Christmas outdoor reindeer repair

[trooperblazer]

Hi guys.  I recently was able to purchase a huge lot of white wire frame reindeer.  However many of them have broken weld joints that I need to fix before I can repaint and restring with new lights.  Has anyone ever had to repair these things.  Ive thought about trying JB-Weld but dont know if it will work.  I think these things are made from the same metal as your average tomato cages.  

 

Any thoughts?

[dibblejr]

2 hours ago, trooperblazer said:

Hi guys.  I recently was able to purchase a huge lot of white wire frame reindeer.  However many of them have broken weld joints that I need to fix before I can repaint and restring with new lights.  Has anyone ever had to repair these things.  Ive thought about trying JB-Weld but dont know if it will work.  I think these things are made from the same metal as your average tomato cages.  

 

Any thoughts?

Depending on what's broke, zip ties.

Also you could use rubber tubing to slip over the broken spots. However if its a weld with the wire squares or rectangles shapes zipties may work.

Or like old Red Green (comedian)  duck tape. Look it up, funny show I used to watch.

JR

[Little_b]

Some of my deer have similar problems you are describing, and I used zip ties to help hold them together.  Some of them need to be attached to the ground a little more so than others to keep them standing, but they still work after almost 20 years.

"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." -Red Green

[Godney]

to answer your question steel weld or JB weld will work but make sure it is the 2 mix hand mixed epoxy it is not liguid it is like a thick paste it will work i have used it on some of my own wireframes .

[trooperblazer]

Thanx for the advice guys.  I think zip ties might work in some spots but I will have to try the jb weld on items such as antlers or ears!

[dibblejr]

4 hours ago, Little_b said:

Some of my deer have similar problems you are describing, and I used zip ties to help hold them together.  Some of them need to be attached to the ground a little more so than others to keep them standing, but they still work after almost 20 years.

"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." -Red Green

Show opener and closer all in one.

I recall the two cars cut in half and the front halves being taped together and if I recall a recliner or swivel chair used so he could go forward or backward.

The good ole days

JR

[Orville]

On 9/4/2020 at 5:29 PM, trooperblazer said:

Hi guys.  I recently was able to purchase a huge lot of white wire frame reindeer.  However many of them have broken weld joints that I need to fix before I can repaint and restring with new lights.  Has anyone ever had to repair these things.  Ive thought about trying JB-Weld but dont know if it will work.  I think these things are made from the same metal as your average tomato cages.  

 

Any thoughts?

A friend of mine is a welder and he said a cheap propane welding torch should be sufficient to re-weld the deer, just make sure you get it only hot enough to melt the welding material and flow it over the broken joint.  Too hot and you could melt the metal of the deer as it's not as strong.  You're right about it being almost the same as tomato cage wire.  

And as for holding them down, if they have any steel on their hooves that touch the ground or have loops on them, find some plastic tent stakes that'll fit and use those to hold them in place.    When I had those type deer in my display, I used a plastic tent stake that was about 9 to 12 inches long, also helped keep folks from just pulling them up too, so also was a great security measure and theft deterrent.  But when it comes time to pull them up, you'll need a long thing screwdriver or strong thin piece of metal with a handle or wrapped in cloth, you put it under the tang of the stake and gently pry it out of the ground.  Too hard and the effort can break the stake.   Bought my stakes at the local Wal-Mart.  Not sure what they charge for them now, but when I bought them they cost less than $.80¢ each, but that was over 7-8 years ago.   The ones I used were yellow, but you didn't see them as the grass or dirt would cover them up.  I drove them flush into the ground.

And as others have said, JB Weld is also very good for this.  Just depends on what route you want to take and what you want to spend on repairing the deer.

 

[dgrant]

I've not tried to weld them yet as zip ties do a good job but I'm thinking the propane torch is a good idea and using solder for pipes as it has an acid flux that promotes the joining of the metals. Again, I've not tried it so I could be wrong.