If a homeowner has a well-ventilated garage and is interested in making some money out of their welding skills, why not consider starting a small home welding business? In the beginning, the business might only help neighbors and locals, but customer bases have been known to expand.
As word spreads, more people from surrounding areas may start seeking your expertise. Before you know it, a new income stream is born, and it’s all done from the comfort of the home. With that in mind, here’s a list of 15 potential money-makers, welding projects that you can offer to your customers. As a change of pace, they’ll be described in a collection-based format, not the usual instructional style used in our other posts. Starting with backyard items, the first project will need lengths of rust resistant tubular steel and a powered grinder, too.
1. Home Backyard Furniture
Crafting backyard furniture through welding adds rugged form and function to patio spaces. With sturdy tubular metal frames, these pieces are designed to withstand the elements and ensure years of enjoyment. The beauty lies in the customizable aspect – from elegant tables for al fresco dining to comfortable chairs and benches, each piece reflects homeowner style. Welded backyard furniture adds a touch of industrial charm to the garden, to patios, or even to poolside lounges. Its durability and resistance to weathering make it a good investment. Once out of the home workshop, expect the client to enjoy countless gatherings and serene moments in the open air. It's the perfect blend of artistry and practicality for the great outdoors.
Source: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/patio-furniture-build.82528/
2. A Barbecue or Fire Pit
Wood is no good for keeping flames back. To complete that metal-accented patio, the workshop welder is asked to run up a metal barbecue that’ll elevate outdoor cooking to a new level. Again, built to last, these barbecues are constructed from robust metal parts that endure heat and the rigors of grilling. What sets them apart is the personal touch. From the size of the grill to additional features, like shelves and hooks for utensils, each barbecue can be tailored to the chef's preferences. Welded patio firepits are next, offering both industrially-influenced style and rustic appeal. They create a focal point for outdoor parties and culinary adventures. With welded durability built-in, these grills and firepits are designed to be garden party centerpieces.
Photo by @Allen's Welding/Woodworking(Facebook)
3. Auto Repair Welding
Home workshop welders fabricate custom brackets, carry out exhaust repairs and chassis reinforcements; they generally utilize their welding skills to repair and restore old and new cars. It’s a craft that’s famously popular among vintage vehicle restorers, but even newer cars need to be repaired. As one example of this need, catalytic converters are being stolen from cars at an alarming rate. Home welders are being tasked with the job of equipiing vehicle undercarriages with special cat converter cages, welded in place to stop thieves in their tracks. Meanwhile, the personalized touch allows for tailored solutions, from patching up exhaust systems to welding in sturdy hitch receivers. These welders enable their neighbors to keep their vehicles running smoothly and safely, offering a reliable and cost-effective alternative to commercial repair shops.
Cat Converter Cage
Source: https://www.mgrmufflers.com/en/catalytic-converter-cages
4. Motorcycle Mod Projects
From unique frame modifications to custom exhaust system alterations and precisely designed brackets, home welders are sought out by enthusiast bikers to create one-of-a-kind rides. These personalized modifications reflect the rider's “Easy Rider” personalities and improve the motorcycle's performance. Whether it's a sleek new handlebar or a custom-designed frame strut reinforcement job, the end result is a motorcycle that's as distinctive as its owner and capable of delivering a thrilling, unique riding experience. Of course, the process of welding one of these stylized two-wheel beasts is often a labor-of-love, a job that requires an equally creative and capable welding expert. Nothing less will do.
Motorcycle Mod Project
Source: https://weldingvalue.com/2021/03/welding-education-comes-handy-motorcycle-building/#2a79c05d
5. Sculpted Metalwork
Welders enter a whole new realm when they opt for the artistic side of metalwork. They draw from a well of creative energies. Set up the stick and brought a metal sculpture to life that’ll sell to a garden owner who’s looking for the perfect piece of metal art to sit pride of place in the center of their large garden. For something more detail-oriented and non-ferrous, the mode selector is set to TIG, then the thin-walled sections are creatively joined into shapes that artistically capture a mood or feeling. MIG welding is another option, but the work will need to be kept in the confines of a home workshop, not on the site of the sculpture’s installation where the shielding gas will float away as soon as a light breeze stirs.
