I love wine (I mean, who doesn’t). Therefore, I honestly believe that you can never have too much wine storage (or, glasses of wine in one sitting… but that’s a conversation for another day). However, most of my wine storage is bulky and made from lumber. So, I wanted to try my hand at creating one from metal and leather. Even better, I didn’t have to weld a single thing! Wanna know how? I partnered up with my amazing partners at Bernzomatic to show you how I did it!

How To Make A Metal & Leather Wine Rack Without Welding

We honestly have tons of wine storage in our apartment, but once in a while, I love having a bottle on deck for family parties or dinner events. I also feel like everything I make is based around lumber (it’s not like I’m a woodworker or anything), and I wanted to challenge myself! So, I put a lot of faith in my newbie metalworking skills and decided to try my hand at brazing together this metal and leather wine rack!

Spoiler Alert: It turned out awesome.

What You’ll Need

Tools
Bernzomatic TS4000 Torch Kit
Bernzomatic Aluminum Brazing Rod Packages
Wire Brush
Flat Metal File
Miter Saw
Drill & Bit (For Screws)
Speed Square
Heat Resistant Gloves
General Purpose Disposable Gloves
Gloves With Grips
Benchtop Vice Clamp
Metal Wood Clamps
Paper Towel
Goggles
Tape Measure
Acetone

Materials
(2) 36″ Long 5/8″ Aluminum Rods
Faux Leather Straps
(4) 1/2″ Threaded Chicago Screws

The Steps

1. Secure your benchtop vice clamp to your work station. You will need this vice to help you bend your aluminum rods.

2. Using the vice and human strength, carefully bend your aluminum rod to create two side pieces. Check to make sure all angles are at 90 degrees with a speed square. I bent my rods so that each side piece had two 7″ legs and a 10″ center bar.

3. Use a miter saw to trim the rest of your rod into two 6 1/2″ cross pieces.

4. Once all of your pieces are cut, use a file to file down the sharp edges of the 6 1/2″ cross pieces and to create a groove for the brazing compound to sit.

5. Next, use a wire brush to clean away any residue.

6. Once everything has been prepped, clamp your first cross piece to the inside, bottom edge of the side piece.

7. Next, use your Bernzomatic TS4000 Torch Kit to heat the joint. As you heat the joint, rub the aluminum brazing rod alongside the two pieces. You will want the brazing rods to melt with the heat of the larger aluminum rods, not the flame. So, don’t apply the flame directly to the brazing rod (if you want more details about how this process works, check out my aluminum table build).

Make sure to allow the metal to cool for a while before removing it from the clamp!

8. After the first joint is brazed, repeat this step three more times until the cross piece is fully brazed to both side pieces.

9. After everything cools, use acetone and a rag to wipe down the aluminum.

10. After cleaning the metal, it’s time to create your straps! Use a scissor to trim your two leather straps to size. I cut mine to 16″ long.

11. Next, drill the holes for your screws to go through. I started by lining up the two ends of the leather strap, and then folded a piece over on each end and drilled through that as well.

12. Next, I threaded the Chicago screws to make sure they fit.

13. Once everything was aligned, I attached the leather straps to the rack.

All that was left was to add a bottle of wine and call it a day!

In all honesty, I was super surprised by how sturdy this rack ended up being! I’m really excited to show it off as something I made, especially since I hardly ever make metal and leather pieces! Who’s coming over for dinner!?

Psst.. want to pair your wine with some cheese? Check out the charcuterie board I built!

Want to save this project for a different dinner party? Pin It for later!

Also, make sure to visit Bernzomatic’s website for more awesome project ideas!

This post is sponsored by Bernzomatic. While compensation has been received for this post, all design ideas, product opinions, and design choices are my own. For my full disclosure policy, click here.