How the heck do you straighten icicle Christmas lights? (Page 1/2)
maryjane NOV 25, 05:35 PM
I hate the things but wife likes them. This is the 1st year in decades I've tried to use them. These, are New, right out of the box.

I've seen all the youtube videos, none of them seem to be very efficient. Some are downright unsafe.
Anyone got any tips?
Patrick NOV 25, 05:45 PM

quote
Originally posted by maryjane:

How the heck do you straighten icicle Christmas lights?



You need to thaw and then reform them.
maryjane NOV 25, 10:24 PM
"I don't know" would have sufficed.
Patrick NOV 26, 12:58 AM

I could've suggested you move further north and utilize natural icicles.
maryjane NOV 26, 10:57 AM
I can stay right here in Tx and see icicles



[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-26-2023).]

Cliff Pennock NOV 26, 11:07 AM
Haven't tried it, but you could try hanging a coat hanger at the end of a string, then use a hairdryer at its lowest setting to heat up the string a bit.

DISCLAIMER: I really have no frickin' clue what I'm talking about so if you try it and somehow die - that one's on you.
maryjane NOV 26, 11:09 AM

quote
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock:

Haven't tried it, but you could try hanging a coat hanger at the end of a string, then use a hairdryer at its lowest setting to heat up the string a bit.

DISCLAIMER: I really have no frickin' clue what I'm talking about so if you try it and somehow die - that one's on you.





That isn't a bad idea at all. Beats the heck out of a youtube vid I saw where a guy attached a stiff wire to every single drop with white tape and wire ties..
Raydar NOV 26, 02:56 PM

quote
Originally posted by maryjane:

"I don't know" would have sufficed.



Answering anything online as "I don't know" reminds me of those reader surveys on the news pages. "Yes", "No". or "No opinion". If you have no opinion, why would one even answer?

The icicle lights? If you have a fireplace, maybe string them back and forth across the mantle, so that the heat helps them to "relax".
Patrick NOV 26, 05:53 PM

quote
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock:

DISCLAIMER: I really have no frickin' clue what I'm talking about so if you try it and somehow die - that one's on you.



And I thought my advice was perhaps questionable.
maryjane NOV 28, 08:38 AM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

And I thought my advice was perhaps questionable.



maybe, but...........
The hair dryer was marginally successful but from that, my heat gun worked great. Low on my heat gun is about the same as a 1500watt hair dryer so I used it on high and just kept it farther away.

Just for poop and giggles, here's how I did it. I have two long shelves in my garage (or as the Brits say, GAridge.



I just put a couple of c-clamps at each end and tied a string of the hated things on there, and started untangling the drops, which took longer than the heating straightening. It's not really the way they are made that causes the grief, it's how they are folded & packaged to fit in a small box. Once the drops are all hanging down, just went along to each drop, held the end led out in my left hand and applied some heat. With the heat gun still in my right hand but turned away from the drop, I switched hands, held the long wire the drops come off of in my left hand, used two fingers on my right hand to hold about 10-15 seconds of tension on the drop and presto! the drop's zigzag pattern was mostly gone and the drop hung straight down. I have 1/2 of hem up on the eave, had to stop because of darkness and cold. The best part imo, is even after cooling, if I still had to make minor adjustments to get a drop straighter, the drop held it's form instead of reverting back to it's zig zag that it did before heating.

So, thank you much Mr Pennock for the heat suggestion, and Patrick and Raydar for the other suggestions.

Now,I bought these things last year after Christmas when they went on sale. I don't like their appearance but I'm stuck with them now. They are white, or a very pale bluish white and are WAY too bright IMO. 800 white LEDs cast a garish white light over the whole front yard. After Christmas, if the true blue ones are still on the store shelves, and on sale, (I don't want red) I'll get 4 boxes of blue ones since I now know how to straighten them up and drop these dang strings off at Goodwill.