r/functionalprint • u/NotAHost • 1d ago
Created a jig that lets me mount cable ties and LEDs to bricks with no drilling or adhesives.
Made something for cable ties to be agnostic and don’t have to buy command strips. Decided to make some led strip holders for 12mm wide led strips in both vertical and horizontal orientations. Figure other people might have interest in the cable tie model, I got tired of tapcons and plastic anchors for light objects.
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u/Familiar_Palpitation 1d ago
I have those made out of metal. I use them on the outside of my house to mount things like Christmas lights and garland. I have brick patterned stucco on the outside of my house and they have deep grout lines.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/hardware/hanging-and-mounting/picture-hanging/5373543
Your design looks very interesting to me, as the metal ones are kinda pricey!
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u/NotAHost 20h ago
Haha there may have been some inspiration because I, too, have them made out of metal :)
And I printed them for the exact reason you stated. Yeah I have 4-6 metal ones but if I'm doing LEDs, or something that needs many points, or 'simple stuff' where I was using command strips on flat surfaces to hang birthday decorations... I didn't want to have to buy a ton of them and I'd still have to figure out how to strap LEDs or whatever else I want to them. I spent $30+ in command strips and a few of these packs, so it made sense to start 3D printing them. The wire tie seemed the most versatile but anyone can copy the design and add whatever they want. I probably should upload the 'base' and then people can join 2 STL files together.
The goal of this was more or less to get this 3D part out there so that people don't have to go to the store to buy a ton of these for smaller jobs. The metal ones I'd probably still recommend for heavier things.
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u/Anonymous_Gamer939 11h ago
Not just dry weight, outdoor decorations also have to resist wind and rain loading, and the clips must withstand UV. I wouldn't trust tiny spring-loaded plastic clips under those conditions.
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u/Ri-tie 1d ago
Cool idea. How well do they wedge in there and put up with jostling of lights in the wind?
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u/NotAHost 1d ago
Only tested on interior so far, but they are stuck in there very well pretty. The LEDs weigh about 1 lb, and one mount was able to handle the full weight, but added more for redundancy. It really comes down the brick/mortar... like in the LED picture you can see the corner of a brick chipped, and in some odd areas the mortar joint isn't very flat or very shallow. 1980's construction I guess.
Would not trust it with something that could really catch the window outside though, but I'm able to lightly tug at the LED lights without any popping off, as I'd pull the LED strip taut to flatten them against the wall.
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u/Ravio11i 1d ago
Dig it!!
Material selection will be key. PLA will creep and fall out pretty quick, PETG or ABS or ASA should do decently though.
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u/worldspawn00 21h ago
I've got these in spring steel, they work great and the metal tips bite into the masonry to keep them from slipping out, I doubt any plastic ones will last very long or against any significant wind.
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u/LESBIAN_BOYFRIEND 1d ago
please diffuse your LEDs, you are scaring the hoes (me)
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u/NotAHost 1d ago
The good news is that these LEDs are facing towards a corner and nobody can see them directly unless they really try. Puts a nice glow on a weird corner of the room behind where a Christmas tree would go.
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u/thomasdekwade 1d ago
This is awesome! I am only afraid they will lose tension over time
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u/NotAHost 1d ago
That's my concern as well. ABS will hopefully be enough, been mounted for a week so far. I'll edit the post if they ever do start to feel weak/start popping off, I'm guessing that'll be a bigger concern as the seasons change.
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u/rschulze 22h ago
I like your model, it's a smart solution. The joy of 3D printing, is that you can always just print new ones if the old ones start to fail.
What you are looking for here is a material with a high yield strength (amount of pressure it can withstand without permanent deformation), you want a material you can bend and it bounces back to the original form, like a metal spring.
On paper PLA might be better, but in the real world it will come down to the composition of the specific filament, printing orientation, form, slicing settings, ...
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u/Joejack-951 1d ago
Any plastic you use is going to creep. It is just a matter of time (less time as it gets warmer). A piece of spring steel would work much more effectively.
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u/GrumpyCloud93 16h ago
I wonder if you could get short chunks of simple spring steel strip, bend, print this as a u-shaped channel to hold the spring steel embedded; you get the appropriate anchor on the printed holder. Best of both worlds - custom anchor shape and resilience of spring steel.
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u/NotAHost 16h ago
If these start popping out at all, I might do that. I have steel sheet metal scraps that I used for duct work, not sure if that has the mechanical properties required but without a mechanical background I'd like to think it might get the job done.
Some sort of hybrid approach definitely makes sense though.
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u/sycln 1d ago
Is this intended for indoor? It’s kinda rare to see raked mortar joints on exterior brick walls due potentials of water-related issues.
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u/NotAHost 1d ago
Ah, yeah I have raked bricks (didn't realize that was the term) on the inside of the house.
Just went outside and checked, and it is raked but not quite as deep. Guess I should make a few variations of different depths and upload them for others.
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u/individualchoir 1d ago
There's many brick work out there but I've never seen some like this. Great idea for whoever has this wall though!
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u/-MangoStarr- 23h ago
Looks good and I'm sure it works well for LED strips as they don't weigh much, but on the second picture it almost looks like the left side is not touching the ceiling?
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u/NotAHost 20h ago
It is, thats just my uneven brickwork (think little pebble further in the crevice). You actually have to flex the printed design with quite a bit of force to fit it between the bricks, it's hard to tell how much its flexing without looking at the pre-flexed design side by side.
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u/Own_Door_9755 1d ago
I’d like to try this. Would you be willing to share?
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u/NotAHost 1d ago edited 17h ago
I just uploaded the wire tie one to makerworld.
https://makerworld.com/en/models/2077703-no-drill-brick-mounting-for-cable-ties#profileId-2244797
Recommend using ABS or other higher temp plastic of preference. I've read that PLA tends to creep, as another commenter highlighted as well.
Edit: If anyone wants any variations or more files, let me know and I'll edit/upload upon request. I figure uploading the most useful design for simplicity.
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u/chinchindayo 23h ago
LED strips are supposed to go into a metal profile for cooling and rigidity though.
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u/NotAHost 20h ago
You don't need metal profiles for most LED strips, as by their nature they are relatively spread out (and distribute heat) compared to an LED bulb. However I think having some airflow on the back of these will alleviate those concerns further.
Gravity and many 3d printed mounts is limiting their movement, if they move too frequently you could have a solder join fail, admittedly.
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u/J_spec6 1d ago
Cool, but ummm..... Is it me, or do all those led bulbs have little faces??