Welded Wire Fence Displays
Introduction
Welded wire fence makes an excellent canvas onto which your lighted display can be created. The wire is very unobtrusive, making it virtually invisible, providing minimal distraction from the display itself. This is where you get to be creative - with the blank canvas wire matrix you can use your imagination to create virtually any 2D image you desire. And, since the fence is virtually transparent, you can readily make 3D displays.
This format is especially attractive for "fairy" LED lights that are also virtually transparent and can operate at low voltage, 5V or 12V.
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5V (USB) Fairy Lights - 10 meter length
Numerous formats are readily available for welded wire fencing:
- ½ inch x ½ @frac12; inch x 1 inch, inch, 1 inch x 1 inch, 1 inch x 2 inch, 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch, 2 inch x 2 inch, 2 inch x 3 inch, 2 inch x 4 inch and other mesh sizes are commonly available
- 100 foot long and at least 7 foot high rolls are commonly available; you can easily cut to size
- I highly recommended galvanized wire. PVC coated wire is OK as long as the underlying wire is galvanized
Welded wire display example
My example display utilizes 2 inch x 4 inch mesh wire 3 feet high and 14 feet long.
The display is of 8 Christmas tree shaped lighted images made from strings of 5V (USB) warm white fairy LED lights. Each of the 8 strings of fairy lights is 5 meters long and contains 100 LEDs. Each of the 8 strings is formed into a tree that is 3 feet high by 16 inches wide.
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Schematic depiction of two trees in the display
Constuction
Cut your welded wire to length
Prepare "Double-J" hooks - 11 per tree
- Cut 16 gage insulated wire into 3 inch lengths
- Bend each piece in half, utilizing a ¼ inch radius
- Bend the last ½ inch of the two ends up, utilizing a ¼ inch radius, perpendicular to the first bend
To be continued...