A very simple coat rack

[wtnhighlander]

I haven't posted a journal for a while, and there won't be much to this one. LOML requested a wall mount coat rack to go in our front entry, and to match the mirror frame I made for the same hallway last year.

Although the woodwork is straight forward, I thought someone might like to see a little complimentary metal work. The hooks of the coat rack started life holding down the rails.

Cutting wheels on a grinder make me nervous, ever since a co-worker had one explode, and bury itself into his thigh. Face shield is mandatory PPE for this step!

And here we have five beheaded rail spikes.

My final step for today was to switch wheels, and grind away all the rust and burrs. I also did a little shaping to give the heads a little more uniformity. Spikes are pretty soft steel, and could be "power carved" with a little effort.

That's all for today...

 

[Coop]

And I bet the other LOYL was tickled about the railroad part! 

[wtnhighlander]

Got a little more done on the spikes today. Ground out the pitting, and sanded at 36, 60, and started on 120 grit, when my grinder played out. I'll look into that later.

Moving on, I started drilling and tapping. I start the tap in th DP chuck to keep it straight, and finish with a T-handle.

The spikes will end up like this, attaching to the board like a drawer knob.

Still a lot of sanding and polishing to go. Still on the fence as to leaving them mirror polished, or blued.

[Coop]

Ross, when you started the threads on the dp, did you just turn it by hand ? I vote for the blueing. 

[RichardA]

Blueing +1       Oh, and I have a few of those spikes here for Cody.

[wtnhighlander]

@Coop, yes, I turned the (unplugged) DP chuck by hand to get the threads started straight.

And gun-blue finish is gaining fast in the rankings!

[Mark J]

@wtnhighlander, is rust going to be an issue for the spikes?  I know they're going to be inside, but some rainy day you're gonna hang a wet coat.  I don't know what bluing is, but it seems to me it's possible to put a coat of varnish or lacquer on metal.

[roughsawn]

I vote for case hardening...lol

It wouldn't surprise me if you know how to do that too! I love the idea of those spikes for hangers!

[Dave H]

I think I saw a trick for rust proofing metal (now remember I have the attention span of a gold fish) they heated the metal with a torch and used a rag soaked in BLO it turned the metal black and acted as a rust sealer. Now as I write this I think it was on an episode of The Wood wrights Shop.

[BonPacific]

On 2/14/2023 at 8:12 AM, Dave H said:

I think I saw a trick for rust proofing metal (now remember I have the attention span of a gold fish) they heated the metal with a torch and used a rag soaked in BLO it turned the metal black and acted as a rust sealer. Now as I write this I think it was on an episode of The Wood wrights Shop.

Sounds like a traditional oil-rubbed finish. Essentially the same process as seasoning a cast-iron pan, though with a drying oil rather than a cooking oil.

 

On 2/14/2023 at 5:34 AM, Mark J said:

I don't know what bluing is, but it seems to me it's possible to put a coat of varnish or lacquer on metal.

Blueing is a black oxide finish (as opposed to red oxide aka rust) that can be done a few ways, but the simplest is a brush on liquid chemical. Traditionally oiled as well to protect against further corrosion.

[Chet]

On 2/14/2023 at 5:34 AM, Mark J said:

it's possible to put a coat of varnish or lacquer on metal.

I used a product call Protecta-Clear made by Everbrite Coatings.  I used it on the solid copper pivot and adjustment pins on my Morris chair build.  It is made for protection in outdoor uses so it should handle wet clothing if needed.

[wtnhighlander]

The truest 'blue' I've seen uses this process:

But I'll just apply some of this stuff.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Super-Blue-Liquid/dp/B002J1QBEC

Coating afterward will probably just be furniture wax.

 

[Coop]

This forum is just a wealth of talent! 

[Chestnut]

I did the heat and BLO treatment on my benchcrafted vise hardware it worked great. Depending on how much heat you use varies the color. I applied mine at a low heat and it only added a bit of amber color to the cast iron.

One of these days i should make nicer knobs for my bench.

[wtnhighlander]

Shop time has been scarce, but I finally made a few minutes to finish drilling and tapping the spikes.

Managed to only break one tap, too! 

This is terribly messy work, I do not suggest doing it in your woodworking space, unless you are like me and have no other option.

Maybe by next weekend I can finish the sand & polish process...

[wtnhighlander]

After burning Saturday on a plumbing repair, I got shop time this afternoon!   Then I spent an hour repairing my grinder. 

Finally, I made some actual progress.  The hsnger pegs are sanded, blued, and waxed.

To keep the rail spike pegs from twisting, I inset each one 1/8". 

This adds the benefit of making the spikes look "driven" into the wood.

A bunch of layout later, I set up my saw to bevel the ends and edges.

Next up is the cleat system to hang it. I have some "clever ideas" for that, I hope they don't bite me on the behind!

[Coop]

This is gonna be cool! 

[Chestnut]

Good thing you live in TN where coats are lighter? I have 3 toggle drywall anchors in my coat rack and it still pulls away from the wall.

[wtnhighlander]

Drew, this thing will probably never hold more than a hoodie or two, but the cleat will be anchored to at least 2 studs, and my "clever idea" involves a mostly hidden locking mechanism to keep it from lifting off.

I'm done with drywall anchors.

[wtnhighlander]

In this week's episode of 'A Very Simple Coat Rack', our hero finds most of his shop time eaten up making roof repairs after a storm:

However, a final few moments were set aside for work on the actual project. Not enough to finish, though.I only made it through the excavation of a housing groove to accept a cleat.

I'm starting to second-guess now. Dovetail router bits don't make for a very steep angle on a cleat, so if my 'clever' locking mechanism doesn't work out, the whole cleat idea will probably fall through. 

[Chestnut]

Good thing the shingles you lost were just at the top. It's a much larger pita when they are out of the middle of the bottom.

Have you tried the 12 degree dovetail angle that is more common for softwoods? Not sure if that would make it any better than the 7 or 8 degree for hardwoods.

[wtnhighlander]

I don't happen to have a 12* dovetail bit. My fallback plan at the moment it to make the DT cleat into a slot, using a keyhole bit, if the DT doesn't do well.

[wtnhighlander]

Catching up.

Holes drilled from the lower edge for the cleat lock.

Threads tapped directly into the wood.

16d nails modded for the cleat lock.

The lower stip attaches to the nails with epoxy.

Screws modded to correct length, head size, and thread section. All done chucked into a drill and held against a belt sander.

Couldn't get a clear photo, but this crayon sketch shows how the cleat lock functions.

And this close-up shows how odd-shaped the spike shanks are.

Finally, a couple shots with it clamped to the wall. Rustoleum "Weathered Gray" stain, followed by GF High Performance.

Thanks for following along!

[Coop]

That is so cool! And the cleat lock is amazing. Is that your idea? 

[wtnhighlander]

Thanks, Coop! I'm sure I formed the idea from something I've seen, but I can't recall a specific furniture piece with this arrangemen. To me, it most resembles the DIN rail system used to mount industrial automation gear inside electrical panels. In fact, a cleat based on DIN rail would be an excellent solution.