Space age mounts.

[bil]

OK, mounts can present a problem especially for larger orchids, and worst of all if they like their roots a bit moister like the sesequipedels seem to.

Branch mounts look great, but if you have a lot of orchids, then after you have pruned every decent branch off every tree in the area, what then?

Well, you can weld up a shallow basket with a hanger out of 6mm rebar like the one in the pic, but while the steel is pretty cheap, the welding and painting costs more than you would think, and takes forever. plus, in order to have it not rust away, that's two coats of hammerite, leave for two weeks to cure, two more coats, and then a curing period it takes a lot of time.

So, I have been thinking and I finally came up with an idea. I use sheets of mesh that are coated with plastic fr the roof of the greenhouse to hang the mounts from, and I suddenly thought about cutting the leftovers up and making mounts.
The steel is fairly thick wire, and it at the limit of bending, so you need to use wood jigs to bend them round, and not use steel tools as that would tear the plastic coat. When they are cut out, I take a grinder to the sharp ends. I do paint the ends, when it is all bent to shape, but I don't use a brush, just a teaspoon and dip the cut ends in so they get a bead on the ends that will seal the bare steel. That saves cleaning brushes.