what happened to metal cable straps?

[Chris]

I suspect I know the answer to this, but my new (old) house has a lot of surface wiring due to stone walls, oak beams and so on. The wiring is held in place with metal cable straps which are secured with a nail and then, rather like a belt, one end slots into the other and is pulled tight round the cable then the excess is folded back and tucked behind.

By now you're wondering where this is leading, but I much prefer the look of these old metal straps than modern plastic cable clips which have a raised profile to accomodate the captive nail along one side.

So assuming I can no longer get the metal straps, what else is there in the way of a surface fixing that is easy on the eye ?

[auctions]

people make the cable buckles you're looking for. I can buy direct, but need to get a fairly large number. If you'd like to email me, perhaps we could split an order. Can't find a retailer that stocks them.

A

[meow2222]

These old things are no longer compliant on mains wiring, as theyre not insulated. Apparently the 2 layers of insulaton on the cable arent enough, youve got to have 3.

Next they'll be complaining about the practice of nailing cables to the wall - I mean the nails are earthed where they go through the cpc, so whats the problem?

NT :)