Create a Metal Coat Hangers, Make a marine life metal coat rack using plasma cut designs. I worked alongside my cousin Peder Sveen, a Marine Biology student in Idaho. We carved out a shark and a swordfish with the plasma cutter. We had a lot of fun building this, and he loves his personalized, marine life metal coat rack!
Metal Coat Rack Supply and Tool List
14 gauge steel sheet (final dimensions 31′′ x 9′′)
We purchased a larger sheet and used the extra steel to plasma cut the shark and swordfish.
$11 at your neighborhood steel shop
4 1/2′′ x 3 1/2′′ steel rods
2 1/2′′ x 3/4′′ steel rods
Cost: $8 at your neighborhood steel shop.
1 steel finishing spray can
Tools:
Flux Core 110 Volt Welder by Hobart
Plasma Cutter Hobart 250CI 110 Volt
Angle Grinder Ryobi 18V
Orbital Sander by Ryobi
Drill Kit Ryobi
Clamp, Jack (set of 2)
Metal Cutting Saw
Graphtec CE6000 24′′ Desktop Vinyl Cutter
Gloves for welding
Pencil in Hobart Soapstone
Ear protection, square, tape measure, pencil
The Creation
Make sure to watch the video (above) since it displays many more of the project’s how-to phases and intricacies. Here are a few images from this build.
First, we created a shark and a swordfish in Adobe Illustrator. We transferred the graphics for the aquatic life from Illustrator to my vinyl decal cutter.
We used the surplus 14 gauge steel sheet for the plasma cut designs after trimming it to size. The decals provided a great design while plasma cutting the shark and swordfish out of the steel.
We utilized the angle grinder to tidy up the designs after cutting them out with the plasma cutter. Next, we used an orbital sander and 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the edges and surface even more.
We wanted the marine life to stand out on the metal coat rack. We left the steel back and rods with a raw, cold-rolled appearance (we just did some light cleanup with a scotch pad). I used muriatic acid to scrape and clean the steel after sanding the designs smoothly. *Please wear gloves, eye protection, and a respirator when applying muriatic acid, as it is pretty harsh on the skin*
We welded the coat hangers to the steel back, drilled the mounting holes 16′′ apart, then welded the shark and swordfish on.
The coat hangers are made of 1/2′′ thick steel rod that has been chopped to 3 1/2′′ in length. The coat hangers are around 9′′ across and 1 3/4′′ tall from the bottom. The steel rods that hold the aquatic life together are 1/2′′ thick and 3/4′′ long.
After some mild cleaning, we finished the piece with a steel spray finish.
We screwed it into the wall and put our coats and caps on it!
What a unique addition to any wall! When Peder sees this in his dorm room, he should feel proud and accomplished. We had a lot of fun working on this project.
Peder was posing next to the metal coat rack with marine life! We had a terrific time working on this, and he did an excellent job with the metalwork. Have you recently completed a fun activity with a family member? It’s always fun to spend time with family while creating art! Please leave a comment and share images; I’d love to hear about it!