I finally understood why old timers talked about 'the good old days' after a job in a 1920s building in St. Louis.

We were running a new fiber line through a solid brick wall, and the old coax was stapled to century-old oak framing. My new fish tape just bent against the lath and plaster. An older guy on the crew, Mike, pulled out a set of long, thin steel rods he'd had since the 90s. He linked them together and fed them through like it was nothing. He said, 'These old places, they built them to last, but you need the right old tools to match.' That one job changed how I pack my truck for historic districts. Does anyone else keep a set of those old rods around for plaster walls?

5 comments

5 Comments

lopez.emery3mo ago

Those old steel rods are a total game changer for plaster.

keith9003mo ago

Used to think they were just leftover junk from older jobs. I mean, why use old steel when new stuff is right there, right? But I tried some on a repair last month and the grip is totally different. The way the plaster locks onto that rough, pitted surface is wild. It honestly made the whole section feel way more solid. Changed my whole view on using reclaimed materials like that.

piperbailey3mo agoTop Commenter

Oh man, my buddy had the same thing happen. He was helping @keith900 with a ceiling patch and they used some old rods from a demo site. Said the plaster stuck like glue, way better than the shiny new stuff. Totally sold on it now.

phoenix2461mo ago

Pretty dramatic take calling those rods a "game changer" for plaster. They're just old metal rods. The modern flex bits exist for a reason and they work better in half the scenarios people bring up. Tried some reclaimed rods on a ceiling repair last month and the grip thing is real but not life changing. Plaster locked on fine but so does the modern stuff if you know what you're doing. Feels like people romanticize the old methods because it makes them feel like they're in on some secret the rest of us don't know about.

kelly6381mo ago

Actually @lopez.emery has a point about the grip being different, but I think the hype around those old rods gets carried away. Had a similar job last year in a 1920s building near downtown and the steel rods Mike lent me just kept catching on old wire staples buried in the plaster. Ended up using a modern flex bit with a carbide tip anyway. The old rods are fine for straight runs but anything with a slight curve or debris and they're more trouble than they're worth.