Coat Hanger V2

based loosly on the design in Indian Jones and the Radiers of the Lost Ark

PowerBook Strap: TiStrap V1 TiStrap V2 TiStrap V3
Other Projects: Coat Mods Ring Table DeLorean
And while we're here... Kittens

To fit with my relatively elaborate (and soon to be much more eccentric) trench coat, I need an equally eccentric coat hanger. Something like the one that the Toht had in Raiders of the Lost Ark, say.

I decided to use plastic-coated steel cable instead of a chain, with layered brass tubes for the main structure. I also used a larger hook that can easily loop over an interior door (although it's a bit small for an exterior door). While you can take the entire thing apart when not in use, it's much simpler to simply collapse it down flat. This makes it much quicker to assemble and disassemble. A piece of vecro attached to the crossbar keeps the collapsed state from flopping around shape.

This new design uses an interlocking crossbar piece to reduce the collapsed size to 10" from the original 17".

Dimensions

• Collapsed
  • Length: 10 1/4"
  • Hook Width: 2"
  • Max Thickness: 1 1/2"
• Expanded
  • Length: 17 1/4"
  • Height to Neck: 4 1/2"
  • Height to Top of Hook: 9"

Collapsed The new design collapsed. The total length is 7" shorter than the original, thus making it easier to store in my coat.

Expanded The new design expanded. The bottom bar is now two separate pieces that slide together. The velcro strip around has been made longer and moved to a more central location around the rods instead of on the hanger.

Intermediate State When expanding, the hanger's crossbar needs to be assembled. This is done by simply sliding the tubes together. One of the pieces's outer tubes is shorter than the other sides, creating a simple and stronger than expected interlock.

Construction

Construction is the same as the original design, plus a couple new steps for the extra crossbar segment.

1. Use the wire coat hanger to measure the length of each segment of the hanger.
2. Using a utility knife, score the piece of brass for the first segment, rolling the brass under the utility knife to mark all the way around it. After enough scoring, the piece can be easily snapped off with your hands. Repeat for the remaining two segments on that tube, then do the same for the other two tubes.
3. Cut the longest outer tube in half, about 1" to the right of center.
4. Cut the longest inner tubes in half, about 1" left of center. The goal is to have the outer tube longer than two inner tubs, and two inner tubes longer than an outer team.
5. File the ends down flat and round the sharp edges away with a metal file.
6. Slide the three shortest tube pieces together, creating a single strong tube. Repeat for the other end segments. Use glue or similar to keep the pieces from sliding if you like, although I didn't actually do that here.
7. Slide the longest outer crossbar tube over the two shorter inner crossbar tubes, making the female connector piece. Use glue or lock tight to keep the pieces together, as these pieces will undesirably slide.
8. Slide the longest inner crossbar tubes into the shorter outer crossbar tubes, making the male connector piece. Again, use glue or lock tight to keep the pieces together to keep them from sliding.
9. Run the steel cable down each layered tube, making sure the crossbar tubes mesh together correctly.
10. Loop the tube back down the tube to the beginning. This creates a loop on one end of the hanger.
11. Break the loop piece off of the Loop Hanger (just pull hard while twisting).
12. Using a hacksaw, cut through the ring to make a hook. Make sure you cut through the right piece of the ring.
13. Push the ends of the steel cable through the loops in opposite directions so they pass through.
14. If you want, you can tie a knot in the steel cable, but a cleaner method is to slide each end of the cable through the aluminum ferrule, puling as hard as you can to make it as tight as possible. Squeeze the ferrule together with pliers, a vice, a special crimping tool, a hammer and nail set, whatever; just make sure the cable can't slide in the ferrule. Slide the remaining ends of the cable back down the tube.
    NOTE: Make sure you leave enough steel cable to get the crossbar apart. When measuring, make sure the crossbar is NOT connected together yet; leaving the hanger folded as much as possible helps here.
15. Sew a hook piece of velcro to the back of a loop piece of velcro, leaving a hole that you can slide over the hook and down to the crossbar. This forms the strap that keeps the hanger together when not in use.
16. Run the loop at one end of the hanger of the hook on the other end. Held up by the hook, conenct the crossbar pieces together, and you have a hanger. Push the tubes flat to collapse it and wrap the velcro around; no need to take it apart for storage.

Version 1

The original version of the coat hanger, with a solid crossbar that doesn't split into two pieces, resulting in a 17" collapsed length.

