Just wondering if anyone has tried to make cable like damascus out of wire coat hangers? My day job as a mechanic provides plenty of coat hangers, and I have been looking for a use for these hangers. The caustic carberator cleaner will take off the antirust coating. 

Usually pattern welds are used for a knives, I don't think coat hangers would harden, but it might be fun to twist up a rope good with a pipe wrench and a viseand weld them up see what the billet looks like.  

the old wire coat hangers aren't mild that's for sure. I'd be interested in what you come up with. Mix in some different grades of welding rod for contrast in the pattern might be just the ticket.

  Frosty The Lucky.

I know they have been used to make chainmail before.

Frosty, I didn't know coat hangers were not mild.  I wonder what number welding rod would not etch and act like 15n20 does in the common knife billet.  Shop Dog share your results if you try it.  I really enjoy the "take what you have make what you want" aspect of our hobby. 

Oh yeah, we used coat hangers gas welding things we needed a little extra strong in high school days. Things like mini bikes and go carts. As Mr. Harding told us during the desk part of the class. Try bending up plain iron wire into a coat hanger and see how much you can hang from one without it collapsing. A wire coat hanger will hold your pants, shirt and a leather trench coat without trouble. That is not mild steel.

For contrasting wire try various % nickle tig/gas rods. I have some Welco 92 arc rod I've been holding onto to knock the flux off and incorporate into a billet.

  Frosty The Lucky.

Anybody try the 'Heat, Water Quench and try to break' test on a coat hanger?

Not that I know of, be interested though. You don't see wire coat hangers very often up here it's all plastic now.

  Frosty The Lucky.

I can't even remember the last time I sent something to the Dry Cleaners; which was where we used to get all the metal hangers in our closets.  Sometimes it can be hard to find baling wire these days too.  My neighbor threw out a big pile once and I grabbed it.  Down the road there used to be a pile of bailing wire about 6' tall, 16' long and 8' wide, it disappeared when scrap went so high...

Thanks for the feedback. I will try to fire the forge up this weekend and do some samples. I like the idea of throwing the welding rod in the mix. I have been making crosses out of 1/2 in stock. I think making some billet and forging damascus crosses would be something different. 

I get 2 a day that is 260 a year that's a lot of hangers. I know a guy that makes a machine that bends coat hangers I will find out what type of wire he specks out for the process interesting