12
My uncle swore by using a coat hanger for fishing lines, I learned the hard way
My uncle, a guy who did cable back in the 90s, always told me to keep a straightened metal coat hanger in my truck. He said it was the best tool for fishing lines through tight spaces in old walls. Last month, I was on a job in a 1920s house in Springfield, trying to get a line from the attic down to a first floor outlet. The path was a mess of old plaster and blocking. I used the hanger trick, and it got stuck, good. Spent over an hour trying to wiggle it free before it snapped off inside the wall. Had to cut a small access hole to get it out, which the homeowner was not happy about. I should have just used my fiberglass rods from the start. Anyone have a better method for those really tricky, old plaster lathe walls that doesn't risk leaving tools in the cavity?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
eva_garcia5623d ago
Yeah, that old hanger trick is a real gamble. My dad used to swear by a roll of cheap metal chain, the real light stuff. Said you could feed it down and the weight would find its way. Watched him try it once in an old farmhouse, chain just piled up on a nail head inside the wall. Made a sound like a ghost dropping change. We had to leave it in there.
6
sage2861d ago
The chain thing works okay, but you gotta use the super light stuff. I mean, the cheap plastic-coated bead chain from the hardware store is way better. It doesn't snag as much.
1