Pleated Advice Please

[greenpesto]

I'd have to agree with RhinoNeil on this ... make 'em up before you go to the fit.

The problem with 20mm side rails & the 'strap' brackets is the tendency for the side rails to slip down wards when tensioning the filo wires.

It is this & the fiddly doughnut washers that put me off selling this system over the 25mm system in the first place.

If Hillarys were to replace these washers & side brackets with something to 'lock' the rails in place then I'd consider selling 20mm more often.

I prefer to fit the side brackets & rails 'back-to- back' much to the 'Shock-Horror' of the Training team at H/O.!!!!!

Until then I find I can fit 25mm quicker every time!!!!!

[dolly]

On investigating using face fix on the side i found that they stick out too far from the roof. So like the rest of you struggle on making them till something better comes along.

[desmorse]

I also make them up at home, but it's still a pain in @rse, especially as I sit on the floor in front of telly doing them

Do have a solution to GPs sliding rails though. Fold a strap bracket at 90 degrees and fit it below the side rail.
Position the rail without tensioning, mark the bottom position, remove the rail, fit the strap bracket so the rail hides most of it, including the screw head when re-fitted. I've done this as standard for the last 3 years, works very well.
I also tried spraying Silspray on to a cloth and wiping the filos on my last job. Had heard others do this, but had never tried it myself, it really improves the drawing down where the fanning causes the fabric to jamb.

[BlindWizard]

I've found carving/drilling out a hole in piece of wood the same size as the doughnut and using that to hold it in place whilst screwing into it is a lot quicker and helps you keep your temper ;D ;D

I've thought about using rivets instead of those b****dy doughnut, anybody tried that ?

I keep meaning to make them beforehand but forget.

[mendipmagpie]

HI BVM
Been using these for a while now and it cerntainly cuts the time down.The one thing I find is that you may need to bend the brackets past the 90 angle or you can get the side rails too close to the next blind. The other noticable thing is that the blind tends to stand off the face of the UPVc furthur than the bent strap bracket. This was a concern at first but when the whole thing is up it looks OK. Hope that helps

MM

[mendipmagpie]

Hi BW
We use pop rivets for everything now ,use a small tophat so that you dont get too much rivet compressed at the back though.

MM

[desmorse]

Thanks MM. I'll give it a go.
Not keen on pop rivets. I know a lot of people use them, but they just don't look right to me

[greenpesto]

It would be simpler to switch from the 'doughnuts' to the round headed M4 machine bolts & nuts that we used to use on the old Verticals extension brackets. ( These are the same size as the machine bolts with the counter-sunk heads we use on the 25mm 'S' bracket! ).

The 'rivets' seem a good idea other than it is more money we are spending because of Hillarys failure to adjust to our recommendations!!!!!

What is this 'top-hat' that has been referred to?

The only 'top hat' I can think of small enough is the one you get in the game of Monopoly!!!!!!! ;D

[gloryboy]

i've stopped bothering with either face fix or snap brackets. was wasting so much time and energy building them snap brackets, and face fix caused problems with slipping etc.
i now just put top fix into pvc and fit side rails flush into frame. ie you look straight onto the adjusting screw that takes the allen key. gives a really neat finish and no gaps in coverage as fabric is pulled over the side rail and not up to it if fitted as per training centre instructions. if there is a problem with the rails sliding down i place 1 snap bracket at bottom to hold it in place, again it is hidden (bvm suggested this to me a while back).

[desmorse]

gloryboy said:

i've stopped bothering with either face fix or snap brackets. was wasting so much time and energy building them snap brackets, and face fix caused problems with slipping etc.
i now just put top fix into pvc and fit side rails flush into frame. ie you look straight onto the adjusting screw that takes the allen key. gives a really neat finish and no gaps in coverage as fabric is pulled over the side rail and not up to it if fitted as per training centre instructions. if there is a problem with the rails sliding down i place 1 snap bracket at bottom to hold it in place, again it is hidden (bvm suggested this to me a while back).

Gloryboy, thanks for the phone call this morning, greatly appreciated. I spend much of time looking for quicker ans easier ways to fit, but would never have tried this, because I'd have thought it wouldn't work.
However, you do it - and it works for you - so I'm doing it on next job, no question.

The time and hassle this will save means ........

I nominate this as TIP OF THE YEAR 2006 ;D

[greenpesto]

I'm having difficulty picturing this!!!

Can you explain what you are doing with this a little differently.

It sounds good!!!!!

GP

[desmorse]

greenpesto said:

I'm having difficulty picturing this!!!

Can you explain what you are doing with this a little differently.

It sounds good!!!!!

GP

GP,
fit a top fit bracket to the roof beam where you would normally fit the strap bracket.
snap the side rail in, so the open back of the rail is pointing to the sky (and no longer visible), and the tensioner is facing to the floor.

As gloryboy said to me, if it doesn't work, you just remove the top fix bracket and fit the strap bracket in to the same hole. But he's obviously done this and it does work

Imagine, no strap brackets, no donuts, no silly screws or rivets

[greenpesto]

Sounds almost too good to be true!!!!

I'll have to try this on my next 20mm roof fitting!!!!!

Nice one!!!!


Thanks!

[royt]

russell, I understand that your figures are so good because you cover Northern france as well of the IOW...If so can you confirm this as you have a far bigger area than most of us.

[desmorse]

royt said:

russell, I understand that your figures are so good because you cover Northern france as well of the IOW...If so can you confirm this as you have a far bigger area than most of us.

And the Channel Islands - loadsa money, no competition ;D