metal rawl plug hooks

paddles

i bought these hooks to hang a mirror up. followed the instructions and bore an 8mm hole in wall but it seems too big! i don;t understand how the rawl plug thing is meant to work either now that i see it. seems u twist the hook and it grips the wall. bit dodgey and wondering if these metal type rawl plugs are a bad idea. should i just get a couple of nails and the plastic rawl plugs instead?
tnx

ART6

paddles wrote: »

i bought these hooks to hang a mirror up. followed the instructions and bore an 8mm hole in wall but it seems too big! i don;t understand how the rawl plug thing is meant to work either now that i see it. seems u twist the hook and it grips the wall. bit dodgey and wondering if these metal type rawl plugs are a bad idea. should i just get a couple of nails and the plastic rawl plugs instead?
tnx

I would say that the three most common domestic Rawlplugs are tapered plastic ones with a split down the length and a bore that reduces towards the end. There a screw forces the plug to expand in the hole. Then there is the type, again mostly plastic but sometimes wood, with a parallel bore. Those need a tapered thread screw which again forces the plug to expand in the hole. There are also metal ones where the screw is a parallel machine thread and is part of the plug. Tightening the screw causes a cone shaped nut to be forced into the rear end of the plug, again expanding it into the hole. I don't know which if any of them you have, but you must use the right screw for them to hold. Certainly the parallel bore ones will not work with nails since they won't expand properly.

Personally I never rely on the maker's instructions to bore an 8 or 6 mm hole, since I have found all to often that an 8 mm masonry drill will drill a bigger than 8 mm hole in hard masonry. I prefer to use my own judgement. You can always open the hole up a bit if it isn't big enough, but you can't reduce it if it's too big. Having said that, on the few occasions where it has happened to me, I have simply packed Isopon car body filler into the hole and pushed in the plug. Leaving it for half an hour or so for the Isopon to cure and then screwing in the screw solved the problem.

Normally something like even a 6 mm plastic Rawlplug, in a hole drilled through the plaster of a wall and an inch or so into the masonry will hold a heck of a lot of weight with the right screw.

paddles

thanks, it's a hook but looks like a metal rawl plug as the diagram shows how you're meant to twist the hook when inserted and the rawl plug explands and grips the wall. however, when i try that out before inserting it, nothing happens so i wonder do they work at aLL?

ART6

With the metal ones you need to ensure that the cone nut in the end is actually drawn into the end of the barrel and not able to turn freely. To use the bolt you push it into the prepared hole, and while holding the barrel in with a screwdriver or something you then pull the hook towards you to engage the nut in the barrel while turning the hook clockwise. And to reassure you, they certainly do work. Once in there they will never come out again, and even if they loosen off they can be re-tightened again at any time, which is more than can be done with the plastic types.

Davy

Anyone want to post a pic of one, i cant place the one you guys are taking about

paddles

so, i have this thing infront of me now. i've just tightened the hook as much as possible - i don't know what the "cone bolt" is. and if i insert it in the wall, and then pull out hook, turning it clockwise, y'reckon it'll stick? here's hoping altho a bit pissed that i followed the instructions and bore 8mm hole which is too big so gotta try again :mad:
thanks

and davy, i'll try to up load a pic but didn't turn out too well either...

Davy

Thanks , i know the ones now, i rarely use them ones

firesidechat

What kind of wall are you drilling into?
Concrete block or timber partition with plasterboard.

paddles

funny you should say that. it's my chimney. theres a part that seems to be block and the rest is ... dunno. originally going by my measurements i'd be drilling one hook thro block and the other side thro whatever... prob be easier to re-measure and skip over the block part but dunno...

CJhaughey

Those are meant for plasterboard not masonry.
You need this type for block walls.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M12-ANCHOR-RAWL-HOOK-BOLT-SCREW-MASONARY-WALL-RAW_W0QQitemZ360200370722QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_DIY_Material_Nails_Fixing_MJ?hash=item53dd9d7a22