Hanging fairy lights

It's the time of year when I think "there must be a better way" to hang outside fairy lights. We have exposed joist ends and cast-iron gutters, so I've made wire hooks to hang-over the gutter edge and support the lights, but it's a pain to do and doesn't look wonderful, so I'd rather fix something to the joist ends that I could just hook the wire into next year. Perhaps something like these:

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... which don't seem to be available in the UK :-( What do you use or suggest?

Reply to
nothanks
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Screw these into the joist ends?

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Reply to
Chris Hogg

This is uk.d-i-y. Make your own.

Reply to
nightjar

Glue neodymium magnets to the wire every foot or so, and let em stick to the cast iron gutter.

Regular P clips:

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just screw through the back tab only.

Reply to
John Rumm

Not very helpful. I seem to recall somebody buying a job lot of what look like mini carabinas for hooking security passes to clips. It should not be too hard to make some way of screwing them to something. The only issue might be how they would stand up to the climate outside, and I doubt anyone would know without trying them!

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff (Sofa

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Chris Hogg snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net writes

Or bang in some fencing staples?

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Reply to
Tim Lamb

There are lots of plastic hooks for hanging light strings from the gutter -

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Reply to
wasbit

"*I've made wire hooks to hang-over the gutter edge and support the lights*, but it's a pain to do and doesn't look wonderful, so I'd rather fix something to the joist ends that I could just hook the wire into next year."

Reply to
nothanks

I want to be able to leave the fixings in place from year to year, that's why I was thinking of hooks

Reply to
nothanks

Yes (and I've made some) but I was hoping to find something to attach to the joist/rafter

Reply to
nothanks

Nice idea but I want a solution that accepts any lights. Also, the damn things get tangled enough as it is - just imagine what would happen with loads of very powerful magnets !!>

interesting ... cutting-off the front tab would produce a hook. I wonder how well they would survive a few years of UV ...

Reply to
nothanks

screw-in cup hooks?

Reply to
charles

I'd wondered about those, but thought they would rust if out in all weathers.

I've just found this

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which should be UV stabilised (it's designed for external cladding) and which can be drilled and cut to produce a gazillion clips. Shipping makes this example prohibitive so I need to find a local stockist of similar extrusions.

Reply to
nothanks

Brass ones shouldn't rust.

Reply to
charles

The black ones might do ok.

Reply to
John Rumm

Just hanging lights off hooks is no good, first bit of wind and your lights are a tangled mess on the ground. I simply use U staples to the the fence and also to the eaves of the garage. The ones on the garage are up permanently and have survived everything the weather has thrown at them for the last 4 years.

Richard

Reply to
Tricky Dicky

tie wrap the lights to the staples. Then cut the tie wraps.

Or use biodegradable twine.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

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