Tips Required Re:- Ali insect screen.

[ptrott]

Does anyone have any clues as to the best way to re-wire screen doors with Aluminium fly-wire and the heavier Pet-Screen wire. I have tried using the convex wheel to push it into the groove prior to using the concave wheel to insert the spline BUT, the spline wants to drag more wire into the slot with it and that results in a rip in the wire. Its a 5mm groove and I am using 6mm spline, so maybe go to smaller spline?

It sure aint like using the Fibreglass stuff:mad:

[ozwinner]

The stuff weve got on the screen doors is heavier stuff, and it is held in place with ali strips riveted onto the back of the door.


Al

[Ashore]

Are the doors aluminium or wooden construction



The trouble with life is there's no background music.

[ozwinner]

Are the doors aluminium or wooden construction

Ashore, I didnt know they had flywire doors on ships, I heard they had them on subs though.

Al

[Barry_White]

When inserting aluminium wire you run the wire in the groove first as you are doing but you must use a smooth spline not the ribbed spline. You probably wont buy it at a hardware store. You probably need to go to a screen door manufacturer to get it.

The heavy fibre glass pet mesh should go in OK with normal spline.

It is a bit of an art to get it right.

If you are right handed use the left hand in front of the wheel and press the mesh down to the table this gives you a little bit of slack in the mesh to be taken up as it rolls into the spline groove and this should stop the tearing.

[ptrott]

[QUOTE=Ashore]Are the doors aluminium or wooden construction


Aluminium doors Ashore....

[Ashore]

Ashore, I didnt know they had flywire doors on ships, I heard they had them on subs though.
Al

u avent bean on many ships then al . Have you ever gone down in a sub I have and it is scary without the screen doors, or did you shut the hatch behind you ( note I said in not on )
As to the thread in hand take door off and lay flat place screen over the door frame lay aluminium strips over the screen pop rivit in place(mitre joints in corners ) , bend screen up against strip push second strip against , pop rivit in plase . Trim wire so dog/pet/child does not cut themselves





easy and it works just the cost of some al strip , but dont go to bunnies




When you dive into the great unknown, make sure your tank is full and your not tanked

[ozwinner]

Whats the drawing about?

Some secrect manouvers yous did????

Al

[ptrott]

Well, I searched the phone book and the web for smooth spline and the nearest I got was a bloke who said he had seen it once. I eventually found a web site (Trend Windows) that informed me that for Ali wire I need to use 5.3mm spline. Tried every place I could find and not one had ever stocked 5.3mm spline.:mad: Got some top advice though, like, "Just use 6mm and stretch it out, thats what we do. " (I wonder if he has ever been back a year later and seen the shrinkage gap) I found a flyscreen maker who had 5.7mm in stock so used that. Hell of a job to get it in the groove, but eventually got it.
Thanks for the tips men.

Phill

[mic-d]

It may be stating the obvious but the first thing I do is take the screen out and work on a bench or something. Then lay the wire over the frame roughly aligned where you want it. Clamp the first short edge you want to do with a couple of little spring clamps, cut off the first and second corners at 45º, intersecting the corners of the frame. Gently roll the convex wheel back and forth to deform the wire and then carefully roll the spline in with the concave wheel. Once one edge is done, move the spring clamps to the middle and bottom of one long edge and roll a trench in the opposite long side. The clamps help prevent the wire running out (especially useful if the wire isn't much bigger than the frame). Roll in the spline. Same for the next short side and last long side. When pushing in the spline act deliberatley and try and hold the tool so that if it should run off the spline it goes to the outside and not the inside where it will cut the Al wire. You do need a fair bit of hand strength...

Cheers and good luck
Michael

[ptrott]

Thanks Michael. I will have to get some spring clamps. They seem to get mentioned fairly often here.
I never thought of clamping, it might have reduced the tendancy to pull extra wire into the groove.

Phill.