For the attention of barbecue lovers today a wide range of skewers of various sizes and shapes is presented. Those who want to enjoy the taste of fried meat can buy ready-made products that he liked. Those who like tinkering and want to save money can make skewers with their own hands. If you have the necessary material, tools and skills to cope with this work will not be difficult. The article contains information on how to make skewers at home.
What do you need for work?
It is impossible to make skewers with your own hands without the following tools:
- a hammer;
- pliers;
- chisels;
- anvils or iron blanks;
- grinding machine or emery wheel;
- steel wire.
Therefore, you need to prepare them.
Which material should be used?
Anyone who decides to make skewers with their own hands must first prepare the wire of the desired diameter. It is desirable that it does not exceed 0.6 cm. The material of the wire is of no small importance. Judging by numerous reviews, stainless steel skewers are very popular among consumers. Therefore, many recommend using stainless steel wire for work.
Where to start?
Before you start making skewers with your own hands, you need to decide how long they will be. The optimal size is 700 mm. After carrying out the necessary measurements and applying the desired marks on the stainless steel wire, it can be chopped into separate parts with a chisel and hammer. In order for the piece to have a pointed end, it is advisable to immediately cut at an angle.
When making skewers from stainless steel, the master must take into account the fact that wire is delivered to stores with high indicators of hardness and elasticity. It will be much more convenient to work with the material, reducing these indicators. To do this, pieces of wire that have already been chopped must be put in a specially made bonfire and wait until they red-hot. Then, using pliers, the hot pieces should be removed from the fire and left in the air. The cooled wire will be softer and more pliable. According to the reviews of the masters, working with such material is much more comfortable.
Second phase
At this stage, a small anvil is used in the work. The essence of the procedure is to splash already cooled pieces of steel wire with a hammer and give them the desired shape. In this case, 100 mm should be left from one edge. The steel strips obtained in this way should have the same thickness of up to 3 mm. The untouched 100 mm edge of the strip must be bent with a ring (the exception is the case when the master makes skewers with a wooden handle).
It is necessary to retreat from this place by 50 mm and use a pair of pliers to make a small spiral into a half turn. In order for the pieces of meat to be strung without problems on home-made skewers, its second end must be sharp. You can sharpen it using a grinder or an emery wheel. To avoid injury when using the product, it is advisable not to sharpen the end of the skewer very strongly.
Final stage
That the product does not bend during use, it must have high strength. This can be achieved by hardening. To do this, you need to build a fire and put in it a ready-made skewer. After the steel product has sufficiently heated up, it should be removed from the fire and immersed in cold water. It is desirable that the container with water has a large size, since it is very important that the skewers are completely immersed in it during quenching.
Handle Products
Among consumers, skewers with a wooden handle are quite popular. In such products, one end does not need to be bent in the form of a ring. Instead, the end of the skewer will be crowned with a wooden handle. Many craftsmen recommend using acacia for making handles. For work, you need a lathe on which wooden workpieces will be processed.
The handle is considered finished if it is equipped with a special hole for the skewer. This hole is made by drilling. At the same time, the length of the handle and its diameter should be less than that of a steel strip. The handle is applied to the skewer after it goes through the hardening procedure. For the handle to sit firmly, many craftsmen use special crimp rings.
Homemade skewer bags
Who often goes to nature knows that transporting skewers without special equipment is quite problematic. It is undesirable to wrap steel products in paper or put in a bag: they can break through the material and crumble, and even injure a person. An ideal option in this case would be a homemade cover for skewers.
It can be made of dense and very strong material. It is desirable that the inside of the cover be oilcloth. This will prevent possible contamination of the outside of the cover with greasy skewers.
After the desired fabric is selected, it should be laid out on a flat surface and given the appropriate shape. To do this, you need to stitch the material from three sides. It is desirable that the inner cover along its length was slightly larger than the outer. This will allow the formation of an oilcloth lapel that protects the product from contamination. Many craftsmen, using a sewing machine or manually, create an external finish for a cover.
The plot of the picture can be the most diverse. It all depends on the preferences of the wizard. Mostly skewers cover kitchen themes. This can be a skillfully executed image of a pig or a cook hat. Convenient transportation of skewers is possible if there is such a part as a handle in the case. It has a loop shape. Sizes are very different. With its help, a cover with skewers inside can be easily carried outdoors, and at home it is convenient to hang it on the wall, decorating the interior of the room.
A kebab lover does not have to purchase branded skewers and covers for them. For the manufacture of such products at home, it is enough to have a desire, a good imagination, the necessary material and tools.