Recommend a staple gun and stainless steel staples?

[dogfonos]

Would appreciate opinions and recommendations please...

I need to staple several metres of 2mm s/s wire 'rope' onto recycled plastic joists. It's for outdoor use and open to the elements. What combination of staple gun and staples would you recommend.

I've used standard 26/6 office-type steel staples in the past (to hold 1.6mm galvanised steel wire) which did the job quite well, despite rusting. Ideally, this time the staples should be narrower and in the range 6 - 10mm deep. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You might be better off looking for appropriate staple then finding a stapler to match. Google "narrow crown stainless steel staples" and you'll probably get 90 or 91 series, which are used in the upholstery trades with pneumatic staple guns. I have no idea if you can even get manual staplers which work with them, though electric and pneumatic are both on the market

What may surprise you is the cost of stainless steel staples - a lot more expensive than galv steel ones

 

[dogfonos]

What may surprise you is the cost of stainless steel staples - a lot more expensive than galv steel ones

Indeed so. Also, the price of electric staplers, for a one-off job, is putting me off. Thanks to your lead though, I've seen stainless steel versions of the 26/6 (or type 53 or Tackwise type1270 - why so many different references for the same product?) for which I already have the stapler gun. These staples may be unnecessarily wide but they're good enough.

 

[big-all]

traditional hammer in galvanized wire staples [arched] will last years longer than any wire mesh

thinking normal staple from your tack hammer or stapler and a heavy staple perhaps every 10th to 20th as a back up further added as required over the years

 

[Deleted member 174758]

...why so many different references for the same product?

I think it's down to different manufacturers trying to protect their own market share, so you'll find Arrow, Bostitch, Tackwise, etc "own brand" references as well as standard references. There's a useful table in this Wikipedia page:

Some of the narrow crown stuff I've used in the past has been a headache to source as there are so many sizes out there

 

[dogfonos]

traditional hammer in galvanized wire staples [arched] will last years longer than any wire mesh

I'll look into that option. I should have explained at the outset that the wire will form part of an 'electric fence' around a veg bed to keep out slugs and snails (big problem in my garden). Two wires form the two conductors spaced approx 1cm apart will run around the perimeter of the wooden veg bed. Each conductor will be connected to a terminal of a 9v battery. I proved the concept works well using galvanised wire held in place with plain steel 26/6 staples on a wooden veg bed but one galvanised wire quickly rusted (due to current flow), as did the staples (as expected). Main problem was that when wood got wet, a circuit was formed and this drained the battery too quickly. That's why I'm trying out plastic 'lumber' and stainless steel materials this time.

Come to think of it, I haven't tried out stapling the plastic yet - better do that to see if it can take a staple before ordering other stapling gear.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'll look into that option. I should have explained at the outset that the wire will form part of an 'electric fence' around a veg bed to keep out slugs and snails (big problem in my garden).

Won't beer traps work? At least they'll die happy!

That's why I'm trying out plastic 'lumber' and stainless steel materials this time.

Come to think of it, I haven't tried out stapling the plastic yet - better do that to see if it can take a staple before ordering other stapling gear.

Yes indeed - you might find it more difficult to staple than you think. If what you are using is the recycled extruded/intruded polyethylene that's been around for a few decades then you may well have problems.

I got involved in designing and producing prototype planters, seats and picnic tables in recycled polyethylene plastic nearly 20 years ago (for councils, etc - the stuff was very expensive back then) and in trying to come up with a way to affix a manufacturers label consistently I tried all sorts of things. The only staple I had any success with was the 16 gauge narrow crown staples which Paslode sell for a gas flooring nailer they make (made?), but I couldn't source stainless steel staples for it in the UK at the time, and even that only worked with shorter length staples - longer than 25mm (the shortest I could find) and the staples could just crumple up in the gun. I had no joy at all with thinner off the shelf manual staples - they more often than not just scrunched up and jammed the gun. In the end the client went with a peculiar screw nail (i.e a type of screw which can be driven in with a hammer) and had a couple of special nail holders made-up for the job, as the requirement was to fix and hold a non-removeable manufacturers/asset number tag. One thing I'd say is that standard stainless steel screws will work provided they have a deep thread - and that would potentially get round the need to staple (if you use two of them side by side), but you would need a power drill/driver of some description

 

[foxhole]

They apparently won’t cross copper tape, easier to apply.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=copper...71&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_7vmegv3ji5_e_p50

 

[dogfonos]

Won't beer traps work? At least they'll die happy!

