My sister-in-law lives in France. She has a patio door (on her house, not on her) which is held open, for instance on windy days, by the most obvious doorstop I can imagine. It's a springy hook. The door opens and as it approaches the wall, it travels over the hooky part pushing it down. When it's passed over that, the hook springs back up, trapping the door. The stop is shaped so that the door cannot travel any further back. It's a simple principle, much like the way loads of gates are closed, or dozens of doors, drawers, machine parts or whatever are held in place.

Can I find anywhere, in the UK or Europe selling anything similar? No.

Here in the UK we go for a vast variety of complex mechanical and magnetic solutions that involve drilling holes into the patio door or the frames. Or else there are stops involving massive lumps of concrete, blocks of wood, cast iron cats and dogs etc etc. Or "cabin" hooks.

I've spent hours looking for a similar, simple doorstop with the end result that I found one image of a doorstop of the same general type from an online shop. However, when I clicked on the image I discovered that the link, instead of being to a springy hook, is to a fucking lump of wood. They do not stock the item in the picture (and they do not answer my emails).

I attach the image I found - although even this is a bit over complicated compared to my SIL's doorstop. Hers came with the house, so she has no idea where it came from.

Dear teh people. Do any of you know where I can buy something like this?
 

What's stopping you making it yourself?

A lack of skills? 

I doubt I could replicate the various metal components. I could probably knock something together from wood and metal that would work, but I'd like it to look decent as well.

Making it myself will be my last resort - although that's fast approaching I suspect. 

Never seen anything like it.

Pfft. 3D print the fancy bit, the rest is a half dozen screws and a lick of paint.

Ok, I'll just fire up my 3D printer. Oh, hang on...

I'm hanging...

Ah right. It turns out I haven't got a 3D printer. 

However, since the collective web madskillz of teh forum (including mine) have yet to locate the springy hook I longed for, I've decide to screw a wooden block with a rubber doorstop to the decking over which the door opens. I'll also cast a concrete lump with rope attached in an old plastic flower pot. The combination should hold the door still in windy weather.

I have.

Wonder if I could print something suitable. My guess is with PLA it would maybe melt in the sun. Or maybe not if it was white rather than black.

Is PLA stiff (like acrylic plastics) when printed, or flexible like nylon, PVA etc? How is it under stress - its tensegrity as it were? As in subject to continuous tension from a steel spring. I'm thinking that 3D printing may not be what I'm after. 

I'm thinking the first strong gust of wind would blow it into the weeds.

Depends how thick you print it, of course. This vessel I printed has a wall varying from 2-4mm and has no visible flex to the tightest grip I dare do short of breaking it. Of course it's an inherently strong shape, ribbed, not for pleasure, but for internal strength. 

The wall isn't solid, of course: the printing software automatically fills any thickness with honeycomb that's more air than plastic.

So, you're saying I could fill that with concrete and it would hold my patio door open?

There are these cheap pole lamps from China you can buy at walmart. We've had a couple. They consist of several sections of pole you screw together, the light fixture, and a weighted base that looks and feels solid, but is an incredibly thin plastic shell filled with plaster of paris. After 3-4 years the plastic deteriorates, with predictable consequences.

Yours for a song. And it will fill your soul daily with delight.

Then do the whole thing from wood - it only needs to be more attractive than a concrete filled flower pot on a rope.

Are you saying a concrete filled flower pot on a rope is unattractive?

https://www.wish.com/product/5d4e3cf17319d63a0e86c8f2

This is TOO easy!  :-(

It would take a lot of make up to make me want to make out with one. Do you not agree?