The Farm and Garden Magazine - Gardening How-To's
COPPER TRELLIS*
Copper trellis’s are a beautiful touch in your garden or landscaping
and can be made with only a medium degree of difficulty. Below are instructions
on how to make them. This method uses Liquid Copper, a liquid glue specifically
made for assembling and fastening pieces of copper. The Liquid Copper
works well and is easier to handle than a torch( “sweating pipe” ).
MATERIALS: To make one trellis approx 6 foot tall:
2 - ten foot by ˝ inch diameter hollow rigid copper tube (for legs and
cross bars)
1 - 3 foot by ˝ inch diameter hollow soft copper tube (for top arch)
4 - T connectors (˝ inch) 1 bottle Liquid Copper (if you choose to not
to “sweat pipe”! )
2 three foot pieces of 3/8 inch rebar ( to mount cooper over when putting
the trellis up)
Various pieces of copper wire, beads, stained glass……...anything your
imagination can use for adornment.
EQUIPMENT
Pipe Cutter
Pipe sander
Tape measure
Gloves
Copper cleaning brush ( a round tool with a hole in center that wire
brush ends stick out of. This cleans the cut ends and scratches them
up so the glue holds better)
Magic Marker
Rubber mallet
5 Gallon bucket filled with heavy material ( to use as a form to bend
arch piece)
WORK ON A LARGE, FLAT, PROTECTED SURFACE.
Bending your own arch:
- Using the filled five gallon bucket, gently mold the soft copper tube
around the bucket to form arch. -Cut copper tube at points where opposite
sides match up equal distance from each other
- Lay arch piece flat and clean the cut ends with the pipe brush.
- Fit a T-connecter to each end of arch with center opening of T facing
the other center opening of opposite T connecter.
- Measure across from inside T to inside T to get measurement length
of center bars
- Measure and cut 2 center bars from first length of rigid copper tube
- Clean both ends with copper brush and insert one center bar into opposing
T’s
- Using the second length of rigid copper tube, measure 28 inches and
mark off until you have 4 equal lengths
- Cut at marks. These are the 4 side bars
- Clean all cut ends with copper cleaning brush.
- Insert two side bars into remaining ends of copper T’s
- Place another T connector on each end of side bar in same fashion
as top T connectors
- Insert remaining two side bars into end of T on both sides
- Now your trellis is assembled and you can determine that all pieces
will fit.
Next you will disassemble the trellis!!! Take heart!!!!! This
step was neccesary to make sure all the pieces will fit correctly BEFORE
you glue!
-Take the trellis apart and lay all pieces exactly in the position they
were assembled. The only place you will put the glue is in the T’s.
- Starting with the top arch: Place glue in the T connectors and put
the T’s onto the arch.
- Add the cross piece
- Tap the ends with a rubber mallet to snug into place
- Insert the two side pieces and tap into place
- Glue the last two T connectors and put onto bottom side bars
- Add center bar and tap into place Insert last two side bars and tap
into place
- Now let your imagination run wild as you embellish your trellis with
whatever treasures you wish. I hang a copper hummingbird feeder from
the top cross bar on mine.
To mount trellis in garden:
- Measure between the bottom ends of trellis and mark spots on ground.
- Hammer rebar into ground approx 8-12 inches.
- Insert ends of trellis over rebar
* Please be patient with these instructions. I had to write these up
myself and if it is confusing, you will figure out how to complete your
copper trellis project, just like I did! The important thing is to have
fun! - Mary Maclean
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