# Halloween Fence Finials or toppers in the UK?



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

HI
1st post on this forum but been following it for quite sometime, really enjoy it and very informative.

I am from the UK and Halloween is slow to catch on over here but slowly growing.

I am going to attempt my first Home Yard display this year, problem I have is that I just can not find anywhere on the internet in the UK where I can buy finials or toppers for a cemetery/Halloween fence.

If anyone can help me out with this I would be grateful.

Thanks in advance.

Paul


----------



## TNBrad (Sep 10, 2007)

Welcome.
I have family in Leads, so I understand
Are you opposed to making your own?


----------



## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

http://www.mcfrugal.com/products/Plastic-Finial-Square-Style-215-3{47}4"-Fitting.html

http://www.decorativeiron.com/products.php?view=product&product_id=16.2029

This is the best I can do. I have ordered from McFrugal before and was happy. I have no idea what over seas shipping is like, but if you go with plastic finials the weight factor should be less. I have used wrought iron finial before and they make the fence very top heavy so I would suggest going with plastic. Good luck.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

We used little plastic mini skulls as toppers for our graveyard fence. Not as elegant as real finials, but they fit the Halloween theme


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

TNBrad said:


> Welcome.
> I have family in Leads, so I understand
> Are you opposed to making your own?


Thanks for the welcome and nice to meet you.

No I'm not opposed to having a go at making them, only problem is being called an amateur in this respect is an understatement 

Leeds is quite some way from me but I'm sure they would have the same issues as me.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

Bone Dancer said:


> http://www.mcfrugal.com/products/Plastic-Finial-Square-Style-215-3{47}4"-Fitting.html
> 
> http://www.decorativeiron.com/products.php?view=product&product_id=16.2029
> 
> This is the best I can do. I have ordered from McFrugal before and was happy. I have no idea what over seas shipping is like, but if you go with plastic finials the weight factor should be less. I have used wrought iron finial before and they make the fence very top heavy so I would suggest going with plastic. Good luck.


Thanks so much for the links, they are worth a try.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

RoxyBlue said:


> We used little plastic mini skulls as toppers for our graveyard fence. Not as elegant as real finials, but they fit the Halloween theme


Thanks for the answer, I did see a few posts on here about using mini skulls but yet again I have not managed to find them in the UK.


----------



## Irish Witch (Sep 24, 2012)

Hey scifipaul its as hard to find things here in Ireland too  . But they have little skulls in our euro shops here so im sure your pound shops would have them. i got a skull necklace a couple of weeks ago and gust cut the string and it had all different sized skulls on it


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

SciFi- I've ordered from the Decorative Iron website (BoneDancer gave you the link) and I was very happy with them. Their catalog of items isn't really Halloween related, so maybe you could find a similar iron-works supply source closer to home. Otherwise the Decorative Iron website can probably estimate shipping costs for you. Good luck! My fence was just built this year and I love it! I relied on instructions that were very helpful from SpiderClimber. Look them up, they are fully illustrated and full of good tips.


----------



## TNBrad (Sep 10, 2007)

ScifiPaul said:


> Thanks for the welcome and nice to meet you.
> 
> No I'm not opposed to having a go at making them, only problem is being called an amateur in this respect is an understatement
> 
> Leeds is quite some way from me but I'm sure they would have the same issues as me.


Fear not
we all started somewhere and we all came together here for help and to help.

Now lets get started. What have you got in mind and what do you have so far


----------



## chriss_nc (Nov 6, 2008)

I made a jig that would press the heated end of the PVC into a rough topper. I then trimmed and cleaned it up. It looks great and there is nothing to fall off.










You can see all the steps in the full flickr set here -> http://flic.kr/s/aHsjCkYCoG


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

Hi Everyone

WOW, thanks for the friendly feedback.

I am looking to buy something from one of the links as I am running out of time to actually make anything.

Never taken the step of putting a front yard haunt up, its not a really big area but like you all say I have start somewhere.

Look forward to heveryones feedback and help.