Dimensions

• Collapsed
  • Length: 17 1/4"
  • Hook Width: 2"
  • Max Thickness: 3/4"
• Expanded
  • Length: 17 1/4"
  • Height to Neck: 4 1/2"
  • Height to Top of Hook: 9"

Collapsed Coat hanger collapsed. A piece of velcro atteched to the hook keeps the pieces together. The rubber-coated hook and layered brass tubes do not clank together when moving. There is no need to disassemble the hanger to collapse it.	Expanded Normal state when being used. The hanger end loop slides along the brass pipe to collapse and expand the hanger.	Joint Detail A joint in the hanger, showing how the cable is looped back through the tubes.
Neck The neck is made from a Selby System Heavy Duty Loop Hanger, normally used to hang rakes and shovels from a wall. The normal plastic-covered steel O-ring was cut to a form a hook shape, while the metal anchor was looped through the steel cable.	Neck Detail A piece of velcro is sewn around the neck, providing a built-in wrap to keep the collapsed coat hanger held in place. An alluminium ferulle is used to keep the cable together, with the ends pushed back into the tube.	Disconnected Although not necessary for normal use, the hanger can be disassembled by pulling the loop over the hook. This more clearly shows the construction of the hanger.
Straightened Fully straightened hanger, around 42 inches long to the end of the hook.	Hanging Coat The hanger holding rather heavy trench coat on a door.	Hanging Coat Detail A closer view of the hanger holding up the coat.

Materials

• Three 3-foot long brass tubes. Each tube is very slightly thinner than the next. Individual tubes can easily be bent with your hands, but are much stronger when slid inside each other. I used 1/4", 5/16" and 3/8" brass tubes. Note that two layers is probably fine; three is excessively strong.
• A Loop Hanger set, in this case the Keeper Corporation Selby System Heavy Duty Loop Hanger. This is designed to hold rakes and shoves on walls, but was easily adapted to create the hook and neck assembly.
• 12' of vinyl-coated steel cable, 1/16th inch thick (only about 10' is actually used, but it's good to have extra).
• A 3/32" aluminum ferrule.
• About six inches of velcro, both hook and loop pieces.
• A standard wire coat hanger for sizing reference.

Construction

1. Use the wire coat hanger to measure the length of each segment of the hanger.
2. Using a utility knife, score the piece of brass for the first segment, rolling the brass under the utility knife to mark all the way around it. After enough scoring, the piece can be easily snapped off with your hands. Repeat for the remaining two segments on that tube, then do the same for the other two tubes.
3. File the ends down flat and round the sharp edges away with a metal file.
4. Slide the three shortest tube pieces together, creating a single strong tube. Repeat for the other two segments. Use glue or similar to keep the pieces from sliding if you like, although I didn't actually do that.
5. Run the steel cable down each layered tube, with the longest tube in the middle.
6. Loop the tube back down the tube to the beginning. This creates a loop on one end of the hanger.
7. Break the loop piece off of the Loop Hanger (just pull hard while twisting).
8. Using a hacksaw, cut through the ring to make a hook. Make sure you cut through the right piece of the ring.
9. Push the ends of the steel cable through the loops in opposite directions so they pass through.
10. If you want, you can tie a knot in the steel cable, but a cleaner method is to slide each end of the cable through the aluminum ferrule, puling as hard as you can to make it as tight as possible. Squeeze the ferrule together with pliers, a vice, a special crimping tool, a hammer and nail set, whatever; just make sure the cable can't slide in the ferrule. Slide the remaining ends of the cable back down the tube.
11. Sew a hook piece of velcro to the back of a loop piece of velcro, leaving a hole that you can slide over the hook. This forms the strap that keeps the hanger together when not in use.
12. Run the loop at one end of the hanger of the hook on the other end. Held up by the hook, you have a hanger. Push the tubes flat to collapse it and wrap the velcro around; no need to take it apart for storage.

Other Options

• You can use chain instead of plastic-coated steel cable if you like. This would be more in line with what was seen in the movie.
• A circular carabiner can be used for the hook, thus creating a nice closed loop when not in use that won't get snagged on things.
• A single, strong piece of steel piping can be used in place of multiple layerd pieces of brass tubing, or else multiple layered pieces of aluminum tubing. I had trouble coming across a thin, strong piece of tubing, which is why I layered them.
• Use plastic dip to plastic coat the tubes before you run the steel wire through. I had originaly planned this to reduce clanking until I found out that the tubes don't clank much at all.