1. Prepare picture hangers: Mark your walls where you wish the rails to be. After cutting your molding to the desired length, pre-paint to speed up installation. You can fill nail holes with putty later.
2. Set up molding rail: With finish nails, countersinking the nail heads. Then, pre-drill holes through the rail into the wall studs and protect with 2″ screws so the rail will bear weight.
3. Make your wall mounts: Have lengths of 1/16″ wire rope cut to length at the hardware shop. I utilized 6′ lengths. Bend brass corner braces to form the rail hooks. If you want to prevent flexing from occuring, alternative bigger “S” hooks are the way to go. The brass hooks I made hang near to the wall, a plus.
Thread an aluminum grommet onto the wire, run it through the bottom of your rail hook and back through the grommet to form a small loop. A couple taps of a heavy hammer will set the grommet. Just watch your fingers!
4. Make your art hooks: Take the copper terminal lugs and turn around the tabs so they will pinch the wire rope securely when the set screw is tightened up. Thread onto the wire. You’ll notice the tabs have a hole where you might use an “S” hook. I just bent the tab to form a hook using two sets of pliers.
5. Location the finished hangers onto the rail
6. Hang the art: Hang and change the terminal lugs as required.
For a bit more security, connect your art to the hook by running a zip tie around the hanging wire on the frame and the wire rope. To conceal excess wire rope, loop wire till it is in the back of the art-work and secure with blue painters tape, which will keep sticky residue from building up on the wire or suspended ceiling systems