Thanks

Paul


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

This is my first year too Paul. I'm proud of my humble little display. The fence makes it. Check out some tips from SpiderClimber, they really helped me, even though I took creative license with the design. I posted a few pics in my profile page so you can see it. (Unimpressive by comparison to many here, but a great start!). Good luck.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

Hi Chris well done.



[email protected] love the fence, can see you have put your own touch to it, are your bars closer together than PiderCLimber's?

Is it just freestanding or have you anchored it to the ground in some way?

Did you use the same way of connecting the lengths to the thick pole as SpiderClimber?

Thanks

Paul


----------



## Radford (Aug 7, 2012)

If you have a hardware / home improvement store in the area , look @ wood biscuits for joining wood together. They are much more economical than most options I pursued. They come in different sizes and look pretty good after painting.


----------



## chriss_nc (Nov 6, 2008)

Paul, Thanks.

I'm not sure about SpiderClimber's fence but the balusters on mine are 6" apart. The fence will freestand. The main posts have Trex bases with holes drilled in opposite corners. I drive 2 10" spikes through the holes at each post. I went the route of rebar support in the past and hated it.

Each of the fence posts has a pair of Male NPT - Female slip fittings on each side. They are spaced to line up with the fence rails and held in with cement and a 1/2" EMT conduit nut. Each fence rail has a 1" - 1/2" bushing and a stub of 1/2" pipe that fits into the fitting on the column. They lock in with a clevis pin. Each section is 5' long and has 10 balusters.



ScifiPaul said:


> Hi Chris well done.
> 
> [email protected] love the fence, can see you have put your own touch to it, are your bars closer together than PiderCLimber's?
> 
> ...


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

Hi Paul and Chris... My yard is quite small, so I kept my spacing @ six inches. I think it looks appropriate. Each section is nearly 6' long, with the balusters graduating inch by inch from 38" down to 33" then back to 38". I was puzzled by how to join the fence sections to the posts. I wound up sinking a long screw into the top rail, leaving a half inch sticking out, which could be inserted into a hole I drilled in the post. So literally, my sections are hanging a couple inches off the ground. I chose screws with oversized pan heads so they really lock in place once you insert them into the post. I secured the bottom using inconspicuous eye bolts screwed into the underside of the bottom rail which are zip-tied to the post. I'm pleased with the look and weather-hardiness of this approach so far (it's only been a week, but we've had nasty weather). My posts are held upright using T-Posts which were highly recommended and turned out to be a dream to work with. Surprisingly sturdy for something you only pound six inches into the ground. I loved this project. Good luck on yours. (Chris- you speak hardware at a level WAY above my head. I think you're describing a similar approach, but I'm not savvy enough to keep up with the EMTs and NPTs! Forgive me.)


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Hi Paul and Chris... My yard is quite small, so I kept my spacing @ six inches. I think it looks appropriate. Each section is nearly 6' long, with the balusters graduating inch by inch from 38" down to 33" then back to 38". I was puzzled by how to join the fence sections to the posts. I wound up sinking a long screw into the top rail, leaving a half inch sticking out, which could be inserted into a hole I drilled in the post. So literally, my sections are hanging a couple inches off the ground. I chose screws with oversized pan heads so they really lock in place once you insert them into the post. I secured the bottom using inconspicuous eye bolts screwed into the underside of the bottom rail which are zip-tied to the post. I'm pleased with the look and weather-hardiness of this approach so far (it's only been a week, but we've had nasty weather). My posts are held upright using T-Posts which were highly recommended and turned out to be a dream to work with. Surprisingly sturdy for something you only pound six inches into the ground. I loved this project. Good luck on yours. (Chris- you speak hardware at a level WAY above my head. I think you're describing a similar approach, but I'm not savvy enough to keep up with the EMTs and NPTs! Forgive me.)


Hi

Odd request I know but could you take a photograph of how you connected the fences to the large poles, it would be really helpful.

Thanks

Paul


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

You painted the poles and wood, I see it says Latex paint but get that in the UK unless it is called something else.

