1/2" PVC Holiday Light Hooks

thingiverse

Every holiday season, I take on a challenging task: setting up a radiant pathway across our front walkway using glowing lights and a PVC tunnel structure that's simply a joy for the neighborhood kids to explore as they walk through its twinkling expanse. To achieve this wondrous effect, I rely on an assortment of PVC pipes, meticulously connected together to form a sturdy framework that serves as the perfect canvas for hanging those vibrant light strands. But this year, something didn't feel right. I'd used an alarming 100 zip ties to secure the lights to their tubing, and with so many still intact, it seemed like a cry out for some practical re-useability. What about our house's gutter hooks, you ask? Well, they're entirely reusable – but not compatible with the PVC pipes in question. Thus began my creative quest: designing specialized hooks that could securely fasten light strands to these 1/2-inch PVC pipes without leaving any unwanted residue behind when removed. After a good deal of prototyping and refining, I'm proud to announce a working model that truly does live up to its purpose. The files I've prepared for your review include two designs: "half_inch_pvc_hook_small.stl," featuring a snug compartment to securely grasp an individual light wire (approximating 8 mm in diameter) as it wraps snugly around the PVC tubing, and "half_inch_pvc_hook_large.stl" – essentially a more substantial cousin that accommodates two such wires while occupying roughly 10 mm of that precious circular area. To bring these marvelous creations to life, simply select your preferred printer settings from this menu: Printer: LulzBot Mini Rafts: No, I'm confident the prints will emerge strong and secure without any need for a supporting foundation beneath them. Supports: Of course! You wouldn't want these delicate pieces of engineering collapsing upon themselves now, would you? Resolution: For crisp details that pop out at first glance – the 'Standard' option is where it's at. When printing these hook designs in HIPS using beginner mode on Cura (as I did), the resulting creations are impressively pliable yet stable. Alternatively, PLA will give them a remarkably similar texture with equally satisfying flexibility. The choice ultimately depends upon personal preference and project-specific needs.