When we put the white vinyl fence in years ago we didn't realize how much sun it would reflect during the afternoon -- pretty bright!
So the year after we put the fence in I went to the local nursery and purchased 8 wooden trellis to grow climatis and morning glory upon. This worked fine for many years, but then the wood started to rot in the ground and dry rot where exposed to the weather. In addition the nails started to come out creating a yearly maintenance issue. To keep with the idea of having a maintenance-free fence (vinyl doesn't rot or need painting; I'm getting too old for that), I struck on the idea of making maintenance-free trellis' -- of copper.
Copper seemed like a good idea since it would eventually turn green with oxidation and add to the character of the yard.
The first one I made was an idea I had in my mind and a series of sqares. I thought copper crosses were available from the plumbing store, but I was wrong, only ells and tees. But in keeping with my original idea, I made this trellis. Not bad for the first one, even though I remember Bert commenting about my soldering skills.
The first one I made was an idea I had in my mind and a series of sqares. I thought copper crosses were available from the plumbing store, but I was wrong, only ells and tees. But in keeping with my original idea, I made this trellis. Not bad for the first one, even though I remember Bert commenting about my soldering skills.
The next year I made a few more, but when the price of copper soared I had to lay off for a year and only made one last year.
Bubba from the office is a draftsman and helped me with some of the more intricate designed ones. This was great in that Bubba was able to move elements around on the screen until the looked just right. The only problem with Bubba's dimensions are accurate to within a hundreth of an inch, but don't take into account the fittings and their rough measurements. I keep telling him, "I'm not building a piano."
But here are some more designs we've done in the past.
Some people think I should start a business selling "Handcrafted Copper Trellis'", but I'd probably need $300 to be worth my time and effort. That's a little pricey for this market.
Another issue is if the plant takes over the trellis, you may not even see the trellis. as these older trellis' show. Accept in the winter when the leaves fall off.
Plus sometimes I can't remember what I'm doing, or what each tool is for. . .
The last one (yet to be built) will probably have tubing in it, which is bendable and therefore will allow for some circles and/or half-circles and possibly scallops. I have some ideas in my head, but I need to bounce them off Bubba. Who knows . . .
