Perhaps students can spell the name of a school or town.
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8. Soldering station and torch holder
This is a useful high school welding project with an emphasis on plasma cutting and metal forming. It’s relatively simple to make, and it’s still used by welding students even after they graduate from the program.
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9. TIG Welding Pyramid
Have your students solder pyramids instead of just running horizontal beads, which gets boring after a while. Once the initial shape is complete, running flattened beads will give the pyramid a beautiful look while making the learning process more fun.
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10. Welding Art Portraits
If you have a particularly artistic student, giving them the task of “painting” with a TIG arc instead of a paintbrush might get their attention. This project on Instructables was done by a grateful student who “painted” their instructor on a metal plate as a parting gift. This is excellent inspiration for high school students in the era of trying new things and learning as they go.
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11. TIG Welded Polygonal Steel Vase
https://www.instructables.com/TIG-Welded-Steel-Vase/
This is a program for motivated high school welding technology students. It required a lot of measuring, cutting and welding, but the end result is fascinating, and if they pull it off successfully, so will their careers.
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12. Welding chisel hammer
Every welder needs a chisel hammer to peel off the slag. This is a great beginner project because you really can’t go wrong. Plus, you can always upgrade your hammer by crafting better hammers as your skills improve.
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13. Create the electrode storage container
Making a stick container is a fun welding project that your students can use throughout their careers. Plus, since it’s made of metal, it’ll remind them of class even years into the future.
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14. Christmas tree star
This is quite a challenging project for a high school student with welding experience. Welding pipe at steep angles is difficult, especially if the resulting joint requires a sharp point like a star.
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15. Making Rebar Clips
Fixtures are critical to successfully welding complex parts. Making rebar from rebar is a great learning opportunity covering welding, metal forming and grinding.
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16. Welded Outdoor Bench
This welding project from Lincoln Electric is perfect for a group activity. The production is relatively simple, only need to weld the hollow steel pipe. After completion, it can be donated to the campus as a testimony to the success of a generation of welding students.
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17. Horseshoe Cowboy Candle Holder
If you’re looking for a fun little project that involves welding, sanding, and metal bending, this might be it. It’s well suited for a metal fabrication course that takes a multidisciplinary approach and focuses on more than just welding.
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18. Weld a practical guitar out of steel
If your student is part of a band or school’s music academy, this could be the perfect group project. It takes a lot of planning and work, but with a helpful welding instructor anything is possible.
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19. Make a hammer out of rebar
This very basic project requires little previous soldering skills, but it leaves a great sense of accomplishment. It requires a lot of welds, and those welds don’t need to be perfect, making it a great project to motivate students.
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20. Welded metal carpet
Requiring only scrap metal tubing cut into short lengths, this is an inexpensive, practical high school welding project. It’s perfect for teens doing tack welding for the first time, as it’s incredibly useful and allows a lot of creative freedom.
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wrap up
If you are a teenager yourself, when reading this, make sure you are welding with the proper personal protective equipment in the presence and permission of adults. Welding is an amazing trade, but it can also be dangerous. Welding fumes can be life-threatening if you are welding certain metals that an inexperienced welder cannot detect.
Arc flashes can permanently damage eyesight, while burns from splashes of molten metal can leave scars. So, if you don’t have experience, don’t do anything yourself.
If you are a welding instructor, we hope you found some exciting project ideas in this article to inspire a new generation of welders!
Other Welding Items
Soldering Projects for Beginners
Rebar Welding Project
Horseshoe Welding Project
Small Welding Projects