Quick and easy: make a new copper clothes rail in just 5 steps

A copper clothes rail is hung with clothes and stands in a room with white walls and laminate flooring. In the background, there is a turquoise chair and a side table. — Perfect for organising and showing off your clothes: our copper clothes rail.

Difficulty

easy
Cost

< 50 £
Duration

< 1 h

Copper is the decor trend for 2018! Pieces made from this wonderfully shiny material will add a touch of refinement to your home. How about a copper clothes rail for your bedroom or hallway? It offers the perfect opportunity for you to show off your favourite clothes with style – and is easy to make thanks to our easy-peasy tutorial.

You need

Tools

Utilities

pocket rule
ear protectors
g-clamps
2 towels to clean the pipes and remove the adhesive
small spatula
felt-tip pen
work gloves
copper cleaning agent, e.g. acetone or metal cleaner
safety glasses

Materials

1 copper pipe: 250 x 2.2 cm (L x D)
3 copper pipes: 100 x 2.2 cm (L x D)
4 copper elbow fittings
2 copper tee fittings
2 copper end pieces
Two-component adhesive

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 5

Measure out the copper pipes

A copper pipe is measured with a folding ruler and marked up with a black pen. — Use a tape measure to measure out the right lengths of copper pipe.

You need: pocket rule, felt-tip pen, copper pipes

Your new copper clothes rail will naturally need to be big enough to hold all of your clothes. With this in mind, measure out the following lengths of copper pipe ready for sawing:

2 x 120 cm
2 x 100 cm
4 x 25 cm

Mark these lengths with a thin felt-tip pen so that your marking stays legible on the metal

Step 2 5

Saw down the copper pipes

A copper pipe, attached secured to a wooden panel with screw clamps, is sawed with a multi-function tool. — Cut your copper pipes at the desired points.

You need: Multifunction tool, g-clamps, work gloves, safety glasses, ear protectors

Once you've marked out your measurements, it's time to saw the pipes. We recommend that you secure the pipes to your work surface using screw clamps to keep them still while you saw. Make sure you protect yourself with work gloves, safety goggles and ear defenders.

Step 3 5

Sand down and clean the ends of the copper pipes

The end of a copper tube is sanded with blue sandpaper. — Smooth sharp edges with suitable sandpaper for metal.

A piece of copper pipe is cleaned with a grey towel. — For the perfect shine, clean your copper pipe with a special cleaning agent.

You need: Hand sanding paper for metal, 230 x 280 mm, P80, work gloves, copper cleaning agent, e.g. acetone or metal cleaner, towel

After sawing, copper pipes can be very sharp and develop ridges. You therefore need to sand down the sawn ends thoroughly with 240-grit sanding paper, which is suitable for metal. When doing this, make sure to wear your work gloves.

Then clean the metal using a copper cleaning agent and a towel. This will bring out the material's natural shine and will remove any residues that could react with the adhesive.

Step 4 5

Assemble and glue together the base of the clothes rail

Grey two-component adhesive is applied to the end of a copper pipe using a small black spatula. — For a better hold, apply two-component adhesive to the end of the copper pipe.

A tee fitting is attached to a copper pipe. — Attach fittings to the copper pipe as needed.

Excess adhesive is removed from the pipe with a grey towel. — We recommend wiping away any excess adhesive with a towel straight away.

An end piece is glued to a copper pipe using two-component adhesive. — You can close off the open pipe on the base of the clothes rail using an end piece.

You need: small spatula, towel, 4 copper pipes: 25 x 2.2 cm, 1 copper pipe: 100 x 2.2 cm, 2 elbow fittings, 2 tee fittings

Now you can begin assembling your clothes rail. For the base of your copper clothes rail, attach an elbow fitting to each end of a metre-long piece of copper pipe. Before you do this, apply some two-component adhesive to the fittings with a small spatula, then press them together. Turn the pipes until you feel a stop – this means they're properly secured. Remove any excess adhesive with a towel.

ssemble the remaining pieces as follows: connect the short pipes with a tee fitting with the opening facing upwards. This will give you pipes that measure around 50 cm long. Then attach these to the elbow fittings using adhesive. Finally, attach the remaining end pieces to each of the shorter pipes.

Caution:

The adhesive will dry quickly, so you'll have to work swiftly!

Step 5 5

Finish assembling the clothes rail

An elbow fitting is attached to a copper pipe. — To assemble the upper part of the clothes rail, you'll need two elbow fittings and three copper pipes.

You need: two-component adhesive, 2 copper pipes: 120 x 2.2 cm, 1 copper pipe: 100 x 2.2 cm, 2 elbow fittings

Connect the second metre-long pipe to the remaining elbow fittings – this is where the clothes will hang. Then attach the long 120-cm copper pipes one after the other into the tee fitting in the base. Again, apply some two-component adhesive to the ends and inside the fittings to make sure your clothes rail is sturdy. Now add the top of the clothes rail – again applying adhesive for an extra-secure hold. Your new home accessory for the bedroom or hallway is now finished!