How difficult is it to work with rope light?
A. It is actually quite easy! The tough part is building the metal frames to which the rope light will attach! I purchased a wire-fed arc welder with the proceeds from the sale of our old display. I buy the metal (cold rolled steel) from a local industrial metal supply company. After designing the attraction, I cut and weld the metal together. Once done, I paint it (steel will rust…). Then, it is time to apply the rope lights. The brand I use is Crown – available from many retailers online. I use 3/8″ rope light (it is available in larger diameters, but more difficult to bend). You can cut it in 18″ lengths (be careful – some rope light manufactures allow you to cut it in only 3 foot lengths). I buy invisible splice pieces to join two lengths for color changes. You will need a heat gun (about $20-$30) to shrink the piece of clear tubing that covers the splices. I bought different colors of small wire ties to hold the rope light to the frame so it would follow the desired shape.
