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Dropped $180 on a magnetic fishtape after 8 years of coat hangers and I'm still mad I waited
Spent the first half of my career fishing walls with whatever wire was in the van, and last March I finally caved and bought a real magnetic fishtape kit for around $180. First job with it was a two story in Reno where the customer wanted a run to a back bedroom closet, and I had the line fished in under ten minutes instead of the usual 45 of cussing and drywall dust. My helper just stared at me like I'd done a magic trick. The catch is the magnets only work through thin drywall, so it flopped hard on a plaster job two days later and I went back to the coat hanger method. Anyone got a trick for old plaster walls that doesn't involve cutting three access holes?
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lisa_jones214d ago
My grandpa had this old trick with a length of chain and a strong magnet, he'd drop the chain down the wall cavity from the attic and then drag a magnet along the surface to snag it. Worked like a charm on lath and plaster because the chain doesn't care how thick the wall is, it just needs to find the magnet through the gap. I tried it once on a 1920s bungalow and it took maybe 20 minutes but zero holes, which beats patching plaster any day. The chain has to be small enough to slide down but heavy enough to swing toward the magnet when you drag it. He used brass chain off an old lamp pull, and I still have it in my bucket. The learning curve is real though, you'll cuss a few times before you get the feel for it.
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