21 Uses for a Wire Coat Hanger

Wire coat hangers are cheap and easy to find. Sure they work well for hanging your dry cleaning but that's just the beginning. Here are 21 ways to upcycle the humble wire hanger.

Step 1: Razor Organizer

This keeps your new disposable razors lined up in an organized row. Cut a section of wire and bend it over a socket. Tie a lark’s foot with a rubber band at the curved end. Load the razors and secure them with the rubber band.

Step 2: Belt Keeper

Keep the loose end of your belt from dangling. Form a piece of wire into a rectangle. Make it so that there is a little friction when the top belt is threaded through. Paint it your favorite color to match.

Step 3: Adjustable Guy Line

This set up was used in the old days to adjust the tension on ropes anchoring tents. A figure 8 is made by shaping the loops with a pair of pliers over the shaft of a screw driver. The ring is made using the same method. Once on the cord you crimp the ring tight with pliers. 

Step 4: Plate Display

Form a piece of wire as shown to prop up a plate. You’ll have to play with the angles for your specific plate.

Step 5: Key Ring

Make a custom key ring with a socket bit. Choose your size socket and wrap the wire around as shown. The wire tends to spring back with larger loops so you may end up using a smaller socket to get the right size.

Step 6: Drain Cleaner

This is for all you intsructees with long hair clogging your drains. Form a hook. Unscrew / unhook the drain plug. Fish out the hair.

Step 7: Calendar Hanger

We like to hang a calendar at our house but we don’t like seeing it all the time. The problem with hanging it a cabinet is that the main panel of the cabinet door is too thin to screw into.

Place two small screws on the styles of the door. Next, thread cord through the spiral of the calendar. Form small hooks and lark’s foot them to the cord. Finally, hang them on the hooks.

Step 8: Card Display

Place two magnets on your fridge. Take a section of wire and make the ends as fancy as you want; spirals, circles, stars, mud flap girl, and so on. Place the wire against the magnets. Hang your card. 

Step 9: Chip Clip

You can make an over sized paper clip using a socket bit and pliers. It works great for holding your favorite snack bag closed. 

Step 10: Large Sewing Needle

Hammer the end of a section of wire. Drill a hole in it. File the other end to a point.

Step 11: Lock Out Key

It seems that when you get locked out of a house hold door you spend more time finding a small enough screw driver. This key can be placed above the door, on the ledge of the door jam, keeping it handy.

Form a handle at one end. Hammer the other end flat and file it to a flat head.

Step 12: Safety Pin / Wrench Organizer

Make a large safety pin with a section of wire. I use it for a wrench organizer.

Step 13: Fix a Draw String

Cut the top portion of the hanger off as shown.
Straiten out the wire and form it into a circle.
Make a small loop at one end of the wire.
Crimp the draw string inside the small loop.
Feed it through the opening of your bag / pajama pants / hoodie.
When the crimped loop emerges from the other end, release the sting.
Pull out the wire.

Step 14: Bubble Blower

Shape the hanger into a circle. Bend the hook closed for a handle. Place masking tape on the handle end, as shown, to better complete the circle.

Step 15: Mirror Hanger

These simple clips make it easy to hang large mirrors. Bend a section of hanger into a "U" Shape.  Bend the lower part 90 degrees. Tap the newly formed hanger into the wall and hang your mirror.

Step 16: Knotless Gear Tie

This wire fish makes a quick and easy way to lash extra gear to your pack. You can see a full demo in step 4 here.

Start by taking a coat hanger and cutting out the long bottom section. Bend it about 1/3rd of the way down over a the shaft of a screwdriver. Bend the longer end at 90 degrees. With the short end against the shaft, wrap the long end around both. See the pictures. Cut it to length so that 5 coils are left. File any sharp edges.

It must be bent in two areas for it to work. The first is where the coil was cut. Use pliers to reduce the diameter of the last coil. This helps hold the paracord in place and prevents the wire end from catching onto your gear when your pulling the tie tight.

The other important bend is at the head of the fish. The upper most coil must be bent toward the top. This gives the back of the head a hook shape for the paracord to tie around. See the pictures.

The tail is bent to complete the fish look. It also gives another place to tie off.

Step 17: Rope Making Jig.

Rope making has been around for a very long time. While there are more complicated ways to go about it, this set up is one of the simpler ways. All you really need is a few coat hangers and a couple scraps of wood. Check out the full instructable here.

The twine I’m using measures about 1/8”. Six lines of it made a 3/8” rope. Twelve lines made a 1/2” rope.

