The over-the-closet-door cap holder I made to store hats and prevent them from falling all over the place. I also made a belt rack. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

I have caps and other chapeaus I wear based on the weather.

When it’s cold, I have insulated hats that keep my head warm. My other hats are ball caps and are for fairer weather. A few are worn when I’m mowing or working, and I don’t care how dirty or damaged they get.

Several caveats here. I will not wear a hat in public with a bill frayed either by design or by use or that has become soiled from years of use. It’s difficult to explain, except to say I also wouldn’t wear a worn-out sportcoat either. Perhaps it’s vanity.

I also refuse to buy a cap with an insignia or logo, with the exceptions being the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers and West Virginia University. You can keep your John Deere or NASCAR hats and things like that. I have a Cabela’s hat, but it was free and it fits my fat head. The way I look at it is if you want me to wear a hat with your name on it, you should pay me.

I don’t have a lot of ball caps, but enough to create clutter and a logistical issue. They take up space on hooks where I hang my coat, causing them to fall off when I get my jacket or cause my jacket to slip off the hook and fall to the floor.

The bends in the sheet metal were not difficult and can be done on a bench vise, but measurements must be accurate. The most critical measurement is the bend to create the saddle that goes over the door. (Photo by Jess Mancini)

Adding more clothing hooks isn’t an option, and I wasn’t going to buy a hat case. I may wear a hat, but I don’t consider it a design element.

Something had to be done. I decided the cap holder must be mobile, use a minimum amount of space and hold at least six caps, provided they have adjustable straps in the rear like all of mine. After several hours of thought, I decided a holder that would fit over the top of a door and can be removed settles the mobility issue. The “peg” that holds the caps could be at a length to hold many caps nestled in each other like a nesting babushka or matryoshka doll.

Cap holders are available at stores, but being frugal and mechanically inclined, I headed to my shop where in my Fortress of Solitude I could make my cap holder. The design was simple. I would copy what others made before me. No use reinventing the wheel. The issue was what to make it from that would be thin enough to fit on top of the door without causing it to jam, but easy to bend and strong enough to hold caps.

Years ago I saved the sheet metal from a microwave that blew up. I thought it could come in handy someday. Looks like I was right. I don’t know what gauge it is, but it can be cut with tin snips and bent without a bending brake. I used the jaws of my vise as a bending jig.

I cut a strip of sheet metal of 1.5 inches wide and 12 inches long. I sanded and filed the edges and rounded the sharp corners to make it safe to touch.

Using the vise and being as accurate as I could, I first bent the end that goes on the side of the door, a saddle for lack of a better term, to 90 degrees, to create a U. The top of the saddle is the width of the door, a critical measurement. The side on the outside of the door is only several inches. The inside is much longer. I bent the end on the inside piece to 45 degrees, creating a hook to hold the caps. The measurement of the inside piece from the top of the door to the bend creating the hook should be long enough so the hats are below the door jamb when closed to not interfere with the door’s operation and hold the number of hats you desire. Mine fits perfectly on the door and is thin enough that it won’t impede the door from closing. I have ample length for about seven caps without taking up a great deal of storage space.

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Unless you think this column wasn’t enough of a waste of time, send ideas for “Wastin’ Time with Jess Mancini” to Jess Mancini at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.