diff --git a/lib/rest_client.rb b/lib/rest_client.rb
index f7ca04b..7936dc1 100644
--- a/lib/rest_client.rb
+++ b/lib/rest_client.rb
@@ -4,89 +4,89 @@ require 'rexml/document'
 
 module RestClient
 	def self.get(url, headers={})
-		do_request :get, url, nil, headers
+		Request.new(:get, url, nil, headers).execute
 	end
 
 	def self.post(url, payload=nil, headers={})
-		do_request :post, url, payload, headers
+		Request.new(:post, url, payload, headers).execute
 	end
 
 	def self.put(url, payload=nil, headers={})
-		do_request :put, url, payload, headers
+		Request.new(:put, url, payload, headers).execute
 	end
 
 	def self.delete(url, headers={})
-		do_request :delete, url, nil, headers
+		Request.new(:delete, url, nil, headers).execute
 	end
 
-	####
+	class Request
+		attr_reader :method, :url, :payload, :headers
 
-	def self.do_request(method, url, payload, headers)
-		do_request_inner(method, url, payload, headers)
-	rescue Redirect => e
-		do_request(method, e.message, payload, headers)
-	end
-
-	def self.do_request_inner(method, url, payload, headers)
-		uri = parse_url(url)
-		transmit uri, net_http_class(method).new(uri.path, make_headers(headers)), payload
-	end
-
-	def self.make_headers(user_headers)
-		final = {}
-		merged = default_headers.merge(user_headers)
-		merged.keys.each do |key|
-			final[key.to_s.gsub(/_/, '-').capitalize] = merged[key]
+		def initialize(method, url, payload, headers)
+			@method = method
+			@url = url
+			@payload = payload
+			@headers = headers
 		end
-		final
-	end
 
-	def self.net_http_class(method)
-		Object.module_eval "Net::HTTP::#{method.to_s.capitalize}"
-	end
-
-	def self.parse_url(url)
-		url = "http://#{url}" unless url.match(/^http/)
-		URI.parse(url)
-	end
-
-	class Redirect < Exception; end
-	class RequestFailed < Exception; end
-	class Unauthorized < Exception; end
-
-	def self.transmit(uri, req, payload)
-		Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port) do |http|
-			process_result http.request(req, payload || "")
+		def execute
+			execute_inner
+		rescue Redirect => e
+			@url = e.message
+			execute
 		end
-	end
 
-	def self.process_result(res)
-		if %w(200 201 202).include? res.code
-			res.body
-		elsif %w(301 302 303).include? res.code
-			raise Redirect, res.header['Location']
-		elsif res.code == "401"
-			raise Unauthorized
-		else
-			raise RequestFailed, error_message(res)
+		def execute_inner
+			uri = parse_url(url)
+			transmit uri, net_http_class(method).new(uri.path, make_headers(headers)), payload
 		end
-	end
 
-	def self.parse_error_xml(body)
-		xml(body).elements.to_a("//errors/error").map { |a| a.text }.join(" / ")
-	rescue
-		"unknown error"
-	end
+		def make_headers(user_headers)
+			final = {}
+			merged = default_headers.merge(user_headers)
+			merged.keys.each do |key|
+				final[key.to_s.gsub(/_/, '-').capitalize] = merged[key]
+			end
+			final
+		end
 
-	def self.error_message(res)
-		"HTTP code #{res.code}: #{parse_error_xml(res.body)}"
-	end
+		def net_http_class(method)
+			Object.module_eval "Net::HTTP::#{method.to_s.capitalize}"
+		end
 
-	def self.default_headers
-		{ :accept => 'application/xml', :content_type => 'text/plain' }
-	end
+		def parse_url(url)
+			url = "http://#{url}" unless url.match(/^http/)
+			URI.parse(url)
+		end
 
-	def self.xml(raw)
-		REXML::Document.new(raw)
+		class Redirect < Exception; end
+		class RequestFailed < Exception; end
+		class Unauthorized < Exception; end
+
+		def transmit(uri, req, payload)
+			Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port) do |http|
+				process_result http.request(req, payload || "")
+			end
+		end
+
+		def process_result(res)
+			if %w(200 201 202).include? res.code
+				res.body
+			elsif %w(301 302 303).include? res.code
+				raise Redirect, res.header['Location']
+			elsif res.code == "401"
+				raise Unauthorized
+			else
+				raise RequestFailed, error_message(res)
+			end
+		end
+
+		def error_message(res)
+			"HTTP code #{res.code}: #{res.body}"
+		end
+
+		def default_headers
+			{ :accept => 'application/xml' }
+		end
 	end
 end
diff --git a/spec/rest_client_spec.rb b/spec/rest_client_spec.rb
index 6401d86..ed8ff5e 100644
--- a/spec/rest_client_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/rest_client_spec.rb
@@ -2,110 +2,113 @@ require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/base'
 
 describe RestClient do
 	context "public API" do
+		before do
+			@request = mock("restclient request")
+		end
+
 		it "GET" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:do_request).with(:get, 'http://some/resource', nil, {})
+			RestClient::Request.should_receive(:new).with(:get, 'http://some/resource', nil, {}).and_return(@request)
+			@request.should_receive(:execute)
 			RestClient.get('http://some/resource')
 		end
 
 		it "POST" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:do_request).with(:post, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {})
+			RestClient::Request.should_receive(:new).with(:post, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {}).and_return(@request)
+			@request.should_receive(:execute)
 			RestClient.post('http://some/resource', 'payload')
 		end
 
 		it "PUT" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:do_request).with(:put, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {})
+			RestClient::Request.should_receive(:new).with(:put, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {}).and_return(@request)
+			@request.should_receive(:execute)
 			RestClient.put('http://some/resource', 'payload')
 		end
 
 		it "DELETE" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:do_request).with(:delete, 'http://some/resource', nil, {})
+			RestClient::Request.should_receive(:new).with(:delete, 'http://some/resource', nil, {}).and_return(@request)
+			@request.should_receive(:execute)
 			RestClient.delete('http://some/resource')
 		end
 	end
 
