We offer our a wide range of handcrafted metal frames, and so I wanted to take some time to help you make informed decisions about which type of metal to choose for your creative projects. Fiber artists know a lot about fiber. We know what different fibers bring to our work; we know texture; we know colour. We possess endless knowledge about soft, strings and many things. What don’t always know about metal, though. And that is the reason for this guide. We’re going to break it down for you.
Our handcrafted frames are made with either steel or stainless steel. Unless you’ve selected stainless steel as an option, however, your frame will be made of steel.
Why Steel?
As a metal, steel is quite rigid and can be properly welded. When I first started making macrame, I did the thing that any beginner crafter is inclined to do: I sourced metal hoops from big box stores. These were always made of white metal. White metal is an inexpensive, low quality, brittle metal with a low melting temperature. What this means is that it requires fewer resources to shape; but what it also means is that white metal lacks the structural integrity required to hold together when submitted to tension. In short, its weld will break apart.
This happened to me a lot. I’d have spent hours (sometimes days) macrame-ing my little heart out on a piece–only to find that the hoop that was meant to hold it all together snapped on me. That’s when I began begging my partner, Loren, to weld together steel frames in support of my work. Luckily, he obliged.
Steel is different than white metal in that it’s made out of iron rather than zinc and lead. Just for the record, lead can cause the sort of poisoning that leads to insanity (along with brain, kidney, and reproductive health issues). So white metal is never a good choice to work with closely, especially if it breaks.
Back to steel. Have you ever heard the expression “buns of zinc” or “buns of lead.” That was a rhetorical question because of course you haven’t! You have, however, heard the expression “buns of steel.” Ya baby. Steel is hard. Steel is rigid. Steel is robust. Steel conducts electricity well. Steel has a high melting point, which means that it can be better bonded with a weld. Steel’s high melting point also means that it can be successfully heated for the application of powder coating.
See, now you can speak with authority on the differences between certain metals and this will surely gain you many friends (if that’s what you’re after).
Why Stainless Steel?
Ok, I’m going to tell you straight up that Loren gets giddy at the thought of stainless steel. He’s obsessed with the stuff, and I’ve never quite understood why. So I asked him and here’s what I learned:
Stainless steel has all of the above listed attributes of steel. But then, on top of all of that goodness, stainless steel doesn’t rust. The reason it doesn’t rust is that stainless steel is an alloy: meaning, it’s a hybrid. So, in the same way that mutts are often thought to experience “hybrid vigour” over purebred dogs, an alloy’s mechanical properties are improved greatly because of its blend. Stainless steel has a minimum of 10.5% of chromium added to it, and chromium is highly resistant to corrosion and rust.
Bet you didn’t think you’d learn some basic chemistry from our blog!
The only problem with stainless steel is that it’s quite costly. We’d love to be able to offer each of our frames made out of stainless steel, but this option would come at a high material cost to our customers. So that’s why we mostly stick with steel, but offer powder coating as a more budget-friendly rust-proofing measure.
Why Powder-Coated Steel?
Rust-prevention is a big deal. It’s an especially big deal for people working with fiber (which rust can easily stain over time). It’s a big deal for crafters, artisans, and artists who are reselling their handmade products because rust can look like damage. Arguably, rust is also beautiful and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say so. But, usually, consumers want to purchase products that don’t look damaged: they’re already wrongfully suspicious of handmade, slow-made products that don’t come with the same sorts of money-back guarantees as shiny new products from e-commerce giants. You know what I’m saying. Handmakers need to stack the odds in our favour, and creating products that look polished is a great start.
Powder coating is a thin, melted layer of solid paint that protects the surface of metal from rusting. The paint begins as a powder that, once cured under heat, spreads out into a smooth layer of sheen.
Powder coated metal is also quite fun because it takes a relatively colourless material and disguises its identity. With powder coated frames, we can offer metal that suits a whole range of stylistic goals: you might be a weaver working with neon fibers and want an electric chartreuse frame visible as part of your palette. You never know 😉 Making a metal frame part of the palette of your project can be inspiring.
How ‘True Grit’ was born
With powder coating experience, we’ve picked up on some things that we didn’t know in the beginning. We’ve learned that creative people working with fiber sometimes need resistance on their frame. This is an interesting little crux. On the one hand, metal is generally smooth, slick, and polished as a material. That’s one of things that gives metal its value and character. On the other hand, metal that’s been coated with a matte, textured, or gritty powder coated finish has even more value for those of us working with fiber.
We tapped into the potential of powder coating to improve the lives of fiber artists who spend a lot of time wrapping their hoops and metal frames before warping them.
‘True Grit’ is our signature powder coated layer that has the texture of sandpaper. It’s not so coarse that you’ll hurt your skin if you touch it. But it is coarse enough that your warp threads will be held easily in place without wrapping your frame. This is a huge time-saver. And it’s an innovative game-changer
How to solder onto steel for stained glass?