Dragon Metalwork
Source: https://weldinglife.info/welding-artwork-welding-artist-brings-stainless-steel-to-life/
6. Security Enhancements
As much as welders wish they could make a living out of creating metal sculptures, not many of us are lucky enough to be blessed with that kind of artistic flair. For the more practically minded craftsman, fencing and gate repair work is enough to bring in a surprising amount of spending money. A small business working from home might even have the opportunity to craft attractive accents and add them to the gates or fences they repair. As well as creating a fine investment, one a real estate agent is sure to take note of, the accents are also functional. They close gaps that animals or skinny thieves might use to slip onto a property. Security-conscious contractors often take advantage of such services, as do apartment complex property managers.
Gate Welding Repair
Source: https://www.theprolock.com/iron-gate-repair
7. Farmhouse Welding Work
Assuming the home welder lives in the country or in a city that has access to that rustic domain, farm repair jobs have a great deal to offer. Select stick mode to quickly weld broken tractor implements and agricultural machinery. MIG settings are also applicable here, as long as the repairs are protected from the elements. Remember, hard-working farm owners simply can’t afford a lot of downtime. Then there’s more fencing and gate repair work, farm tools and trailer hitches, and who knows what other kind of grunt work to perform. It’s a tough job, both dirty and packed with challenges, but there’s a real feeling of reward when the agricultural machinery enters service again.
8. Offroad Accessories
This kind of driving might create an adrenaline rush of excitement, but that feeling will be short-lived if the offroad vehicle isn’t prepared for the chassis-breaking impacts encountered on some rugged terrains. Home business welders put on their Tooliom welding gloves and autodarkening welding helmets would be a perfect match for this adrenaline sport– so that they can reinforce a chassis with custom brackets and skid plates. Other common mods include welded roll cages and customized bumpers, all the better to keep the vehicle on its wheels, bot bouncing out of control and over a sheer edge. It’s a serious business, not a job for someone who welds metal sculptures over the weekend. For this work, some technical college course certifications would definitely be beneficial.
Auto Darkening Welding Helmet TL-M800D | Plasma Grinding｜Tooliom
9. Boat Trailer Repair
There may come a day when someone rolls their boat trailer up to a home welder’s workshop. They need repairs done to a second-hand frame. The supports can’t cradle the transom of their boat, so a local someone is needed to reinforce the framework. That weekend vessel is likely a lot more expensive than the trailer, so you’ll need to display some real welding prowess if the frame is going to be restored to a point that it looks like it’ll reliably carry the boat hull all the way down to the open water. Winch and strap upgrades, mount and roller replacement jobs, there’s no shortage of welding work to be done on a trailer. Stick welding is fine for the heavy-duty support work, with perhaps a switch over to TIG or MIG mode on the Tooliom gear if more detail-oriented welding is mandated.
Drift Boat Trailer Projects
Source: https://www.instructables.com/Drift-Boat-Trailer-Build/
10. Candle Holders
A return to the more creative camp is on the cards now as metal candle holders are sketched at the table of the garage or workshop. It’s a captivating fusion of artistry and engineering. With many sellers already known on Etsy as candle makers, there shouldn’t be any shortage of clients, either. This time around, a Tooliom TL-135M is set to MIG mode, which will serve the welder well as a clean, thin-wall welding solution. The metal used is wrought iron. It’ll create a more rustic, antique look. Penetration shouldn’t be an issue, not with thin rods of wrought iron being utilized, so the consumable wire electrode can be configured and installed. As a concluding suggestion, nickel-based wires are good for wrought iron.
