Hanging UFO lights with magnets?

[Mattimus]

Hello All! Long time lurker here with a quick question that I couldn't find an answer to already. My 60x40 shop/office/mancave is moving along pretty quick and I have an electrician coming out right after New Years to get everything wired up. The shop is a fairly standard red steel construction with a gable roof (24' at peak). My question revolves around possibly using strong magnets, similar in design to the attached pic, to hang my UFOs by chain from. I have 9 Sunco UFOs to hang, which is probably overkill, and they are fairly light in weight. I don't foresee wind being a huge issue that high up. I don't really have an aversion to drilling into the beams, but was trying to keep things simple for the electrician (and allow me to adjust locations if needed). Can anyone think of a good reason this may be a terrible idea?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dcg9381]

I like it...

 

[bluedog225]

I think it’s a bad idea. My rule is never put anything overhead that can cause real injury without securing it properly.

And I would not rely on the electrical as a makeshift safety backup.

Some fall prevention needed. 1/4” stainless wire is ridiculously strong. A small hole in the beam or looped around. Secure it correctly. Or a small chain is even easier.

Chain will help with installation anyway. Can be attached to itself with no special crimping tools.

 

[dcg9381]

Some fall prevention needed. 1/4” stainless wire is ridiculously strong.

Agree with this.

 

[bluedog225]

Edit-I should have typed 1/8” wire

Random amazon link claimed breaking strength 1850 pounds

can probably buy with premade loops at the ends to make it even easier.

depends on whether you’re part of the tribe that hangs things with chains.

 

[jblnut]

I think it’s a bad idea. My rule is never put anything overhead that can cause real injury without securing it properly.

And I would not rely on the electrical as a makeshift safety backup.

Some fall prevention needed. 1/4” stainless wire is ridiculously strong. A small hole in the beam or looped around. Secure it correctly. Or a small chain is even easier.

Chain will help with installation anyway. Can be attached to itself with no special crimping tools.

I agree about securing things overhead that can fall on you BUT have you ever used some of these powerful magnets ? I have a red iron beam holding my loft up and have hung my 260lb self from a 200lb pull magnet and it wouldn't come off. I had to slide it to the side and pry it off.

I'd absolutely hang UFO lights from a magnet. As long as there is no wind so they don't blow around it's very unlikely they'll move or come down.

I have UFO lights in my barn and have them hung with half a piece of baler twine to a 2x4. They're secured with another half a piece of baler twice that's wrapped around the first piece to form a full piece of baler twine. 12yrs in no issues so far.

 

[Mattimus]

Some fall prevention needed. 1/4” stainless wire is ridiculously strong. A small hole in the beam or looped around. Secure it correctly. Or a small chain is even easier.

This is exactly why I asked, because I didn't even think about having a safety line. I blame the mental gymnastics that the construction process puts me through. I agree that using a safety wire with the magnet would be ideal for sure, and more visually appealing than a looped chain. I think by looping a small wire around the beam, I may even get a little leeway for adjustments depending on where the roof sheet metal is screwed in.

Thank you!

 

[ericm]

You can get small diameter cable as suggested and also aluminum sleeves for crimps so you can make custom loops. 1/16 cable is probably fine for this.

 

[reader2580]

Some UFO lights come with a safety wire in the box.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have used velcro and wireties, you could see if hooks are available too.

 

[bluedog225]

When the magnetic poles reverse…

 

[SouthernIllinois]

I hung mine directly from the electrical boxes.
I know some won't "approve" and to be blunt, I don't care.

 

[LopezBart]

Don't you have electrical boxes mounted up there to connect the UFOs? A 1/4" hole drilled in one could support a screw eye

 

[getawheel]

Beam clamps with Gripple safety cables. Not a lot more expensive than those magnets and a whole lot better for the task.

 

[Jlanciani]

Whoops, we couldn't find that.

$2 each, rated for 100lbs.

 

[strength_and_power]

I hung my Sunco’s with beam clamps and eye bolts I got from Amazon. Easy peazy

 

[bluedog225]

I’m surprised no one pointed out that above 770°C, iron becomes paramagnetic. That’s why we have safety wires.

 

[Mattimus]

How easy is it to adjust/slide the beam clamps once they are installed? Probably doable with a hammer I'd assume. This may be a better option in case things start flying through the shop.

As always, thank you everyone for the input. This is my first 'real' shop, so I'm trying to learn as I go.

 

[reader2580]

They also make much heavier beam clamps with a set screw so they can be moved or removed. If you do a web search for beam clamps you will find many different designs.

 

[rlitman]

I’m surprised no one pointed out that above 770°C, iron becomes paramagnetic. That’s why we have safety wires.

LOL, I think at 1418°F, that safety wire would give you a rather unsafe burn. But in all seriousness, normal grade neodymium magnets are good to 176°F. That's still plenty under a roof, and ordinary fire sprinkler heads should pop below that. I used SmCo magnets to attach the drip pan to my grill, because it could get a bit hotter than that down there, but you're really overthinking this.

That being said, I paid a whopping $7.50 for a 50 pack of 1/4-20 bolt on beam clamps that would do this job at least as well as magnets.

 

[Mattimus]

....but you're really overthinking this.

I agree 100%.

 

[dscheidt]

LOL, I think at 1418°F, that safety wire would give you a rather unsafe burn. But in all seriousness, normal grade neodymium magnets are good to 176°F. That's still plenty under a roof, and ordinary fire sprinkler heads should pop below that. I used SmCo magnets to attach the drip pan to my grill, because it could get a bit hotter than that down there, but you're really overthinking this.

That being said, I paid a whopping $7.50 for a 50 pack of 1/4-20 bolt on beam clamps that would do this job at least as well as magnets.

The worry is that they fall on the head of someone fighting a fire.

 

[rlitman]

The worry is that they fall on the head of someone fighting a fire.

At the temperatures we're talking about, the roof is likely to fall first.

 

[bluedog225]

No.

At the temperatures we're talking about, the roof is likely to fall first.

At those temperatures, the blast wave from the nuke would have ripped the roof off.

 

[rsanter]

That can work but makes me jittery.
i would do beam clamps, they are cheap and easy to clamp on and to move if you wanted to.

1/8“ stainless wire is pleanty and they make a clamp for hanging lighting that has a push button grip and release for height adjustment

 

[dscheidt]

At the temperatures we're talking about, the roof is likely to fall first.

It's quite possible to have 200F air at the roof in a fire inside the building (car fire, say). That's over the curie point of a lot of magnets.