What is this tiny hardware item called so I can buy one/some?

August 1, 2022 9:42 AM

We have a wire basket that we want to better fasten to the wooden shelf it sits under and we know roughly what the part to do it looks like, but we don't know what it's called. We have other similar wire baskets that came with a similar part but not quite what we want.

The wire basket is similar to this one available on Amazon. We'd like a fastener that would attach the back of the basket to the shelf above it to stabilize it.

We have similar under-cabinet cup racks that came with a fastener that looks like a metal bar with a bit of a u-bend in it, and screw holes in the flat ends. You screw one flat end into the cabinet and the wire runs through the u-bend and then you screw the other flat end into the cabinet. Something like this, though ours aren't plastic.

In this case, because the back of the basket isn't really intended to touch the bottom of the cabinet, we'd like something with a much longer u-bend (1/2 to 3/4 inch or so) that would allow the wire to run through it further from the cabinet it is attached to.

Does such a thing exist? Where can I buy it? How can I google it?

posted by jacquilynne to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Try searching for "Mounting U bracket". J hooks may also work.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:49 AM on August 1, 2022

You want to look for Pipe Hanger Straps. They'll be in the plumbing and / or electrical section of hardware stores.

https://www.homedepot.com/s/pipe%2520hanger%2520strap?NCNI-5
posted by macfly at 9:52 AM on August 1, 2022

Plumber’s metal strips with holes might work - it’s ugly but practical. Try googling “steel strapping”, “tube strapping”, “tube brackets”, and “pipe hanger” or “pipe strapping”.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:53 AM on August 1, 2022

You could also use something like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gardner-Bender-50-Count-7-16-in-Plastic-Low-Voltage-Cable-Staples/4633401? They call it a Cable Staple but I searched for "Electrical Cord Tacks." You can get different sizes for the "cable."
posted by nkknkk at 9:54 AM on August 1, 2022

Best answer: I guess I don't quite understand in which direction you're looking to stabilize the shelf. If it's sagging from weight, then you could just screw a loop of nylon strap (with a washer to hold the screw). If it's wobbling forward and back, or even up and down, or if it's sliding forward off the shelf, I think a long anchor or strap or whatever is probably worse than a cable clip on an appropriately sized shim or wooden spacer.
posted by aubilenon at 10:33 AM on August 1, 2022

Response by poster: The back of the basket isn't attached to anything, and so the whole basket droops lower at the back, even if hasn't got anything in it. It doesn't slide forward or side to side that we've noticed, so it really only needs that bit of lift at the back.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:03 PM on August 1, 2022

I would look at cable management wall fasteners like these command strip
posted by ljesse at 1:34 PM on August 1, 2022

Could you use an eye hook and zip ties / string / fishing line to create an anchor at the back?
posted by bruinfan at 4:23 PM on August 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Would any of the routing clamps from McMaster do the job?

If not, browse around there. It's the best online store on the whole internet.
posted by Herr Zebrurka at 1:04 AM on August 2, 2022

Response by poster: She ended up buying something similar to aubilenon's "cable clip" link, which I think are probably a little smaller than they should be, but we managed with to get them in place, and they seem mostly to be working, though they force the top of the basket up inside the shelf in an annoying way. Thanks everyone!

We also have an extension cord we want to semi-permanently mount along the wall so at least now we have the extra doohickeys left over for that.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:15 AM on August 2, 2022