Metal Heart Candle Holder
Source: https://www.instructables.com/Metal-Heart-Candle-Holder/
11. Metal Signage
With small businesses trying to stand out from the crowd, the need for attractive, head-turning metal signage has never been more important. To cut out intricate shape, a Tooliom Plasma Cutter TL-50C is one approach. It’ll cut through stainless steel and copper panels with non-partisan ease, adding flair and artistically shaped edges to the final product. Alternatively, the TIG mode on a Tooliom TL-135M adds precision cuts, too. It’ll craft the signage with a clean profile, reduce post-work cleanup, and minimize ugly warping. The companies ordering these signs don’t want dirty outlines or warped panels, not when they’re trying to project a professional image to their audience.
Plasma Cutter TL-50C-NHF | Non-Touch Pilot Arc NHF Version｜Tooliom
12. Crafting A Home Gym
Although it’s true that many companies build home gyms, they’re typically one-size-fits-all structures. They bolt together and sit awkwardly in unconventionally shaped rooms or garages. By taking a customized gym layout to a small business welder, fitness enthusiasts gain access to a whole world of possibilities. A small business welder can design and create a home gym that not only fits perfectly in the available space but also incorporates specific features and equipment tailored to the individual's fitness goals. From adjustable racks to specialized weight machines, the customization options are endless, allowing the fitness enthusiast to personalize their workout space.
Welding the Parts of Home Gym
Source: https://torontolife.com/life/when-the-pandemic-put-him-out-of-work-this-welder-and-fitness-buff-began-producing-condo-size-gym-equipment/
13. Home Decor
It’s envisaged as a TIG welding job, this art of creating home accents. To be specific, the welder fuses tubular segments to make a metal table or wrought iron furniture. Bicycle stands are welded to be placed near a back door or on a patio. Wall hooks, customized stainless countertops and splash guards are also part of the welding job. The welder carefully crafts each piece, ensuring joint and seam cleanlines. Importantly, aesthetics are essenntial in this kind of work, so stick welding is probably not a workable process in this case. Other examples of TIG welded home decor include garage shelves and ornamental fireplace accents, such as the screens that have become so popular in homes that no longer burn logs.
Source: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/a-couple-creations.19667/
14. Plant Trellises
This is but one welding project of many outdoor possibilities. The trellis uses a conventional criss-crossing of non-flexing metal segments. A mild steel is enough here, as there is no load-bearing needs when supporting climbing plants. Other project options here include metal screen doors, decorative mail boxes, and grill grates for barbecues and firepits. Importantly, should a Gas Metal Arc Welding technique be selected, all work should be done in the confines of the workshop. This well-ventilated space will contain the shielding gas, unlike a garden, where a light wind will disperse the inert atmospheric shield.
Garden Trellis Welding Project
Source: https://askforney.com/how-to-build-a-garden-trellis/
15. Metal Ramps
Both homerowners and local authorities have reason to call on the services of a home welder when metal ramps are required. Solid and wide, they’re installed over ditches to permit farm vehicles passage into fields. Elsewhere, perhaps for a van transporting people with disabilities, lightweight aluminum ramps allow wheelchair access. In this latter project, a Tooliom Aluminum welding machine better suits the work. The ramps can be fabricated so that they fold, with the welder coming in at the end of the project to cut and weld the necessary pieces. Obviously, for the tractor example, glavanized steel is the better solution, but then a grinding tool will be required to abrade the protective zinc coating.
ATV Loading Ramp
Source: https://www.wcwelding.com/aluminum-welding-projects.html
The hypothetical home-based welders described in this article are a keen group of amateurs or perhaps a single professional welder who’s looking for a separate stream of income to supplement a job that’s experiencing a lull. They likely have limited space at home after converting their garage into a ventilated welding workshop, but that’s not an issue, not with a multi-process Tooliom welding machine that incorporates synergic control. The small business welder simply selects MIG or TIG mode and gets to work welding one of these 15 exciting welding projects. Work done, it’s time to collect the payment and setup the shop for the next home job. All of this goes to prove, home-based or contractor-employed, there really is money to be made out of this metal fusing skill.
Note: No table has been added, as the 15 projects clearly delineate themselves.