Friday, February 5, 2021

Slide of the Month Extra Tutorial -Wire Coat Hanger Loops

 


Ode to the coat hanger. A staple in homes when I was growing up to hang clothes, to reach for that thing behind the couch, a toy fishing pole, large bubble wand and the ever popular "Oh crap, I locked my keys in the car. Now a days they are harder to find as the most folks have plastic coat hangers or really nice wooden ones. But all is not lost, look in the back of your closet for something you had dry cleaned or perhaps at your grandparents house. (Worst comes to worst, you can buy stiff wire from a home improvement store.)

When making Whittlin' Jim's slides, sometimes the slide called for a loop made from a coat hanger and I found these loops make a great alternative in places when the wooden loops just didn't work. Currently, wire loops make up about 10% of my slides but on with the tutorial...

 Using a pair of needle nose pliers I carefully unwind the coat hanger and cut a length for the loop. Then, using the pliers again, I can shape any style loop I want.


One thing to notice is how I finish the loops with a couple of ears at the end. These ears will fit into a couple of holes I drill into the slide I'm working on.





The nice part about the rings is even if the hole I drill don't exactly line up, the wires can be bent to fit the holes. To hole the loops in place I can use any kind of glue or epoxy that will stick to both the loop and the material I'm working with. Most often I use a super glue gel and an accelerant to harden the super glue. 

Bonus Tip: I've have a few kinds of accelerant from spray kinds to baking soda. The spray ones are great to flow into areas I cant reach. The down side is they can be pricey and the smell can be a bit offensive if you use a lot of it. Baking soda is cheap and gives the glue a bit more strength. It can sanded and it will even hole a screw. Best of all, no additional smell! Down side is if you put the baking soda in the area you want to fill first, the glue must fully penetrate it before hardens else you will have a cavity of dry material. 


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