Howdy folks,

Lately I've been focused on some basic, traditional items. I've wanted to do sign holders for a while, and I thought a hanging plant holder would be a good place to start. I did this piece from start to finish last night. It was the first one I've done like this so it is a little rough. The scrolls are all done by hand. It would be nice to get a jig set up so that they are a little more even.

They aren't the best of pictures, but please feel free to offer any advice or critiques. I think I will be giving this to my Sister as a belated birthday present.

did you use rivits to attach or tennons .... looks good i have been wanting to do that

Two rivets through the scrolls, and a tenon on the end of the lower bar with the hook. One thing I did mess up, was trying to flatten out the places for rivets on the scroll. I should have scrolled and flattened where I needed to after, using the horn of the anvil. Instead, I scrolled what I thought was the right amount, then used a ball pein as a set tool to make the flat spots. I ended up flattening the scroll in the totally wrong place because of this. You almost don't notice it, but it is sure there... Also, one of the rivets doesn't sit flat against the scroll.. It has some real rough spots on it, but it was fun

The next one will be better! hehe.. :)

Your hanger looks good and it will make a fine present. I have been turning out a lot of heavy weight plant hangers this past year. We use .25 in x 1.5 in back plates and .5 in sq arms. One model is rivited and then other is tennoned. If you want to you can weld over the back plate rivets-tennons. One safety suggestion, make sure the end user knows enough to properly mount the hanger to something that will hold the intended weight. A big plant basket (12-14 in) fully loaded and watered will have some heft.
Peter

Did you ever use a rivet set?

Did you ever use a rivet set?

I have not yet. My friend has some, and we discussed using it on this project, but it was late, and out buried in his van somewhere. We talked about making one, etc. Seems like a handy thing to have. The rivets I did over the horn of an anvil, as I could slip the end of the horn in between the scrolling.

Say, does anyone have a suggestion for a finish to apply to this? I tend to just use beeswax on most of my pieces, but this will go outside. So should I use something else? I have sprayed on black rustoleum on a small fence piece a while back. Not horrible, but unsure if I want to cover up that much..

Try Kyron clear acrylic spray from your local Walmart. Clean off the piece with a 3M pad then spray. The stuff dries fast and gives a finish similar to linseed oil. But try it on a test piece first to see if you like it.

We descale, hand sand, clean with thinner and then put on two coats of primer. The finsih coat is also a two coat process. This technique seems to hold up well outside through Maine winters. I admit that the oil finish looks handsome and we use it on inside products but it simply does not hold up outdoors in this part of the world.
Peter

Thanks for the advice guys. There is an art store right next to where I work, and this time they actually had something useful for me. I picked up a can of Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating 1303. We'll see how this works out. The whole thing is one big test anyway :)

That is a nice piece of work. Items of that nature make most females smile. You should have a happy sister. The tenon and rivets make it even better. I know it's easy and convenient to turn on a welder, and arc welding does have its place. But, for me, traditional joinery makes the project seem more hand crafted.

I ended up using the clear coat suggested. It worked well. I was pleased with the results. I hung up the piece, and sprayed it from all angles. It gave it a little darker, and wet look. The darker shade stayed after it dried, but not all of the wet look did. My sister was happy with the present. :)

Your hanger looks good and it will make a fine present. I have been turning out a lot of heavy weight plant hangers this past year. We use .25 in x 1.5 in back plates and .5 in sq arms. One model is rivited and then other is tennoned. If you want to you can weld over the back plate rivets-tennons. One safety suggestion, make sure the end user knows enough to properly mount the hanger to something that will hold the intended weight. A big plant basket (12-14 in) fully loaded and watered will have some heft.
Peter

Good point about the weight. These days it seems, a screw is a drywall screw- one size fits all.
Perhaps provide the customer with the correct fasteners?

Dan,
drywall screws get used for everything, and it becomes a problem when weight is applied, the screws have absolutely zero shear rating, this can lead to nice pieces being found on the ground. I have a bunch of the old 4 sided lag screws in many different sizes, I'm trying to figure out how to make a decorative feature on them, while still being able to use them on mounts and such. So far all tests have not gone well.

Use punches and chisels to put a design on them, or try using an old fashioned hand held masonry star drill to put a cross on the top

Just heat the heads and put them through a bolster plate to support the head whilst putting on the design, or you could make them like the old nailheads with various hammer strike patterns, or rosettes.

Or make yourself a touchmark and use that on them.