QuickTip: The So-Called Moly Bolt

I don’t know why some people call hollow wall anchors “moly bolts”—maybe its some reference to them being made of

plastic—but they do. I know that’s what I was told they are called. Either way, if you do—or don’t—here is a quick tip for installing them quickly and with little or no dust.

When you’re talking about interior finishes, you’re talking about making a connection to, well, a hollow wall: drapes, blinds, decorative items, even smoke detectors, etc. And when you open the instructions and see a few hollow wall anchors in a little plastic bag you’ll also probably notice a little icon of a drill (that looks like your grandfather owned it, probably) and that a 1/8 inch bit is required to pre-drill the wall. The directions are right, but—power tool lover that I am—this is truly one of those cases where you need a hole not a drill.

What I often do instead—and this eliminates almost all the dust from creating the hole—is drive my scratch-awl just deep enough to create a hole the correct diameter for the anchor to slide into.

A good rule of thumb—so you don’t overdrive the hole—is to match up the shank of the awl with the outside diameter of the anchor and mark the awl (Sharpie, blue tape, whatever).

No dust…nice.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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