We’ve worked with a number of stained glass artists to test our metal frames and we’ve weighed the options of offering our handcrafted frames in copper (which will more easily bond with solder). The reality is that copper is a very costly material and it’s difficult to access in the round bar size we’d require. So this is not the most viable option for our business.
The feedback we’ve heard from creative folks working with stained glass has been that YES, it’s possible to work with our steel frames if they’re left as bare metal. This is to say, if they’re not powder coated. The way to solder onto our uncoated frames is to wrap the sections you’ll be soldering with a copper foil. This acts as a thin conductive layer that you can apply your flux to and solder away.
How to navigate our Big A$$ Hoop Options
At Unfettered, we love making big ass hoops. We love making big ass hoops so much that, over time, we’ve introduced a range of different metal options to their listing. Every time a customer has reached out to us and asked for a specific metal dimension, we’ve explored it, deemed its suitability to our production process, and then created it.
This has meant that we have a lot of metal to choose from when it comes to big ass hoops, so let’s discuss those options so that you can make a good choice for your oversized work.
Let’s Examine Each of These Options
1/8ths of an inch ROUND STEEL BAR
This is a metal diameter we recommend for small, lightweight frames. In our collection of handcrafted frames, we use 1/8ths of an inch solid round steel bar for frames that are up to 12″ wide.
3/16ths of an inch ROUND STEEL BAR
This is a metal diameter we recommend for medium sized, lightweight frames. In our collection of handcrafted frames, we use 3/16th of an inch solid round steel bar for frames that are between 14″ and 20″ wide.
1/4 of an inch ROUND STEEL BAR
This is a metal diameter we recommend for large to XL, lightweight projects ranging from 22″- 40″ wide. Our solid steel 1/4″ round bar is suitable for crochet mandalas, wedding cake displays, wreaths, and lighting that doesn’t need to hold very much structural weight.
3/8ths of an inch ROUND STEEL BAR
This is a metal diameter we recommend for large to XL, medium weight projects ranging from 22″ – 40″ wide. Our solid steel 3/8ths of an inch round bar is suitable for medium weight weaving projects, macrame projects, macra-weaving projects, wreaths, and lighting. If your materials weigh enough that holding them in your arms is noticeably heavy (say 5-10 lbs), then this is a good metal diameter to choose for your big ass hoop. If you’re making a macrame hanging cat bed, this is a suitable diameter of metal to choose.
1/2 inch by 1/2 inch SQUARE STEEL TUBING
Tubing means hollow. But “hollow” is not to be mistaken for lacking structural integrity. Our 1/2 by 1/2 inch square tubing is an excellent choice for wedding displays and XL weaves for which an edge is helpful.
1 inch by 1/8ths of an inch FLAT STEEL BAR
We offer hoops in this flat steel bar in diameters that range from 22″ – 40″. We recommend this flat metal bar for chandeliers and lighting fixtures, XL bouquet arrangements, wedding cake displays, moss art installations, large scale weaves, and fibre art installations where an outer edge is helpful. If you are weaving, the value of a hoop made of flat steel bar is that it gives you a 1″ space between the front of your tapestry and the wall. This space can be necessary for fiberart to sit flush against the wall and to have a roomy back.
3/4 inch ROUND BAR
We offer hoops in this 3/4 inch round, solid steel bar in diameters that range from 22″-40″. This metal diameter is heavy duty, but also heavy. So, if you’re making macrame furniture that will hang from a support beam, this is the perfect metal for you. We don’t recommend this metal for a tapestry that hangs on a wall because it’s too heavy and might damage your wall. It will, however, hold the weight of an average sized person.
1 inch 0.60″ HOLLOW STEEL TUBING
The diameter of this metal tubing is 1″ and its wall thickness is 0.60″. This steel is a lightweight solution to creating macrame furniture, swings, dance hoops, aerial fitness apparel, and anything designed to hang from a ceiling or wall. We’ve tested these hoops and they can adequately support the weight of two adults simultaneously.
1 inch 0.60″ HOLLOW STAINLESS STEEL TUBING
The diameter of this metal tubing is 1″ and its wall thickness is 0.60″. This steel is a lightweight solution to creating macrame furniture, swings, dance hoops, aerial fitness apparel, and anything designed to hang from a ceiling or wall. We’ve tested these hoops and they can adequately support the weight of two adults simultaneously. The added benefit of our stainless steel hoop is that it can safely be stored outdoors or in damp climates without ever rusting.
Clear as Mud?
If you still have questions about our metal options, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at unfetteredsupply@gmail.com. Let’s chat! We’ll leave you with a sweet image of our inaugural Unfettered Supply Mystery Box snails roasting in the powder coating oven 😉