Do you use that because it is flexible or?


----------



## Drago (Sep 5, 2011)

To connect fence to a post just use L brackets, then paint it to blend in, thats what I do with mine.


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

Okay Paul, I've added some detail shots. See my profile for others.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Okay Paul, I've added some detail shots. See my profile for others.


Hi

Thanks for posting them they are really helpful.

What did you paint it with?

It seems that people have sprayed their fences, but is the paint flexible?

We dont have anything called latex paint over here, so any pointers would help.

Sorry to pick your brain on this

Thanks

Paul


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

ScifiPaul said:


> What did you paint it with?
> 
> It seems that people have sprayed their fences, but is the paint flexible?
> 
> We dont have anything called latex paint over here, so any pointers would help.


Latex/acrylic based paint in the UK is called emulsion paint. It's a water-based paint, as opposed to oil-based. Most of the time when you see someone here talk about using latex paint on props, they're using the type that is suitable for exterior use - in other words, what you would use to paint the outside of your house.

And yes, latex paint is flexible, but that isn't a big reason for using it - ease of clean up is


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

Hi Paul- I first coated everything with primer specifically designed for use under dark colored paint. It was called "Grabber Gray" by Glidden. Over that I used flat black exterior paint (2 coats). I won't use the word latex, since it isn't an option for you (you probably have something equivalent by another name). Anyway, if you get primer for dark colors and black exterior paint, you'll be using the right stuff. I painted that on using the "sock" method recommended by SpiderClimber. Worked great. Once everything was fully assembled, I did use some spray paint for touch-ups, but it would have cost a fortune to use it for all of the painting. As far as flexibility is concerned, the jury is still out. I'll tell you that the paint can be scraped off fairly easily if the fence sections get banged around. I suspect that yearly touch ups with spray paint will be necessary, but only a quick spritz here and there. I don't expect there to be a prohibitive amount of annual maintenance.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

RoxyBlue said:


> Latex/acrylic based paint in the UK is called emulsion paint. It's a water-based paint, as opposed to oil-based. Most of the time when you see someone here talk about using latex paint on props, they're using the type that is suitable for exterior use - in other words, what you would use to paint the outside of your house.
> 
> And yes, latex paint is flexible, but that isn't a big reason for using it - ease of clean up is


HI RoxyBlue.

Emulsion paint in the UK is an interior paint, something you would paint on the wall, it is not used as an external paint.

The way that it dries also means it would crack if moved and it comes in a tin that you would roll on to the wall or paint with a paintbrush it never comes in a spray can.


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Hi Paul- I first coated everything with primer specifically designed for use under dark colored paint. It was called "Grabber Gray" by Glidden. Over that I used flat black exterior paint (2 coats). I won't use the word latex, since it isn't an option for you (you probably have something equivalent by another name). Anyway, if you get primer for dark colors and black exterior paint, you'll be using the right stuff. I painted that on using the "sock" method recommended by SpiderClimber. Worked great. Once everything was fully assembled, I did use some spray paint for touch-ups, but it would have cost a fortune to use it for all of the painting. As far as flexibility is concerned, the jury is still out. I'll tell you that the paint can be scraped off fairly easily if the fence sections get banged around. I suspect that yearly touch ups with spray paint will be necessary, but only a quick spritz here and there. I don't expect there to be a prohibitive amount of annual maintenance.


Thanks, I am trying to see what the equivalent is on the UK as it wont be Emulsion as that is an interior paint and would crack if moved.


----------



## kauldron (Oct 17, 2011)

I was searching the net and found this at a Homebase store. I have never been to the UK and I am totally unfamiliar with building practices over there but I think this is basically exterior latex paint. Hope it helps.
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...ay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=102728


----------



## ScifiPaul (Sep 29, 2012)

HI Kauldron, thanks so uch for the heads up I will take a lok tomorrw.

Its just a little hard when relating things in the US to the Uk as they all have different names


----------



## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

Stolloween posted an excellent tutorial on making a decorative iron fence including finals here. . .

http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=6308


----------

