Update: My old trick for fishing wire through a tight stud bay actually worked

I was in a 1920s house in Cincinnati and the path between two outlets was blocked by a fire stop. Instead of cutting a bunch of holes, I used a flexible drill bit extension I had from a car job. I taped a small magnet to the fish tape and used another magnet on the outside of the drywall to guide it around the block. Got it on the second try and saved probably an hour of patching. What's your go-to method for a blocked bay?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliotb574mo ago

Yeah, I've definitely just cut the hole too.

the_gray4mo ago

That magnet trick sounds like more hassle than just cutting a small access hole.

christopher_coleman172mo ago

Yeah, fair point @the_gray. The magnet method sounds like something I'd try once, lose the magnet inside the wall, and then end up cutting a bigger hole anyway to fish it out. Last time I tried a trick like that I spent an hour on my stomach with a coat hanger and a flashlight, which is basically my default state in any project. Might as well just skip to the hole and save myself the embarrassment.