Rebar is an inexpensive material to put your DIY skills to the test. Simply round up some scrap rebar and think of creative ways to recycle it. One such great idea is making a mug as depicted in the following easy-to-follow steps.
Keep reading to learn how the author of the video has turned an unwanted waste material into an enviable homemade gem.
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Refine The Scrap
Visit your workshop or garage clutter and look around for some rusty rebar scraps. You might as well check out what your local scrap yard has to offer. Once you find a perfect piece (or imperfect one), start prepping it for the delicate task ahead.
Start by clamping your rebar. Using a wire wheel brush attached to your grinder, clean off every inch of the stain or rust on your rebar. Do this for all the rebar you need for the project, whether one long piece or several small ones.
Cut The Rebar Down To Size
Once you have a clean shiny piece, you are good to go. Clamp the rebar on a power hacksaw and start chopping it down to appropriate sizes. Chop the rebar into as many identical pieces as you are going to need for the mug.
Preferably, the rebar pieces should be several inches long, slightly longer than a typical water glass.
Make A Cylindrical Metal Base
Once you have amassed enough identical rebar pieces, grab a plain sheet of metal and lay it on your worktop. If the surface is rusted, sand it or grind it a bit. Then, using a water glass and a welder’s marking pen, mark a cylindrical shape on the topmost edge of the metal sheet. Use the mouth of the glass and not the base.
After making the cylindrical mark, switch to the grinder and cut out a perfect square shape around the marked surface for further modification. From the square, adjust the shape further using the grinder to a nearly cylindrical shape. The best you will end up with is polygon-shaped sheet metal.
Pass it through an electric belt sander to polish its edges into a perfect cylindrical shape along the markings. While at it, smoothen off the edges of the cut rebar pieces as well using the same sander.
Model The Mug
Grab a piece of round solid wood rod cylinder about the same height as the identical rebar pieces. Position it on your worktop upright and clothe it with a set of tightly fitting rubber band strings for holding the rebar pieces in place. Start inserting the rebar pieces one by one around the circumference of the wooden cylinder rod. While at it, ensure you balance the height of the pieces.
Once you have inserted all the rebar pieces, add another set of rubber band strings to support the upper circumference and reinforce the stability of the pieces. This should give you a flexible mug model. In the upright position of the model piece, start MIG welding the rebar pieces on each other to form a firmer attachment and seal off the exterior of the model.
Detach The Wooden Rod Cylinder
As soon as the welding is complete and the hot iron is cool enough, grab the mug model by the hand and using a ball-peen hammer or any other light hammer, drive out the wooden rod cylinder from the cylindrical rebar attachment. Remember to apply only gentle force with your hammer.
This should leave you with a complete standalone hollow mug frame only waiting to be enjoined with its base.
Attach The Mug Base
Lay your mug frame on the worktop upright. Grab the cylindrical metal base you crafted earlier and insert it in the mug opening facing upward. Use a straight peen hammer to gently tap on the inserted base sheet where the hand alone cannot do a thorough job. Make sure not to drive the base insertion deeper than necessary into the metal frame.
Once it is firmly held in place, switch to your MIG welder and start sealing off the loopholes on the base. With a perfectly sealed base, it is time to return to the electric belt sander and smoothen off the weld. Do it both in a circular and linear motion. While at it, don’t forget to sand the other frame opening as well.
Fine-tune The Metal Mug Frame
Due to the initial welding attaching the rebar pieces, your metal mug frame still needs some retouch to turn it into a real masterpiece. Therefore, clamp it firmly, and using your grinder, gently and carefully smoothen the troughs formed in rebar fusion. Do this throughout the circumference of the frame. Play well with the grinder to avoid ruining the piece.
Prepare And Attach The Mug Handle
After thorough grinding, your mug is nearing finishing. All that’s left of you are attaching the mug handle. Grab a piece from the remaining rebar pieces, clamp it on your power hacksaw, and chop it into three different angle pieces to form a handle. Arc weld the pieces together on the attaching edges and smoothen the weld accordingly.
Next, lay your metal mug on its side and arc weld the handle on it taking care of the right positioning. Preferably attach the handle along the troughs. Let it cool a bit and there you have it, a complete dazzling metal mug all from pieces of scrap metal.
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Go ahead and insert your water glass into the mug and pour yourself a coffee or whatever other beverage you cherish. After all the hard work, you earned a warm comfortable sip.
Conclusion
By going through the above steps, you just turned into a DIY creative. Now, grab your tools and start the craft. Remember to put on all the necessary protective gear and apply accurate measurements.
If you need more action, watch the DIY projects YouTube video directly and instantly feed your curiosity. If the content is too good to get enough of, subscribe to the author’s channel for the latest creative updates.
