Letter holder for mailbox

[Charlie S.]

I attached a new mailbox to the porch door about 6 months ago. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a mechanism to firmly grasp outgoing mail. Presently, we place the outgoing mail between the lid and the lower section of the box, The lid holds the mail down against this lower portion. This works most of the time. Occasionally, the system fails and the mail falls to the ground or goes back into the box. This might happen when the door slams shut or opens suddenly.

I have a couple ideas of what I might do..,none really appeal to me. I wrote them below. Other suggestions are welcome.

1. place magnets on the inside of the lid to give it more weight. I might try that as an immediate fix, but I don't think that is a secure method.

1. attach some sort of large office paper clip type unit to the top of the box. I'd have to paint it black as it might look silly if it were chrome colored. How I would attach such a clip, I am not sure. I don't know how to weld and I don't know if soldering would work.

I could move the mailbox, but my elderly father finds this door location easy to access.

[Al Moran]

Clothes pin. Done.

[PanHandler]

A plastic spring type. And leave it in the box so it's handy. I'm sure the mail carrier has seen this done routinely.

[Houston]

I'm sure the day will come when we all have plastic suction tubes in our home offices to deliver mail to and from the box. I'll miss the clothespin system. Houston

[mm]

A wood spring loaded clothes pin.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[TaskProperties]

"Charlie S." wrote in news:CXy9f.2783$iE5.733@trndny08:

It's better (safer) to place your outgoing mail in a mailbox at the post office. There are creeps who go around looking for mail sitting around. They steal the envelope because probably you are paying a bill. They then make a copies of your checks and have some method of taking money from your account.

[Colbyt]

Here are 3 lost cost low tech solutions:

Use an old fashioned spring loaded clothes pin to pin the mail to the front of the box. When not in use in can stay inside the box.

Buy a magnetic clipboard type clip that can just stick to the mailbox (provided it isn't brass).

Buy or build a small holder like brochures are displayed in to mount beside or above the mailbox for outgoing mail.

Colbyt

[Charlie S.]

:

Could you describe in a little more detail what you mean by a brochure holder. What would it look like? .... like a small box, or a clip?

[Norminn]

Buy a package of elastic at the local fabric store, or a length of bungee cord. Elastic is available in black, and in wide widths. Make a loop that stays on the lid. Stick the mail under the elastic. Could use flat black elastic, also, to hold a large paperclip. Would have to paint the clip, of course.

[Colbyt]

How about a picture of the plastic kind.

I would use plastic so the mailman can see the mail.

Go to Froogle and type in brochure +holder

to see all the different kinds. You can most likely buy at your local Office Depot, Office Max or Staples.

Colbyt

[Tom Miller]

[snip]

We use a large BINDER CLIP, used to hold 20-50 or more sheets of paper together . It's very strong, already black, and has foldback levers on it to open and close it. We just clip it to the top edge of the mailbox and slide envelopes under it, between the box and the clip. Even the strongest wind would not be able to blow the envelope out from under the clip -- it really clamps it to the mailbox.

Clips are available at any office supply store, like Staples or Office Max. Very cheap.

[ameijers]

Buy a couple of those spring clamps used for small glueups, and either pop rivet it to the mailbox lid, or attach it on a short cord. Make sure your Dad can comfortably squeeze it and manipulate it- some of these are pretty strong. Most of these today are black plastic, but that may not hold up under the UV of the sunlight. Several years ago, I bought a six-pack of the silver anodized steel ones, and use them for all sorts of stuff like this around the house, including holding food bags shut. Need to get some more- they keep wandering off on me.

Other alternative- stop by local sign company, and buy one of those clear plastic flyer boxes realtors add to their signs to hold flyers, and mount it on door below the mailbox. They come in several styles- one huge one that holds flat 8.5x11 flyers, and a tube style, for rolled flyers. This would have the advantage of protecting outgoing mail against rain showers. Label it 'outgoing mail', so the substitute on the route will understand it.

Third alternative- add a flip-up red flag to existing box, like a rural roadside box uses. (or maybe a red on one side, black on the other, flat magnet, shaped like a flag.) Carriers are not obligated to pick up outgoing mail, especially if there is no incoming mail so that they need to open box anyway, but almost all carriers do so as a matter of course. Most carriers will be extra-accommodating for seniors. My grandmother's used to knock on her door if she forgot to put stamps on the letters. (Not an infrequent occurance in her later years....)

aem sends....

[Charlie S.]

I am using a clothes pin for now. My dad said he likes the flag idea. Many good replies to this post. I'm not crazy about the clothes pin. It works, so I can't complain.