Step 18: Make a Locket

A coat hanger makes it possible to create this hand made locket. After rolling a circle it's used to form the picture frame for the locket halves. See Step #4 in the link below. 

https://www.instructables.com/id/Vintage-Locket/

Step 19: Skeleton Key

Yes, you can even use a hanger for some cool projects. This one was made by soldering several pieces together. Of course you have to remove the protective coating first. 

https://www.instructables.com/id/Skeleton-Key/

Step 20: Make a Crystal Ring

This is a fun project to make for little hands. It's created by hammering a section of hanger flat. With a little soldering and some polish you get this ring. Check out the full tutorial in the link below. Make sure to coat the inside of the ring with nail polish before wearing it.  

https://www.instructables.com/id/Crystal-Ring/

Step 21: Make a Pendant

A coat hanger will help you form out the shape of a pendant. All you need to do is make the shape you want, tape it to a thin sheet of metal and hammer it on both sides. The links show how I used this method to make a rocket and heart. 

https://www.instructables.com/id/Copper-Rocket/

https://www.instructables.com/id/Two-Tone-Heart/

Comments

[Phil B]

Some use them as welding rod when doing oxy-acetylene welding.

[DoraS14]

Where can good wire hangers be purchased?If Amazon, please post the ones you have used successfully.Thank you.

[rickyeatough]

Hey,

How about a toilet roll holder? ;)

No idea why I thought of that.... :P

[snowf7]

Or for a roll of yarn while knitting to keep it from taking off across the floor. Same idea as a toilet roll holder.

[Gelfling6]

Done that too! re-bent, and with a wooden dowel with holes drilled in the ends for the hanger. Used to have a couple my Grandfather made for this, a roll in the kitchen, for either small spills, catching/cleaning up a good sneeze!

[SharNandoT]

The large sowing needle out of the hanger can also be made into a bait rigging needle

[snowf7]

That's a great idea, especially with fishing season about to start soon.

[DeboraD]

My favorite thing to do with a wire hanger is to pull it out to make a big (kind of) oval, stretch an old, clean knee high stocking over it, tape it around the handle part and then let the kids play indoor 'tennis' with a balloon. Works great and keeps them quiet for a long while. Just make sure and move your lamps out of the way ... Learned that one the hard way.

[snowf7]

Hi DeboraD;

This is a little off topic but has to do with kids. When mine were young they liked to fly kites but didn't have the dexterity to wind the string fast enough when the wind died down, so the kite would crash and they would get frustrated. They also got the string tangled and aside from the time it took to untangle the loops of string, I worried that when the wind picked up they might have a finger in the tangled mess.

My solution was to buy some very inexpensive fishing rods. Make sure that the fishing line is tied onto the reel to prevent losing a kite. Now all they have to do is push the button to release more line and crank the handle to take up the slack. We called it "Sky Fishing". They had a lot of fun doing this and I was relieved that no one was going to lose a finger. I wish I had taken pictures of them at the time. Maybe I can get some neighbour kids together and make an instructable. With summer just around the corner, I hope you get a chance to try this. It really is a lot of fun.

[adam.verner.790]

Your forgot the one from American horror stroy
nice post btw

[NancyB42]

My Dad would have loved this Instructable. It's a family saying that Dad could fix anything with a wire hanger, a pair of pliers and a roll of black electrical tape. And he could! Some of his fixes are still intact and working. (He passed away 14 years ago.)

[jenirugs]

Oh, Nancy, reminds me of my Dad, who passed 10 years ago, who my Mom always said he only used tape and staples to fix everything.

[nuffnuffnuffing]

You can buy all of these for under $1.50

[taur561]

Try using them to make candle holders . We have power failures fairly frequently and they make great candle holders as you can hook them to walls , door frames etc without worrying that they will be knocked over and set the place on fire . Slip a round piece of tin foil to catch the wax . The wire is also used here to make the frame for beaded animals , wire cars , bicycles etc . I use them for making pegboard hooks to hang up small items , making bird feeders , tying up creepers or tree sapling supports , wire plant hanging baskets , etc . Dozens of uses for old wire hangers if you put your mind to it .

[RustyL]

I'd like to see your candle holders and how you make your peg board hooks. Please make an instructable!

[Cat00x]

It would be great if you could post pictures for the candle holders, and others. Or make an instructable on it! thanks.

[RustyL]

You are very talented. This is a great instructable. I know I can use some of these.

[PilarF]

Impressive ideas!

[TmurphyJ]

These are great tips. We used something similar to Step 12 to hang squirrels/rabbits from our belts when hunting.

[SusanH75]

Oh, Man. You Rock. Every one of these ideas are original and very cool! Come up with some more. Can't wait:)