Clothes Pin Photo Hanger

Hey guys. I saw this in our favorite antique store several months ago and thought that it was a great idea. It wasn't until I ran across a picture of one the other day that I decided to make one.

Clothes Pin Photo Hanger

I love the look of it, and the purpose it serves. Here's what I did - I took a couple pieces of 2x2 (actually it's about 1.5" x 1.5") and cut to length. I forgot the exact measurements I used, but it's entirely up to you. I then cut 45 degree angles at each end and put it together with wood glue and screws (like a picture frame)

45 Degree Angles

I then drilled holes for the string, which is hemp twine. I then gave it a good sanding and used a saw blade to "antique" some of the areas with scrapes and holes. I stained the wood with some Minwax wood stain (again, up to you)

The clothes pins were brand new, so I decided to 'ruff' them up a little to give them that 'been outside awhile' look. To achieve this look I first stained them the same color as the frame. After they dried I put them in some muriatic acide for a few seconds to eat the protective coating off the metal. I then let them soak in a mixture of whit vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and salt for about 10 minutes. I then took them out and let them sit in an oven at 250f until fully dry. They came out looking great (I'll do a full tutorial on this technique at some point)

Weathered Clothes Pins

And lastly I strung the twine through the holes and cloths pins and stapled on the back. The hanger was strung through the holes and large knots were tied into the ends to keep it from pulling out, and then I frayed the ends.

So what do you guys think? It's a very easy project to make, and looks great hanging on the wall!

This build was featured in the Living Section on Instructables.com!