Wire Basket for a Hanging Plant
by Phil B in Living > Gardening
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Wire Basket for a Hanging Plant
This hanging plant basket belongs to a friend. She got a deal on the part painted black. The unpainted part nearer to the camera is essential and was missing. I was asked to make the missing part. I looked on-line, but could not find the missing portion for sale.
The First Rib
At the time I did this project I gave no thought to making an Instructable of it, so I am showing photos of the finished project and describing the steps I used.
The first step was to make a semi-circle from 1/8 inch rod. (red arrow) I scribed an arc onto a piece of scrap plywood and sawed it to make a bending form. I intentionally made the arc with a radius smaller than the final arc because I knew the steel would spring back. I should have made the radius about half or two-thirds the final desired radius because it sprang back considerably, and I had to finish forming the arc by hand.
The original black portion of the plant hanger is coated with a rubberized covering. I had to file through it to get to some bare metal for welding. I clamped the rod arc in place and welded it with a flux core wire feed welder. Flux core wire can dig through dirt and contamination a MIG welder cannot.
The first step was to make a semi-circle from 1/8 inch rod. (red arrow) I scribed an arc onto a piece of scrap plywood and sawed it to make a bending form. I intentionally made the arc with a radius smaller than the final arc because I knew the steel would spring back. I should have made the radius about half or two-thirds the final desired radius because it sprang back considerably, and I had to finish forming the arc by hand.
The original black portion of the plant hanger is coated with a rubberized covering. I had to file through it to get to some bare metal for welding. I clamped the rod arc in place and welded it with a flux core wire feed welder. Flux core wire can dig through dirt and contamination a MIG welder cannot.
Anchor Piece
I decided to use a steel wire for most of the ribs in the hanger. But, I would need to anchor them. I made a semi-circle of 1/8 inch rod with a radius of about 3/4 inch by wrapping it around a piece of pipe. See the red arrow. I used an "L" shaped piece of aluminum more than a foot long to clamp this semi-circle in place for welding.
Add a Solid Rib
Make a piece of 1/8 inch steel rod with an arc the same diameter as the arc in step 1. Weld it between the arc on the black rubberized original part of the structure and the anchor from the last step. See the red arrow.
Make a Second Anchor Arc
A second arc for an anchor is needed to secure the flat ribs on the back. It is welded to a straight bar across the back of the original portion of the structure.
Add Ribs of Steel Wire
I have some steel wire that is about 14 gauge. The natural curve from the roll of wire is about the right radius for the curved part of the basket on the front. Make a loop on one end. Hook it over the arc covered in the plastic rubber material and pinch tight. Cut to size, leaving about half-of-an inch to form a loop around the anchor arc at the bottom. Space the ribs evenly.
Do the same for the ribs on the flat back portion, but straighten the wire pieces first.
Clean away powder marks from the welding flux. Paint with black spray paint. Hang and insert the fibrous blanket that provides a growing environment for the plant roots.
Do the same for the ribs on the flat back portion, but straighten the wire pieces first.
Clean away powder marks from the welding flux. Paint with black spray paint. Hang and insert the fibrous blanket that provides a growing environment for the plant roots.