With all the damage they've done, I'm not sure I want them to die happy.

They apparently won’t cross copper tape, easier to apply.

I'm sad enough to have experimented with all common repellent methods, incl copper tape, beer traps, grit, orange peel, broken eggshell, a moat (constructed from guttering(!), bran and standard slug pellets. None of these methods was close to 100% effective although the moat worked if it didn't get bridged with netting or debris and water level was adequate (both difficult conditions to maintain).

The electric barrier was 100% effective, provided there are no design weaknesses, such as the points of electrical connection (harder to design than I initially thought, but do-able). I should invent a retrofit electric barrier kit and present the idea on Dragons Den!

Thanks JobAndKnock for relating your experiences with fixing to recycled plastic. Most helpful. I clearly need to try a few things out before I commit to staples. Whatever fixing method I use, it needs to be conductive if the fixing lies across the conductor, so, for instance, I can't use plastic cable clips. Wonder if there's a metal version?

 

[StephenOak]

Could you hammer in a nail, loop the conducting wire around that (next to the plastic joist) then bend the nail up wards to hold the wire in place. Then move on to the next place, hammer in a nail ...

Obviously slower than using staples but if you only have to do it once that is less of a problem.

 

[opps]

Salty moats?

 

[foxhole]

Must say not seen any slugs or snails in my back garden since we put faux grass down.(wife used to throw a dozen or more over the fence daily)

 

[dogfonos]

wife used to throw a dozen or more over the fence daily

So that's where they're all coming from!
During one warm damp summer evening, I once collected upwards of 500 snails & slugs from the garden, 2000+ over the course of a week. Made a noticeable difference for a couple of years. Released them in local woodland. Haven't done that for a few years now (even a slacker like me has better ways of spending their evenings).

An excellent way to keep slugs and snails to a minimum is to employ the services of hedgehogs. Many years ago we took in a rescue pair and it worked a treat but now we have veg beds protected by netting (to prevent local cats using it as a loo) so hedgehogs wouldn't have access either. Unfortunately, the hogs have long since gone.

Salty moats?

Plain water did the trick, I didn't try salt water.

I've just tried using my hand stapler, containing 26/6 staples, on the recycled plastic joists and the staples all crumpled, barely denting the surface - hopeless. Even with stronger staples I wouldn't expect success. So plan A is out the window and I didn't have a plan B until...

Could you hammer in a nail, loop the conducting wire around that (next to the plastic joist) then bend the nail up wards to hold the wire in place. Then move on to the next place, hammer in a nail ....

I think you're onto something. Your idea has sparked Plan B which is to use small pan head stainless screws and wrap one turn of wire around each screw as I work my way along the beam. Only possible problem is that the s/s wire rope is very springy so could be difficult to hold in place whilst I tighten the screw. Other than that, I thought of using pan head screws with a washer and bending one edge of the washer slightly to accommodate the wire as I tighten the screw - won't have to wrap wire around screw if that works. I'm confident one of those methods will work. Don't know why I prefer screws to nails, always have. I'm fine with drilling a pilot hole for each screw too. As you can probably tell, I have plenty of time on my hands so a time-consuming method isn't much of an issue. I just want a long term solution.

Thanks to all for your thoughts, suggestions and experiences. Much appreciated.

 

[PaulJR]

If you are pilot drilling - why not use the "eye" screws used for net curtains?

 

[dogfonos]

If you are pilot drilling - why not use the "eye" screws used for net curtains?

Hadn't thought of that. Just checked online and found suitably small/tiny sizes in stainless steel. I think you've found the solution, thanks. The wire rope will loop around the veg bed and I may need to secure each end of the wire to the plastic joists with a screw & washer (to prevent movement through the eyelets) but these eyelets could be used for all fixing points inbetween.