Repair log flower bed border

[Wesley]

I've got a flower bed which is edged with logs similar to those shown here

The logs are held together with two strands thick, stiff wire which are beginning to rust through, causing the whole thing to fall apart. The wires are attached to the backs of the logs with small 'U' shaped nails. They are not hammered into the earth but laid on patio slabs.

Does anybody know where I can get similar wire to repair these logs or maybe someone could suggest an alternative method of attaching them to each other?

[Chris Hogg]

Any DIY shed, or even your local ironmonger, if such still exists, will have heavy gauge galvanised wire and galvanised staples.

[Wesley]

Cheers mate. That's just what I need.

Any DIY shed, or even your local ironmonger, if such still exists, will have heavy gauge galvanised wire and galvanised staples.

[Tricky Dicky]

If no joy there try a fencing specialist, especially one who supplies farmers.

Richard

[fred]

I'd be tempted to try heavy duty strimmer line, 3.3mm at least, to tie them together. Should last forever. However the staples will likely give up their grip eventually.

[Dave Liquorice]

I see where you are coming from but is strimmer line UV stable? I certainly don't see/find bits of strimmer line around the garden, even along the bases of drystone walls which strimming against consumes considerably more line than pure vegitation.

Decnt quality galvanised fence wire should last a very long time, I'm not convinced you'll get decent quality from a DIY shed though. Farm supplies or commercial fencing place would be a better bet.

[Andrew]

Try and get some scrap 4mm or 6mm red and black electricity cable. This is multi-stranded and being copper it will last ages and also prevent algae and wood-rot fungus eating away at the logs.

Or if money is no object, buy some new brown/blue equivalent.

Strip off the insulation with a stanley knife, carefully.

[Tim Lamb]

Usually a choice of high tensile or standard. Your fence may rely on some rigidity obtained from stiff wire.

Farm supplies tend to come in 25kg coils. 10swg 3.15m this is 405m! Wait until rain stops harvesting and then tap on the door of the nearest farm keeping livestock and beg a few metres.

>

[fred]

Well I have a coil of it hanging in the greenhouse for a fair number of years and never noticed any degradation when I hacked a piece off the other night. Y.M.M.V.

[Bob H]

The wood will rot in time, believe me I know.

I have nothing but tat type of lawn edging for many years, and after about 8/9 years there was serious signs of wood rot on some of the edgings. I ended up pulling everyone out and replacing with something else, not wood tho'.

[Dave Liquorice]

Under cover, hanging in air tends to be some what drier than at ground level under vegitation outside...

[Dave Liquorice]

So? Heavy, good,,stiff ,wire is usful stuff to have and I wouldn't be surprised if that 25 kg 405 m coil costs the same as 10 m of lower quality stuff from a shed. B-)

And alternative, a beer voucher or two might be need if you don't know the farmer.

[news]

Or a firm doing fencing off the railway, I dispose of hundreds of kg super 70 off cuts, the scrap metal merchants hate it as it winds around the rotors of the pulveriser.

It's 3.55 mm, has a green tinge over the galvanising and a pig to work with.

AJH

[The Medway Handyman]

Given the time & effort involved it would be easier to just replace them surely?

[meow2222]

I would think so. If the OP goes ahead anyway, its called galvanised iron wire.

NT

[Mark]

26m Coil 4.00/3.00mm Green PVC Coated L/Wire Galvanized Core half way down page

[meow2222]

Too thick, I'd suggest 1.6mm max. Anything thicker is a pig to work, and for this app pointless. And forget pvc coat, it doesnt last well and is ugly. Galv is better.

NT

[Mark]

well i will let the OP decide on that as the wire is fitted to the inside earth side so it will not be seen and it IS galvanized the pvc just adds an extra layer of protection when fixing with ?galvanized staples and IMHO 1.6mm is not thick enough and you as always are talking bollocks

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[meow2222]

not thick enough for what? Its flower bed edging.

There are 2 ways this stuff is put together. If the wire alternates round both sides of the wood, anything above 1.6 will only make life hard for the OP. If it only runs along the back, thicker is fine.

NT

[Mark]

Look at the photo, read what the OP said

simples even for someone like you

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