Coat Hook With Metal Shape

This instructable is about a cool and easy to make coat hanger; this hanger is mainly made with wood and it has a bird shape made up of bended metal that provides you a perfect hanging for your coats or bags

This hanger can be used for hanging all type of things, because the metal shape has sharp and wide edges and it provides easily hanging. This coat hanger can be given a retro style varnishing it, or a more modern style cutting it very geometrically.

Step 1: Creating a Template

To make our final shape, we need a template for producing it accurately.

To do this, you first need to get a piece of paper, and mark the shape of the metal surface you are going to use onto the paper. There are different types of line for each thing, edge or folding lines; for edges, use a straight line. Once you have done this. Take the measures with a ruler and make it accurate and to take the correct space in the metal, you can cut it out and draw the folding lines with the following type of line: (_._._._._._)

For creating the template there are a series of measurements shown below:

35 mm each side of the square so, if there are 2 squares joined together it's 70mm (shown in the picture)

Step 2: Prepare the Material

Clean and smooth the surface with emery cloth. all the marks and dirty stains are going to come off if you do it strongly. If you do it properly, you should get a clean and smooth surface to work on.

Step 3: Draw Your Shape on the Metal

Use a pencil to draw the shape of the bird on the piece of metal. Help yourself with a steel rule to make it accurate. To draw it, you need to use the paper template you previously made. Don't try to mark it very hard because the pencil it's just used a reference.

Secondly, use a scriber to mark the shape on the piece of metal. Use a steel rule again and try to press the metal to get a fine line; you also need to mark the folding lines. Try to be precise because it's more difficult to rube it out.

Step 4: Hole on the Middle

Once all of the previous is done, mark a dot on the centre of the shape with a centre punch and a hammer; place the centre punch where you want the dot to be and hit the top with the hammer once. Now, make a hole using a piller drill on the mark. Be careful using this tool, wear safety glasses and try and not put your hands close to the drill while it's working.

Step 5: Cut Out the Shape

Cut out your shape using a junior hacksaw. Place the metal on the vice, to make it accurate, place the line you want to cut in line with the vice edge. Always try to cut the metal from top to bottom, this way, it's going to be safe and the result is going to be better. Try and saw the metal using the whole surface of the tool, it will be easier and quicker. Don't you worry if it's not perfect.

Step 6: File It and Smooth the Edges

Make it more accurate with a file, file it without putting too much force and not ruin your piece of work. To do it, place the metal on the vice and gently file it bringing the file from on side to another constantly. Smooth the edges with emery cloth. We want to get safe and smooth edges so, gently polish the edges with the piece of emery cloth rolled onto the file.

Step 7:

Finally, bend the piece of metal using the folding lines as a reference. You need to use a bending bar and a hammer. For doing it, place one of the folding lines between the edges of the bending bars, then hit it carefully with a hammer. Try to spread out the hits to bend it equally on all the parts. Do the same with all the folding lines

Step 8: Dip Coating Metal

Once you've got your final piece of metal, you can proceed to dip coating it, to get a more aesthetic shape, and to get safer edges. Switch on the fluidizer.

This step is a bit more technical so it's recommended to wear safety glasses. Firstly, heat your metal shape at 400C in an special oven or in the forge and deep it in the small metal particles that are inside the fluidizer for 5 seconds (use pliers as help). When you are done, let it cool down and it´s ready.

Step 9: Wood Cutting (base)

To start with, choose which type of wood you want to use. Use two different ones so they contrast with each other.

Get the two rectangular pieces of wood and place them as if they were to make a right angle.

Mark a dot where the arrow indicates (point where the two pieces join together). Repeat with the other piece of wood.

use a try square to draw a straight line with pencil from the dot to the opposite part of the wood piece. Lengthen this line to the sides and draw the same line on the side of the wood (just one ending): mark the line with pencil. Decide which of the two halves you want to waste and draw horizontal lines on it top assure you don't get confused.

Use a tenon saw to make straight cuts on the wood and to get rid of the part previously marked with pencil. Cut using all the surface of the saw, and try not to cut too deep, because remember that you want to get rid of the piece on one of the ends.

At this stage, you should have a cut on both of your parts: this cut should be vertical and placed on the middle of the wood piece. To finish cutting the waste we don't want, go onto the band saw and cut the wood following the horizontal line.

Place the piece of wood vertically facing the (file) and push it onto the saw slowly, the "waste" square needs to be on the outside of the machine to avoid any safety issues.

Step 10: Joining the Wood Parts

Once you have finished doing the last step with both of the wood parts, you can proceed to joining them together with special glue designed for wood. Put a bit of glue on one of the parts and spread it with a brush, then make two the parts coincide as if it was a puzzle. Apply pressure on the joined wood piece with a Gclamp.

Step 11: Reinforce the Base

Your wood base is nearly done, now, file it with sand paper and smooth the surface and the edges as much as you can.

Your wooden base is strong enough to support some weight but to reinforce it, use a piller drill to make two wide holes where the two different pieces of wood have been previously joined. Then, fit dowels on the holes you made.

Step 12: Holes for Hangers and Oiling

Now, use a hand driller to make two more holes on the long side of your piece of wood, be careful when using the hand driller and remember they need to be big enough to fit two acrylic cylinders. Cut two acrylic pegs on the band saw, carefully place the long bar on the machine and approach to the sharp saw that will cut it with the exact measure you previously set. The acrylic pegs should be filed with a piece of emirate cloth to improve the aesthetics.

As a final step before adding the hangers and the metal piece, oil the whole surface with danish oil. But first, sand the entire surface with sand paper.

Use a piece of paper to spread it out along the surface, try not to put too much and it will dry in not much time.

Step 13: Hanging Pegs

The last step just consists on putting everything together. Start with the acrylic pegs, place them on the holes you previously made and put them in using a mallet to hit them on the top.

Then, the metal piece comes to play its role, measure out where you want to place the hole for the dip-coated metal piece and mark it with a pencil, it should be on the middle of the long side of the two wood types. Use a hand driller to make a hole and then use another one to get the drill with the metal piece inside the hole.

SO THAT IS ALL, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY FINISHED YOUR HANGER AND IT IS READY TO BE USED