I imagine there aren’t too many people in the world who wake up and decide to start welding. The tools are pricey, learning curve is steep, and materials take up a lot of space. Then, there’s my dad. He retires after a long career, takes a month off, and after waking up one day he decides, “You know what? I’m gonna start welding.” Fast forward a few years, my pop built a backyard welding oasis, runs a successful business, and started to share his acquired knowledge.

It was clear from day one that the trade itself is as beautiful and creative as it is dangerous. From toxic fumes to dangerous equipment, the skills needed to safely execute a proper weld go beyond what you learn in shop class.

My first attempt at a welding project was a single steel rose.

How did I make it?

This rose took about three hours from start to finish and consisted of three 3×3 pieces of steel for the petals, a 2×2 piece for the leaves, a steel rod for the stem, a screw, and a 1/2 inch thick steel base.

First I cut each 3×3 piece of steel into the shape of a four-leaf clover to act as the rounded petals. The 2×2 piece was cut more or less into a star to make the bottom leaves. Once the four pieces were cut I drilled a hole through the center and connected them with a screw. The ridges of the screw were sanded off to flow into the steel rod stem. I also sanded the edges of the petals and leaves to dull down the sharpness. Next I used pliers to bend the steel upward and rounded them to make the curve of each petal. This by far was the most time consuming process.

Once I was happy with the shape, I began to weld the rod to the screw that was sticking out of the bottom of the rose. A quick sand to the weld hid the evidence that it was once in two pieces. Once the leaves were bent down around around the stem I made one more weld connecting the base piece and the stem. Another touch with the sander cleaned up the weld nicely.

Following a few rounds from the sandblaster to unify the surface texture, I covered everything but the petals in tape and started rusting the steel. My dad made a special concoction that can be sprayed on and develops as it dries. A few layers of rust later and the rose was ready for a final coat of spray gloss.

I plan on making a few additions to my next rose, including thorns and more petals. I’m hoping to streamline the production process and crank out dozens at a time! Thanks for reading and happy welding!