-	context "internal support methods" do
-		it "requests xml mimetype" do
-			RestClient.default_headers[:accept].should == 'application/xml'
-		end
-
-		it "converts an xml document" do
-			REXML::Document.should_receive(:new).with('body')
-			RestClient.xml('body')
-		end
-
-		it "processes a successful result" do
-			res = mock("result")
-			res.stub!(:code).and_return("200")
-			res.stub!(:body).and_return('body')
-			RestClient.process_result(res).should == 'body'
-		end
-
-		it "parses a url into a URI object" do
-			URI.should_receive(:parse).with('http://example.com/resource')
-			RestClient.parse_url('http://example.com/resource')
-		end
-
-		it "adds http:// to the front of resources specified in the syntax example.com/resource" do
-			URI.should_receive(:parse).with('http://example.com/resource')
-			RestClient.parse_url('example.com/resource')
-		end
-
-		it "determines the Net::HTTP class to instantiate by the method name" do
-			RestClient.net_http_class(:put).should == Net::HTTP::Put
-		end
-
-		it "merges user headers with the default headers" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({ '1' => '2' })
-			RestClient.make_headers('3' => '4').should == { '1' => '2', '3' => '4' }
-		end
-
-		it "prefers the user header when the same header exists in the defaults" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({ '1' => '2' })
-			RestClient.make_headers('1' => '3').should == { '1' => '3' }
-		end
-
-		it "converts header symbols from :content_type to 'Content-type'" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({})
-			RestClient.make_headers(:content_type => 'abc').should == { 'Content-type' => 'abc' }
-		end
-	end
-
-	context "internal transmission methods" do
+	context RestClient::Request do
 		before do
+			@request = RestClient::Request.new(:put, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {})
+
 			@uri = mock("uri")
 			@uri.stub!(:path).and_return('/resource')
 			@uri.stub!(:host).and_return('some')
 			@uri.stub!(:port).and_return(80)
 		end
 
-		it "does a request with an http method name passed in as a symbol" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:parse_url).with('http://some/resource').and_return(@uri)
+		it "requests xml mimetype" do
+			@request.default_headers[:accept].should == 'application/xml'
+		end
+
+		it "processes a successful result" do
+			res = mock("result")
+			res.stub!(:code).and_return("200")
+			res.stub!(:body).and_return('body')
+			@request.process_result(res).should == 'body'
+		end
+
+		it "parses a url into a URI object" do
+			URI.should_receive(:parse).with('http://example.com/resource')
+			@request.parse_url('http://example.com/resource')
+		end
+
+		it "adds http:// to the front of resources specified in the syntax example.com/resource" do
+			URI.should_receive(:parse).with('http://example.com/resource')
+			@request.parse_url('example.com/resource')
+		end
+
+		it "determines the Net::HTTP class to instantiate by the method name" do
+			@request.net_http_class(:put).should == Net::HTTP::Put
+		end
+
+		it "merges user headers with the default headers" do
+			@request.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({ '1' => '2' })
+			@request.make_headers('3' => '4').should == { '1' => '2', '3' => '4' }
+		end
+
+		it "prefers the user header when the same header exists in the defaults" do
+			@request.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({ '1' => '2' })
+			@request.make_headers('1' => '3').should == { '1' => '3' }
+		end
+
+		it "converts header symbols from :content_type to 'Content-type'" do
+			@request.should_receive(:default_headers).and_return({})
+			@request.make_headers(:content_type => 'abc').should == { 'Content-type' => 'abc' }
+		end
+
+		it "executes by constructing the Net::HTTP object, headers, and payload and calling transmit" do
+			@request.should_receive(:parse_url).with('http://some/resource').and_return(@uri)
 			klass = mock("net:http class")
-			RestClient.should_receive(:net_http_class).with(:put).and_return(klass)
+			@request.should_receive(:net_http_class).with(:put).and_return(klass)
 			klass.should_receive(:new).and_return('result')
-			RestClient.should_receive(:transmit).with(@uri, 'result', 'payload')
-			RestClient.do_request_inner(:put, 'http://some/resource', 'payload', {})
+			@request.should_receive(:transmit).with(@uri, 'result', 'payload')
+			@request.execute_inner
 		end
 
 		it "transmits the request with Net::HTTP" do
 			http = mock("net::http connection")
 			Net::HTTP.should_receive(:start).and_yield(http)
 			http.should_receive(:request).with('req', 'payload')
-			RestClient.should_receive(:process_result)
-			RestClient.transmit(@uri, 'req', 'payload')
+			@request.should_receive(:process_result)
+			@request.transmit(@uri, 'req', 'payload')
 		end
 
 		it "doesn't send nil payloads" do
 			http = mock("net::http connection")
 			Net::HTTP.should_receive(:start).and_yield(http)
 			http.should_receive(:request).with('req', '')
-			RestClient.should_receive(:process_result)
-			RestClient.transmit(@uri, 'req', nil)
+			@request.should_receive(:process_result)
+			@request.transmit(@uri, 'req', nil)
 		end
 
-		it "do_request calls do_request_inner" do
-			RestClient.should_receive(:do_request_inner).with(:get, 'http://some/where', 'payload', {})
-			RestClient.do_request(:get, 'http://some/where', 'payload', {})
+		it "execute calls execute_inner" do
+			@request.should_receive(:execute_inner)
+			@request.execute
 		end
 	end
 end