Appreciation post: A trick for pulling wire through crowded studs

I used to fight with fish tape for an hour on old remodels. Now I just attach a small nut to a string and drop it down the wall, then use a telescoping magnet to grab it from the outlet cut. Has anyone else got a better method for those tight spots?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindamartin2mo ago

Man, this is why I love tradespeople. It's the same with my mechanic. He showed me how to use a zip tie to get a broken key out of a lock. These little fixes are everywhere once you start looking. My grandma used a coat hanger to unclog the sink instead of buying a tool. It's like there's a whole hidden world of simple solutions that just work better than the fancy stuff.

the_jennifer2mo ago

My old foreman swore by using a steel ball bearing tied to some mason's line. He'd drop it down the cavity and fish it out with a magnet on a flexible shaft. It worked better than a nut because it rolled past obstructions without snagging.

the_kevin2mo ago

That's actually genius. Never would have thought of using a ball bearing like that. Why do the old timers always have the best tricks?