Keeping bugs at bay

Tag : Needle Nose Pliers

Modern screen frames are made of a factory-painted extrusion(usually white or brown) that includes several key features.
First of all, its hollow shape is made to accept preformed90-degree aluminum or plastic corner clips that hold any four-sidedframe together.
Another feature is the narrow groove found in one face. This grooveis made to accept a flexible strip of rubber or foam called aspline. The spline is pushed into it with the mesh lying over topduring installation.
The mesh is not only held firm by the spline, but the action of itsinking down into the aluminum channel as you push it into placeautomatically tightens the mesh, creating a sag-free installation.Take a close look at your own screen frames and you'll see all theparts.
Screen repair supplies, including corner clips and replacementsplines, aren't common items on hardware store shelves, but thatdoesn't mean you can't get them.
The best place to start looking is at a shop specializing in screenrepair. Large, national hardware outlets also list screen materialsin their catalogues, but they might have to order them.
Aluminum frame extrusion is typically sold in 12-foot lengths, incase you need to replace any damaged frame parts. This stuff can becut with any carbide blade in a chop saw or table saw.
Mesh is sold off rolls of a fixed width, typically starting at 24inches wide and working up.
There are two kinds of window screen mesh: aluminum and fibreglass.Fiberglass is the best option for home repair because it combineslow cost and good looks. It's also flexible, making installationmuch easier. Although not as tough as aluminum, fiberglass mesheasily lasts a dozen years with care.
Start mesh replacement work by grabbing one end of the old splinewith a pair of needle nose pliers, and pulling it out from allaround the frame. Throw out the old mesh. Next, cut a piece of newmesh that's about four centimetres longer and wider than the insidedimensions of your frame.
Place the frame on a large, flat surface with its spline channelfacing upwards. Place the mesh on top. The objective is to orientthe mesh so the leaf is parallel to the sides of the frame, thenpreserve this orientation as the spline is installed and the meshpulled tight.
All this is easier than it sounds because the mesh is stretchableand can veer out of alignment as you work along one side. Steeringthe installation of mesh is all about pulling it one way or theother with your hands in that area that's just in front of thepoint at which the spline is being pushed into place.
Take a length of spline material in your off-hand and aninstallation wheel (or wide-bladed stubby slot screwdriver) in yourdominant hand and begin to push the spline into the groove with themesh underneath. You'll immediately see how this action draws themesh down and acts to tighten it as installation progresses.