(And Even Make Some Money On The Side!)

For beginners and experts alike, welding can be a brilliant way to make money. Many people dream of turning a hobby into something that pays a little extra, so welding might just be your way of achieving that dream.

There are several difficulties when it comes to making money from welding, though. For starters you have to have the money for the initial outlay, as you’ll need to buy the materials that you need to weld. This can work out as being expensive, especially if you’re selling your wares cheaply.

That’s where the second difficulty comes in. Do you go for making and selling small, inexpensive items that you can sell quickly and easily, or do you choose to make larger products for a niche market which will be harder to sell but will bring in more money? Which is more important: a quick turnover or high profits? Ultimately that’s a decision that only you can make.

Whichever road you decide to go down, I’ve got some great ideas for items which can all be made pretty simply. Some of them are cheap and cheerful, while some are slightly more complex and should only be tackled once you’ve honed your skills.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro; whether you use a MIG or a TIG welder, I’ve got a project for you. Pick your project, snap on your welding helmet, and start welding!

Many of the welding projects below can be found in this book from Amazon. It’s mainly for beginners and includes detailed instructions while being very easy to follow.

10. Car ramps

Garages, car businesses and individual vehicle enthusiasts are the perfect customers to buy a set of sturdy car ramps. There will be occasions when either the front or back end of a vehicle needs to be lifted up slightly, so by welding a custom-made set of ramps for each specific client, you can tap right into the market of people who love to work on cars.

Small cars will only need a small set of ramps; larger off-road vehicles will need fairly large ramps; the biggest vehicles will require something even more substantial. Of course, this means that you’ll be able to price them accordingly. The bigger the ramps are, the more you can charge.

Car ramps will be relatively expensive to make – not to mention the fact that they’ll be pretty heavy – but by customizing them as per the customer’s requirements and selling them to businesses, you should be able to make a comfortable profit.

More information from Chris Eigeneer’s blog.

9. Tables and stools

Tables, stools and chairs can be huge money-spinners if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. These are not the kinds of projects which should be attempted by beginners as they’re pretty complex to make, but I’m pretty sure that any experienced welder can handle tables and stools with ease.

Luckily, this is one area which has a very wide, open market, especially as welded tables and chairs can look great both indoors and outdoors. Flex your creative muscles to come up with loads of different styles and designs – or even create something totally unique for a specific customer.

This kind of business works really well if you set it up on a commission basis. Finding buyers for individual items that you make will be an uphill struggle, but by only making pieces for people who really want them – who commission them to be made from you – you’re guaranteed a sale at the end of it. These pieces might take a while to finish, and they probably won’t be the cheapest for you to make, but if you’re good at what you do you’ll soon see the big bucks rolling in.

More information at Miller welds.

8. Interior decorations

Everyone I know likes to make their home look pretty in one way or another, which is why making interior decorations is such a good idea for any welder who’s starting out and wanting to make a bit of extra money on the side.

Items such as coat racks, light fixtures, frames, fireplace guards, or any other sort of metal accessory you can think of will always be highly sought-after. Being small, it won’t cost much to source the materials to make them, but you’ll also be able to sell them off easily for a low price.

Of course, if you’re skilled when it comes to welding these interior decorations, you’ll always have the opportunity to scale up your business. Creating specialized, customized, bespoke pieces based on customers’ requirements will boost your incomings as well as your reputation and skill level!

More information at Garret’s blog, MakeMoneyWelding.com

7. Falling targets

Anyone who enjoys shooting in a sporting sense will know that falling or moving targets can present a greater challenge than just regular targets. As the names suggest, falling targets flip down when they’re hit; moving targets move around so that they’re more difficult to hit.

I’ve always found that these are fairly expensive to buy off-the-shelf. If you can weld your own versions and sell them more cheaply, you’ll be able to undercut big suppliers, which will be even more appealing to your customers. This is the perfect way to make good money, because by selling falling targets for a good price you’ll have to work hard to keep up with demand!

Falling and moving targets are fairly small, so they should be quick to make with low initial outlay costs. However, you’ll need to hone your skills in order to get them right as they’re not the easiest things in the world to put together!

More information by Aggie at Texags.com

6. Horse shoe items

There is a huge market for products to sell to horse lovers. Horse-related items can usually be sold pretty easily to both animal lovers and country enthusiasts alike, so you’ll be able to price them slightly higher than non-themed items. There will be people who are willing to pay for these items, especially if your skills are good.

One way to reduce your start-up costs is to use horse-related items which already exist and transform them into new objects. Horse shoes are perfect for this; I’ve found that they’re pretty cheap to get hold of, and their connotations with bringing good luck make them even more popular with buyers.

