Fix my blinds

[pgchin]

Did one of your blinds or Roman shade break and finally give up the ghost? Is New blinds or a shades remodel a little lower on your priority list and you just need an interim solution? Then look no more, this URL has served me well of the years, product, supply, how to video's, the works! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!
http://www.fixmyblinds.com/Drums-for-you...s-s/39.htm

PS this job of restring is not bad, you need a clean dry surface the size of a picnic table to work on and PATIENCE. You can use a match to melt the new string to the old string if it is still in place and just gently pull through, if it's not, you can gently disassemble the top of the roman shade or blind by sliding the fabric over the clips and access everything you need including installing a new brake. Two broke on the last trip and I restrung just the 1 broken string with fishing line to get me through the trip until I could order what I needed! The brake won't work due to the different line thicknesses but I cobbled a fix together so we could press on until I could fix it correctly!

[BruceSummerlin]

Rich, where did you get your power shade and was it easy to install?

[davidbrady]

Great link Pete, thanks.

Phenomenal story Rich, this is why motorhoming is the only way to travel - we always have an extra set of BVDs!

[pgchin]

I figured I would update this thread. Spring time is $$$ time when all good lil birdie owners take out their perpetual perspective punch lists, prioritize, debate and discuss with their respective love one and then decide how to spend this years allocation UNLESS your bird has TOLD you how to spend it! I was going to replace and update all the roman shades this year however after going through the above exercise, THE BIRD told me that was incorrect and HE wants new sneakers, and dad gum good ones too, all 8.......SO with the cost of 7 new Romans around 3-4k plus a new front shade, I decided to logon to this website and for the cost of 104.50, free shipping, I am restringing all 7 Roman shades and the fronts! The left strings are .9mm 4 per shade, the right 1.2mm 2 per shade so a role of 300ft for each thickness is good! Some new tassels and few spare new string locks and we are good to go! And so it goes, the new roman shades move to the BOTTOM of the punch list for now!
PS as a member of FMCA I'll be using the Michelin tire advantage program for the birds new sneakers UNLESS I can dial in some Bridgestones that I like better and a bit more cost effective.....still working on that one!

[pgchin]

After spending part of the weekend doing all 7 Roman shade restringing, I wanted to provide some hints and tips to make it easier for anyone else contemplating this work:
1) String size is VERY important and the website has great instructions on how to determine what size strings you have.
2) The instructions and video's are great as well however none cover a combination cellular / roman shade combo so I hope this thread helps after you read their instructions. They will show you how to take them apart to gain access, how to tie what knots, etc.
3) Use a workspace that is big enough to allow you to open the entire cloth portion of the roman shade (like it covers the entire window)
4) It is MUCH better to restring with shade strings NOT already broken!
5) If you have to take the top section apart, you will need to collapse the
cloth portion about 50% in order to give you enough flexibility and length to slide the cloth portion out of the top rail and over the string brakes. Take a wide blade flat screwdriver and widen the rail at the string brakes a tiny bit to allow the cloth and brass runners to slide easily over the string brakes
6) You can use a match and heat both ends of the string ( new and old) to melt and join them so you can just pull the new ones through without having to take them apart. I'm not crazy about playing with matches around old shade cloth so I devised another way. I took some 5-10 lb test fishing line and utilizing a double knot, I tied the new and old strings together. Old string double knot to the fishing line with 2 inch leaders, new string to the other end of the fishing line double knot same length of leaders, fishing line about 5 inches long so the knots slip through the fasteners and railways one at a time. The TRICK here is make sure you tie the double knot VERY TIGHT on each of the old and new string. You know it is tight when you see the shade string compress under the knot.... TEST it before pulling through and use your reading glasses to see the string compression.
7) Leave about 8-10 inches of excess string when you thread after the string brake with the cloth shade fully extended. DO NOT combine them and tie them down on the workbench. Just use one end of the combiner and tie a loose double knot you can undo. INSTALL them first, then grab BOTH sets of strings and work the shades up and down 2-3 times.....this will straighten the threads, work out any coil knots and all of them will equalize and be the correct length. AFTER you do this, with the shade in the fully DOWN position, then tie the combiner knots and add the pull tassels, etc. This will give you shades that operate BRAND NEW and even for both the cloth and cellular portion!
8) My shades had 3 screws each holding them in place, one on each end on the top rail on the cloth side, 1 screw in the middle on the top rail on the side between the shade and window. I used a 10 inch long screwdriver and with the shades fully compressed it was a snap getting to that center outside screw.

Good luck, bring you patience pills and let me know if I can help out!