diff --git a/deluge/common.py b/deluge/common.py
index 19879aa64..7aea9b6af 100644
--- a/deluge/common.py
+++ b/deluge/common.py
@@ -839,6 +839,29 @@ def utf8_encoded(s, encoding='utf8'):
     return s
 
 
+def convert_to_utf8(data):
+    """Recursively convert all unicode keys and values in a data structure to utf8.
+
+    e.g. converting keys and values for a dict with nested dicts and lists etc.
+
+    Args:
+        data (any): This can be any structure, dict, list or tuple.
+
+    Returns:
+        input type: The data with unicode keys and values converted to utf8.
+
+    """
+
+    if isinstance(data, unicode):
+        return data.encode('utf8')
+    elif isinstance(data, (list, tuple)):
+        return type(data)(map(convert_to_utf8, data))
+    elif isinstance(data, dict):
+        return dict(map(convert_to_utf8, data.items()))
+    else:
+        return data
+
+
 @functools.total_ordering
 class VersionSplit(object):
     """
diff --git a/deluge/httpdownloader.py b/deluge/httpdownloader.py
index 7d094c837..b3f1ce1a3 100644
--- a/deluge/httpdownloader.py
+++ b/deluge/httpdownloader.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from twisted.python.failure import Failure
 from twisted.web import client, http
 from twisted.web.error import PageRedirect
 
-from deluge.common import get_version
+from deluge.common import convert_to_utf8, get_version
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -175,8 +175,8 @@ def _download_file(url, filename, callback=None, headers=None, force_filename=Fa
 
     url = url.encode('utf8')
     filename = filename.encode('utf8')
-    if headers:
-        headers = {k.encode('utf8'): v.encode('utf8') for k, v in headers.items()}
+    headers = convert_to_utf8(headers) if headers else headers
+    factory = HTTPDownloader(url, filename, callback, headers, force_filename, allow_compression)
 
     # In Twisted 13.1.0 _parse() function replaced by _URI class.
     # In Twisted 15.0.0 _URI class renamed to URI.
@@ -187,13 +187,12 @@ def _download_file(url, filename, callback=None, headers=None, force_filename=Fa
             from twisted.web.client import _URI as URI
         except ImportError:
             from twisted.web.client import URI
+        finally:
+            uri = URI.fromBytes(url)
+            scheme = uri.scheme
+            host = uri.host
+            port = uri.port
 
-        uri = URI.fromBytes(url)
-        scheme = uri.scheme
-        host = uri.host
-        port = uri.port
-
-    factory = HTTPDownloader(url, filename, callback, headers, force_filename, allow_compression)
     if scheme == 'https':
         from twisted.internet import ssl
         # ClientTLSOptions in Twisted >= 14, see ticket #2765 for details on this addition.
diff --git a/deluge/maketorrent.py b/deluge/maketorrent.py
index 215f6784d..2dcd6e905 100644
--- a/deluge/maketorrent.py
+++ b/deluge/maketorrent.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import sys
 from hashlib import sha1 as sha
 
 from deluge.bencode import bencode
-from deluge.common import get_path_size
+from deluge.common import convert_to_utf8, get_path_size
 
 
 class InvalidPath(Exception):
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class TorrentMetadata(object):
         }
 
         if self.comment:
-            torrent['comment'] = self.comment.encode('UTF-8')
+            torrent['comment'] = self.comment
 
         if self.private:
             torrent['info']['private'] = True
@@ -113,10 +113,10 @@ class TorrentMetadata(object):
             num_pieces += 1
 
         torrent['info']['piece length'] = piece_size
+        torrent['info']['name'] = os.path.split(self.data_path)[1]
 
         # Create the info
         if os.path.isdir(self.data_path):
-            torrent['info']['name'] = os.path.split(self.data_path)[1]
             files = []
             padding_count = 0
             # Collect a list of file paths and add padding files if necessary
@@ -170,18 +170,14 @@ class TorrentMetadata(object):
                             else:
                                 break
                             r = _file.read(piece_size - len(buf))
-
+            torrent['info']['files'] = fs
             if buf:
                 pieces.append(sha(buf).digest())
                 if progress:
                     progress(len(pieces), num_pieces)
                 buf = ''
 
-            torrent['info']['pieces'] = ''.join(pieces)
-            torrent['info']['files'] = fs
-
         elif os.path.isfile(self.data_path):
-            torrent['info']['name'] = os.path.split(self.data_path)[1]
             torrent['info']['length'] = get_path_size(self.data_path)
             pieces = []
 
@@ -194,11 +190,11 @@ class TorrentMetadata(object):
 
                     r = _file.read(piece_size)
 
-            torrent['info']['pieces'] = ''.join(pieces)
+        torrent['info']['pieces'] = b''.join(pieces)
 
         # Write out the torrent file
         with open(torrent_path, 'wb') as _file:
-            _file.write(bencode(torrent))
+            _file.write(bencode(convert_to_utf8(torrent)))
 
     def get_data_path(self):
         """Get the path to the files that the torrent will contain.