CRE 40 lb. hanging hardware
The CRE Hanging hardware by Arakawa is designed to handle up to 40 lbs. per cable. Unless the item being hung is small (11 x 14 or smaller), we recommend 2 cables and 2 hooks per item. You may, also, hang multiple items one above the other, either directly or offset (on cables 2 and 3 instead of 1 and 2 or 3 and 4). In our experience, you would probably not want to have more than 2 items hanging one above the other if their size exceeds 20 x 16, since you need to have them at a viewable height, with the bottom edge of the bottom frame somewhere between 42 to 48 inches off the floor. A single item hung on two cables should be hung at a height where the average height person's eye should come about 1/3 of the way down from the top edge of the frame. With multiple pieces, the eye should fall in between the two frames, requiring the viewer to look up a bit or down a bit to take in both pieces of art. If you were, for example, hanging 3 10 x 8's one above the other, the middle one would need to be at eyeball height or just slightly below it.
The beauty of this setup is that it is totally adjustable. The cables slide left or right, the picture hooks slide up or down, so you can tinker with the layout until it is exactly right for your situation. The above guidelines are general in nature and not meant to dictate any absolute instruction.
The CRE hardware consists of the following:
CRE Hanging rail (available in 24, 36 or 72" lengths) made from aluminum pre-drilled with screw holes, a plastic, paintable snap-on rail cover (far left photo).
CF1 Rail Clip (to attach the cable to the rail, middle picture) that hooks onto the bottom of the rail from any point and does not have to be slid on from the rail end (2nd from left photo).
AF3 Picture Hook (called a "Midway Hook" by Arakawa, it slides up and down the cable using a releasable, 1-way gripper--photo second from right).
3/64" braided, stainless steel wire "aircraft" cable, cut to size with soldered ends to prevent unravelling (far right photo).
Below are pictures of these 4 items:
