Adapting a metal folding washing basket

[dannyflint]

Hi, a bit of a strange one I know:

I have purchased a metal foldable washing basket, which I want to extend ( the picture below shows my experimentation so far ), by replacing the 40cm bars that go across with longer ones - in this case 1 metre copper pipes!

So far I have simply wedged some nuts into the ends of the copper pipes, then bent the copper with plyers, so that the nuts can't come out. However, when tightening the bolts more and more to get the thing nice and tight, the nut just forces it's way back out of the pipe, and the whole thing falls to bits.

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The across bars that came with it have a nut inside them , that fits neatly ( second picture.)

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to get some kind of nut like this, that I can fit snugly into the end of copper pipe

Or any other solutions that will mean i can end up with a neater looking finished project, that is nice and tight.

For the final project I plan to purchase the 15mm chrome plated copper pipe available from B&Q to use as the crossbars

Thanks for your time

Danny

 

[masona]

You can get thin rawlbolt like the picture to fit inside the copper pipe or another I've done is the plasterboard toggle fixing or long thread stud with nuts on each end.

 

[Hitachimad]

I would use a length of m6 or m8 studding with a dome nut on each end.
Cheap and cherfull.

 

[dannyflint]

Thanks guys. Very helpful.

Does anyone know where I can get some lengths of studding cut down to say 80cm long, as thats the actual size i require?

Looking around they only appear to come in metre lengths, and 1 metre is just a bit too long for what I need it for.

Thanks

Danny

 

[JohnD]

Looking around they only appear to come in metre lengths, and 1 metre is just a bit too long for what I need it for.

 

[dannyflint]

 

[big-all]

put two nuts on the thread 12mm away from the cut point
tighten them against each other with two spanners [called lock nuts]
untill the 2 faces of the nuts line up
place the nuts in vice, workmate or as a last resort in a large pair of pliers or grips
chamfer and clean up the cut end with a file
then undo the nuts and remove them cleaning the thread as you go

if you use a junior hacksaw point the teeth bacwards
big hacksaw point the teeth forwards[from the handle]

 

[dannyflint]

Cheers Guys,

Thanks to all your help, I now have something looking a
hell of a lot better.

I went for the threaded rod with dome-nuts. It was a bit wobbly so I used 2 of the bars that originally came with it to brace the bottom.

Perfect.

Thanks again

 

[JohnD]

Great job. but that galvanised studding will leave marks on clothes, you may do well to run some plastic or chrome tube over it.

 

[Hitachimad]

I was under the impression you were going to use chrome tube, with studding through the centre to keep it pulled together, and hiding the rest of the studding.

 

[dannyflint]

Thanks guys. Its not for clothes, for something else:

It's to collect the vinyl that goes through a large format cutter / printer, so
I have my mum making a basket to hang between the top bars

I plan on getting some chromed tube to cover them !

Thanks again for all the advise.

Thanks

Danny