My attempted shade fix led to a disaster!

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Not the way I wanted to start my morning! A screw and bobbin holding down one corner of a small day/night shade pulled out of the wall yesterday. I repaired the hollowed-out screw hole, let my repair dry overnight, and attempted to put the screw and bobbin back into the hole. However, the string was SO tight on that shade--always has been scary-tight--so I decided to unknot the string from the bobbin and give that string a bit more length to cut down on the tightness. (It was so tight that we could barely lower the blind, and the screw holding the bobbin in the wall has popped out several times.)

You know what's coming next. Yep, as I was retying the knot on the bobbin, the string went flying off of the bobbin and into the bottom bar of the shade. I quickly put a safety pin through the string to keep it from pulling out of that bottom metal bar (see photo). Now, how do I get to the end of the string that's in that space so that I can pull it through the little hole on the side and fasten it to the bobbin? Does the end cap of that metal bar come off? I tried wiggling it to see if it would come out, but it won't budge. I probably could pry it off with something, but I didn't want to risk damaging it at this point.

The cord on one of the wide shades recently broke and had to be sent off for repair (Brad & Suzanne, RV Blind and Shade Restringing Mail-In Service, www.bradsblindrepair.webs.com). Now this! The string on the blind I messed up, however, didn't break; it's just in that bottom metal bar. May I cry now?

We are planning to attend the Spokane rally in June, so if I can't fix this myself, maybe someone who is going to be there can help me get the job done. Pretty please?

Carolyn

[Exnavydiver]

Move the bobbin up enough to slack the string and screw that to the wall there. I had to remount all of my bobbins because they were too tight. When they are too tight the string will saw through the nylon grommets and fray on the aluminum extrusions. Properly set string tension should be just enough to keep shade from dropping by itself.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

If I can figure out how to retrieve the end of the string that is hiding in the bottom bar of the shade, I intend to give it some slack when I reattach it to the bobbin. The tension on it was far, far too tight! I just hate messing with those shades, however, for the very reason that I experienced this morning--the string that vanishes into the shade.
Carolyn

[8.1al]

The end cap on the bottom bar will pry off

[ole dude]

Carolyn, I find it interesting the ways you find to entertain yourself. :-)

[7.3Ford]

Carolyn,

I would just restring the shade, then you will know all about them. I used mason string (nylon string) works really well, and doesn't cost as much. Use a match to cut, then it won't unravel. If you google Day Night Shade Repair you will find lots of places that how too. There are even videos on You-Tube.

[Exnavydiver]

You can also bring it to the rally in Goshen and sit in on my class on shade restringing. Is it a 2 line shade or 4 line (2 string or 4 string). it is a royal pain to try and work on them while they are still hanging, you need to take down and lay it on a table or your bed. If it is a 2 line shade then pop off the end cap on the bottom slide and slide it over till you find the end of the string then feed it back through the hole and tie it to the bobbin. Slide the slide piece back on and reinstall the end cap. Rehang..

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

If I told Wayne that we were going to take the shade down and restring it, you would be able to hear the discussion about that project from the Gulf Coast all the way to Alaska. I used to have a small custom blinds/drapes/curtains shop, and stringing or restringing blinds is one of my recurring nightmares to this day.

Carolyn

[mazboy]

lots of information on internet.

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...epair+rv+shade

[bigskyjimmy]

Yep like was said before Take all the end caps off then it goes pretty easy after that ,the first one I did took me a while to do but after that it gets ALOT easier on all the next ones ,the harder ones are the BIG boys like the back window with 4 strings

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Our 4-string shade behind the recliners is the one with the broken string, which we shipped to Brad and Suzanne for repair. Thank goodness the one that swallowed the good string is a very narrow shade. Fishing the string out via removing the end cap will probably fix it. However, as I said in an earlier post, that end cap appears to be solidly glued on or stuck fast with paint. It doesn't want to budge.

I think I need a cold beer (or two or three ) and a sharp knife for the attack on that cap.

Carolyn

[bigskyjimmy]

It is for sure a 3 beer job on your first one, yeah my end caps came off hard too had to pop them off with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer