Marni Turkel on thu 25 jul 02
I'm looking for suggestions on cord, wire, etc to use to suspend a
vase. I am planning to put a couple of holes about 1/4 inch (5 mm)
in diameter near the top of the piece and loop the cord through.
Total weight will be under 5 lbs (2.5 kilo). I need something
unobtrusive, strong, water-proof and permanent. Years ago, I used to
use monofilament fishing line for this kind of thing, but after a
year or two it could give way and break without warning. Is there
something similar that doesn't degrade?
Thanks,
Marni
--
Marni Turkel
Stony Point Ceramic Design
2080 Llano Rd 1B
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Phone: 707-579-5567
Fax: 707-579-1116
http://www.marniturkel.com
Fredrick Paget on fri 26 jul 02
Marni,
For a durable string to hang something up. I recommend Kevlar. Kevlar
very good in outdoor exposure. We have some Kevlar string outdoors here in
a bean trellis that has been up for years. In Massachusetts I ran a length
of it along the property line to mark the boundary thru the briar patch
there and it was up for years summer and winter. It is UV resistant and
very durable outdoors. Also very strong.
Quite a few years ago before I retired, I had a project going to find
just such a line. We wanted a safety cord on a 2 pound screw in the socket
overhead 40 watt Metalarc light bulb and ballast. Sort of along the line of
a compact fluorescent but heavy as it had an iron core ballast transformer
in it. Some UV from proximity to the lamp. My boss was afraid it would be
a safety hazard if it vibrated loose and fell. It was for industrial use
where vibration could be a factor. We had a string manufacturer make us
some braided cord that would do the job. It was made of Kevlar and had a
breaking strength of 350 pounds (about 158 kg). The diameter was very small
- less than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm).
There are Kevlar fishing lines made now and perhaps you can get some
in the weight you want from Cabelas the big mail order sport goods Co.
(http://www.cabelas.com)
I have a spool of Stren brand Kevlar fish line that I bought 5 years ago
from Cabelas. I don't see it in the current listing. It is much lighter
than the 350 lb., only 70 pound test. Does not look that strong. It is
light tan in color. It is braided.
Kevlar does not hold knots well as it has almost zero stretch. You
want to use extra turns in the knots or some of the knots used by
fishermen. The barrel knot works well.
Another possibility if you want to go first class is stainless steel
cable. Sava industries
(P.O. Box150 Pompton Lakes NJ 07442/ (201) 835 0882)
(http://www.savacable.com/catalog/)
make it in thread like weights. Their smallest is only .006 inch diameter
(.152 mm) but you should go with at least their .024 inch (.610 mm) which
has a 70 pound (32 kg) test. I had a sample kit of their stuff which I have
mostly used up making cut off wires for ceramics. You have to use their
crimp-on connector sleeves and crimper tool, since knots are out of the
question in this stuff. It is multistranded like the larger cables you may
have seen.
Also a long time ago, I bought a model gas engine airplane that flew
around in circles on the end of a control line, I still have a few feet of
that line. It is stainless steel stranded and thin like thread. So you
could check the model airplane people. Also fishing people as they use
crimped stainless steel for leaders in large game fish salt water fishing.
If you use a single strand stainless wire you can make splices by
twisting and wrapping the wire around itself with a pair of pliers. It
won't take a lot of bending or flexing in use like the stranded wire but it
may be ok if a stiff enough wire is used. This kind of wire can be bought
from Cabelas or almost any fishing store in coastal areas.
Fred
From Fred Paget, Marin County, California, USA
Janet Kaiser on fri 26 jul 02
A lot of artists are stuck with this problem, since fishing line was
made bio-degradable. This is generally to be welcomed as a Good Thing,
because it helps to limit damage to the environment, especially to
ducks, swans and wading birds. We certainly see fewer gulls with one of
their feet or legs ripped off these days.
The only really good solution seems to be waxed linen thread. You know
that really strong stuff grandma used for repairing boot and shoe
uppers? I suppose the strong cotton for button-holes would also be a
substitute. The alternative is to make a feature of the holding threads,
rather than trying to make them as invisible as possible. Various hemp
strings come to mind, although I personally hope the macramé fad of the
70s does not return! Yes, it was very nice, but a little goes a long
way...
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art / Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent . Criccieth LL522 0EA
http://www.the-coa.org.uk
postbox@the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
> I'm looking for suggestions on cord, wire, etc to use to suspend a
> vase. I am planning to put a couple of holes about 1/4 inch (5 mm)
> in diameter near the top of the piece and loop the cord through.
> Total weight will be under 5 lbs (2.5 kilo). I need something
> unobtrusive, strong, water-proof and permanent. Years ago, I used to
> use monofilament fishing line for this kind of thing, but after a
> year or two it could give way and break without warning. Is there
> something similar that doesn't degrade?
Dannon Rhudy on fri 26 jul 02
At 11:22 PM 7/25/02 -0700, you wrote:
>I'm looking for suggestions on cord, wire, etc to use to suspend a
>vase. I am planning to put a couple of holes about 1/4 inch (5 mm)
>in diameter near the top of the piece and loop the cord through.
>Total weight will be under 5 lbs (2.5 kilo). I need something
Use lightweight stainless steel cable. It won't break/give
way for more years than you'll want the piece up.
On the other hand, it is not really unobtrusive.
The "clear" type filaments degrade rapidly,even in thicker
sizes.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
don hunt on sat 27 jul 02
If you go into a fishing tackle store that carries salt water tackle, (or an
appropriate website) you will find stainless steel leader material. It comes in
single filament and braided. It is a nice burnished color and comes in many
sizes. I use this material for hanging planters I use about 175 lb test braided
and use crimps,a swivel and split ring all of which you can find their. It makes a
easy to assemble product that draws positive comments.
Don Hunt
Dannon Rhudy wrote:
> At 11:22 PM 7/25/02 -0700, you wrote:
> >I'm looking for suggestions on cord, wire, etc to use to suspend a
> >vase. I am planning to put a couple of holes about 1/4 inch (5 mm)
> >in diameter near the top of the piece and loop the cord through.
> >Total weight will be under 5 lbs (2.5 kilo). I need something
>
> Use lightweight stainless steel cable. It won't break/give
> way for more years than you'll want the piece up.
> On the other hand, it is not really unobtrusive.
>
> The "clear" type filaments degrade rapidly,even in thicker
> sizes.
>
> regards
>
> Dannon Rhudy
>
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