A clawfoot bath tub is an elegant addition to a master bathroom. Even though the clawfoot tub is beautiful and deep enough for a soothing bath, the tub design does not make taking a shower an easy or splatter-free task. Adding a shower curtain needs a specialized item to hold the curtain. A standard curtain rod will not suffice because the claw foot clawfoot tub does not fit snugly against the wall. Creating an oval curtain rod that hangs from the ceiling is an efficient way to prevent splashing.
Materials Needed
- 150-by-1-inch hollow stainless steel pipe
- 24-by-1/2-inch chain (2)
- Tape measure
- Pipe bender
- TIG welding rod
- Welder
- Leather apron and gloves
- Welding mask
- Clamp
- 4 toggle ceiling hooks
- Cordless drill
- 2 shower curtains
- Curtain hooks
Instructions
- Measure just under the lip of inside the clawfoot bathtub to get the circumference, using a tape measure. Measure the distance from the beginning of where the tub curves at the end of the tub to the end of the curve. For example, the end of the tub's curve is 33 inches from the beginning to the end and the sides, which are straight, are 46 inches long, making the circumference 150.
- Bend 150 inches of hollow 1-inch stainless steel pipe with a pipe bender. Bend one end of the pipe to a wide 90-degree bend, 2 inches of straight pipe, and then a second wide 90-degree bend making one rounded end of an oval. Leave 48 inches of the pipe straight on each side of the bend. Bend the second rounded section of the oval at the end of the second 48-inch straight part of the pipe.
- Weld the ends of the pipe together using a TIG welding rod and a welder. Turn on the welder. Clamp the ends of the pipe together. Put on the leather apron and gloves and the welding mask. Hold the welding stick in your left hand. Hold the welding rod in your right hand. Heat the stick with the rod melting the stick over the seam where the two pipe ends meet.
- Insert a ceiling hook into the ceiling joist directly above the center of each curved end of the tub and the center of each side of the tub, which equals four hooks. Insert the hooks into the ceiling by screwing them into the ceiling joist with the included screw and a cordless drill. Twist the hook on the screw by turning it clockwise.
- Weld the middle of a 24-inch metal chain, 1-inch thick, to the middle of each curve and the middle of the straight sections on the 150-inch pipe oval, using the TIG welder. Hold another welding stick in your left hand. Hold the welding rod in your right hand. Heat the stick with the rod, melting the stick along the seam where the chain link meets the pipe. Weld on the outside of the chain link and on the inside of the link for a doubly secure weld. When the weld cools, the chain will be securely attached to the pipe.
- Hang the ends of the 24-inch chains from the hooks. One chain will hang from one hook not from both hooks.
- Insert shower curtain hooks into the holes in two shower curtains.
- Hang the shower curtain hooks around the oval pipe with one shower curtain on each side of the welded chains.
Tips
Use a cloth shower curtain rather than a plastic curtain. Plastic curtains rip easily.
Warnings
Always wear a welding mask when working with welders to prevent blinding or eye injury from sparks.
Always follow the welder directions when turning on the gases. Each welder may be slightly different.
A. L. Fetherlin - Author of "Brynn, the Exorcist" and former day care teacher who uses her home as an experiment in woodworking and building projects.
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