"Tomes" wrote in message
ink.net...
"I Love Lucy" wrote in message
ink.net...
What I have are six wrought iron candle stakes that I am going to use
in the yard near the front or side sidewalk where they will be very
visible for either tealights or little potted plants. I'm afraid
somebody will steal them (neighbor got some of his garden stuff
stolen a couple weeks ago).

I've been kicking around what to do for some time now while I worked
to clean them up, prime them and paint with rustoleum. I thought at
first to anchor them in concrete in a brick? Anchor them in concrete
in a cutoff pepsi bottle as a form? Etc. Then bury or "plant" them.

Now I have decided the easiest thing would be to cut the top off a
pepsi bottle part way, leaving about 6-8 inches (not sure about exact
amount), and drill? a hole in the bottom, stick the stake end through
the hole, clip it with something that can be removed but not while
it's underground, under the bottle, and bury that. Those bottoms are
tough and I can't cut into the bottom with my exacto knife.

What I need is some kind of clip that will grip underneath so if
somebody tries to pull them up, they will meet with resistance from
the weight of the dirt that will be filling the pepsi bottle. If I
don't clip them, the stake will just pull out of the hole in the
bottle and dirt.

With the latter method, I don't have to ruin my stakes by anchoring
them in concrete or something permanent. It will be a nuisance if I
want to move them or bring them in for the winter, but if it's not
one thing, it's another.

Maybe somebody has a better idea with pvc pipe or something I
wouldn't think of. Somebody suggested on another forum that I link
them all together with chains and bury all that, but that would be
really difficult for me, first the securing part of the chains and
secondly burying all that mess.

Read through all this stuff and I have this thought which might help
or not. While I know that you painted the poles and all, perhaps you
could drill a hole through the bottom of it, maybe up an inch or two
from the bottom. Then just put a large nail or a spike through that
hole. Then you could slide anything big and round (like those
weights) down the pole and it will be caught by that spike.

I am thinking that repainting the hole would be in order, but either
way, with either the hole or a clamp, the metal will become exposed
from the rubbing of metal to metal (or metal to paint). Maybe if you
can get a spike to fit in the hole snugly, you can paint the whole
thing after it is assembled, perhaps by dipping a few times. I
suspect the weights are rubber or plastic coated, which will mitigate
paint wear from those.

Also, and I bet you thought this, having something heavy on the bottom
securely connected makes it much more stable when hanging heavy things
from the top of the poles.

Hoping this might help,
Tomes

Thank you, Tomes. I have made too big a deal out of this. Your idea is
doable. After kicking around some of the ideas proposed here, I was
thinking of finding something shallower for a cement mold, like a large
shallow bowl, plastic storage stuff (have a container about right,
square w/rounded corners to lessen breakoff, something, stick a little
piece of hollow plastic pipe in that just a little larger in diameter
than the stake, if I can find it, and go with the clips and/or nails
under it all..

The weights are not uniform in size which probably doesn't matter all
that much, plus I saw some at Goodwill if my son doesn't want me using
his.

I'd need a vice to drill (maybe not. could rig something up I suppose, I
usually manage something) and probably a heavy duty drill bit, more
stuff to buy.

Now I've gotten so many good ideas I'm confused which way to go. I'm
glad I ran it by the group because I don't want them sitting in the
ground too deep as that would make them look odd and the pepsi bottle
and burying them deep enough would make them too short, then would need
the extensions suggested which I'm balking at. Already paying that
place enough for custom rails as it is. Have to keep costs down.

As if all that isn't enough, I got 6 insulators that sit down in the
holder end pretty snugly (don't care so much if those get stolen, they
are cheap) and wish I could find some solar lights that would fit in
them that don't cost an arm and a leg. That is probably asking too
much. I looked all through ebay to get an idea what might be out there.
People are putting out their solar lights and don't seem to worry about
getting them stolen.

Then I will have to be careful that they are set straight because after
all that, I don't want them leaning, but they can always be straightened
I suppose.