Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hanging On...


The post on ways to hang pictures generated a lot of comments -- many people pointed out ways to upgrade the "pants hanger" -- darker wood, painting the metal, adding metal decorations to the wood, etc. The best idea, however, came from an email from Jen, who suggested using Victorian spring clips. You can see what they are and how Jen uses them above.


You can buy them at Lee Valley Hardware, where they come in 2 different styles. The drilled hole in the back lets you hang them on a nail.


Victorian Spring Clip. 4" long overall and 2-1/2" wide at the tip, it weighs about 7 oz.
They are $6.20 for one, $4.49 if you buy 6 or more.



Cast Steel Spring Clip. The cast steel is a bit bigger at 4-1/4" long overall and 2-1/2" wide at the tip, it weighs about 6 oz. $8.80 for one, $7.10 for 6 or more.

For my purposes I think two at the corners of a large print (and perhaps two more at the bottom? I think I'll have to experiment...) would be as cheap as a poster frame, and walk the casual vs Victorian style line that I want my office to have.

8 comments:

  1. Ooooooh I like those. The hangers were a little to industrial for me although very clever.

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  2. Personally, I've been using bulldog clips. They're certainly not as impressive looking as these, but in context I think they fit well with a wall of art:

    http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Bulldog-1-Inch-Capacity-Nickel-Plated/dp/B0006HVPXS/ref=sr_1_3?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285697248&sr=8-3

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  3. I *love* those! I'll have to order some!

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  4. While we're shopping at a hardware store, I'll point out the magnetic strips. These are magnetic bars up to 24 inches wide, which you screw to the wall. They're intended to hold tools such as screwdrivers and pliers, so they have a rather strong magnetic field.

    You could use a steel strip, angle iron, iron bar, or piano hinge to hold thin items. A rubber, cork, or felt lining might help protect items.

    These magnetic bars stick out a little bit, unless you flush mount them in the wall or on the top of an object. One possibility is to use crown molding above or below it it to change it from a simple straight bar into a decorative feature. Many shapes of molding are available using wood, plastic, and plastic... and metal.

    But if you're going to build a decorative bar to hang on the wall, the rigid magnet bar becomes optional. If your decoration is rigid enough, you can attach to it individual magnets, bolt holes, or other fasteners.

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  5. The Victorian clips are wonderful -- I have used a couple of them in various places for several years!

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  6. This is an amazing idea. I love those clips!!

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