What can you do with old horseshoes? Link them together into horseshoe-shaped wine racks and sell them as the ultimate gift for horse lovers. Not only will this tap into the equestrian market, but it’ll also appeal to wine connoisseurs, too.

More information at wcwelding.com

5. BBQs

If you’re looking for something that you can sell for a slightly higher price then I can recommend a BBQ as a welding project. These might be slightly more difficult to shift, but you can sell them for a higher price so you’ll still be able to make a tidy profit – albeit a slow, irregular one.

In the production and sales of your BBQs, you might come up against a hurdle, in that they can usually be bought pretty cheaply from most good grocery, department or outdoors stores. Why would someone buy a more expensive BBQ from you when they can buy one cheaper elsewhere?

Here, you really have to push the idea that your BBQs are quality, handmade items made locally. Most of those which you can purchase off-the-shelf have been made cheaply in China, so make sure that your customers know that they’re really getting something of quality for their money. Do everything that you can to ensure that your BBQs will stand up to the test of time, rather than being the cheap, disposable types that people throw away after every other use.

More information at Lincolnelectric.com

4. Yard art

Yard art is usually a pretty profitable way of making money from welding, so this is a great starting point for beginners or anyone who wants to have a bit more fun rather than going in for anything too serious. In case you’re not sure of exactly what yard art is, let me explain.

Welded yard art generally takes small pieces of metal – they can be scraps and leftovers – and puts them together into a small decorative object, usually some sort of animal. These animals are then placed in the garden for a bit of fun and decoration.

More often than not yard art isn’t anatomically accurate; the designs are usually caricatures or stylized versions of the animals in question. As such, you can have fun with this project and come up with some creative designs. Alternatively, if you’re not keen on the idea of something with little real purpose, weather vanes are also a great option.

Your costs will be low as you’ll only have to find small, scrap pieces of metal to use, but you’ll still be able to sell yard art fairly quickly as it’s so popular. Your turnaround with this idea will be pretty high, but it’s a lot of fun, so get creative and see what you can come up with!

More information at wcwelding.com

3. Small metal brackets

Small metal brackets generally fall into the category of being very cheap, very simple and very easy to sell, with a fast turnaround and a low profit. This is really the best idea for very new beginners in the world of welding, or for anyone who wants to make a quick buck.

These items consist of very little more than a few small pieces of metal joined together. A trip through any hardware store will tell you that they have a wide variety of uses, so there’s a pretty large market for them. Once again, push the selling point that these are quality pieces of workmanship, not cheaply made items that will break or need replacing quickly.

Brackets aren’t the only things you can make and sell of this type, although they probably are the easiest. That same trip through your hardware store should give you a whole host of other small items that you can make and sell quickly and cheaply for a small but quick profit.

Example by ken4444 at weldingweb.com

2. Model vehicles

The model vehicle market is huge, amongst both vehicle enthusiasts and war collectors. These vehicles can include everything from cars to airplanes, and even specialized military vehicles such as tanks. A fantastic welding project from which you can make money is to make these model vehicles as cheaply as possible.

They’re usually pretty small, so although they might be cheap to make, the level of detail and accuracy which you’ll need will require some thought and attention. In order to reach the really keen buyers who are willing to pay for this sort of thing, your work will need to be of good quality; if you make a non-descript car or airplane there will still be a market for it, but you won’t be able to charge anywhere near as much.

One way to increase the amount you charge is to use a metal which can be painted easily. Selling these items as a kit which the buyer can decorate themselves will make them even more appealing.

Some awesome examples at browndogwelding.com

1. Fences and gates

Large fences and gates are probably the items on this list for which you can charge the highest price, but they’re also some of the most complex things you can make. In order to make an effective fence or gate you’ll need to get the measurements absolutely perfect, so there’s no room for error. In addition, your welding skills will need to be top-notch if you hope to create anything even vaguely pretty or creative.

When you start out, you’ll find that the materials you need to make fences and gates are fairly expensive, but if you do a good job you’ll reap the rewards in your profit margin. They’ll also take much longer to make than some of the smaller objects you could go for (which means your profit will be slow in coming) but you’ll receive larger lump sums in return.

One of the best things about making fences and gates is that they can be made to order for both businesses and private homes. Private homes looking for security from a sturdy metal gate are usually willing to spend a little more for the privilege; likewise, businesses usually have deep pockets when it comes to keeping their assets safe. Play into both these markets to create bespoke, custom-made fences and gates, and you’ll soon be rolling in it!

More information at weldmyworld.com