In article ,
wrote:

I've not dismantled it to have a look at it yet, but it is the
type of blind operated by a cord at one end which has loads of
little plastic bobbles which engage in some plastic teeth at the
end of the roller.

My question is will there also be some spring mechanism which can
be adjusted, or does the fact that it unrolls itself just mean
the blind is to heavy ?

The friction (on ours) is done by two little ears
pressing against the inside of the plastic that rolls
with the blinds. It is possible to make those ears push
harder by winding a stubby woodscrew into the hole
between them (been there, done that, etc).

If you feel brave enough, take the blind down and pull
the winding mechanism out of the cardboard tube. Then
have a look at it, see if the woodscrew bodge will work
on yours.

There may be a plastic collar left inside the cardboard
tube, very difficult to shift, and I left it well alone.

Getting the winding mechanism to re-enter that plastic
collar is helped by filing a chamfer on the front edge
of the mechanism.

--
Tony Williams.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 12:51:57 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Griffiths"
wrote:

I'm not 100% sure but it's not good news if this blind was not a good one in
the first place!

These sidewinders work by having two springs wound in opposite directions
each acting as a brake against the other. Pulling the beaded chain releases
one brake so you can pull the blind against the friction of the other spring
and vice versa. If it's falling under it's own weight the brake isn't
working.

It may have come apart inside the tube so it's worth a look. If it's a
cardboard tube throw blind away and start again. If it's aluminium you are
in with a chance as there are only about two or three manufacturers of these
things so you should get a replacement. Whats the make?


I've not had the time or the courage to take the blind down yet so I
dont know if it's cardboard or ally, but just looking at the size of
the blind (its on the side of the conservatory) and the weight of the
material I wouldn't be suprised if the blind is to heavy for the
mechanism

Maybe I misunderstood - is this inside or out?
The weight could well be the problem.

Peter
wrote in message
...
On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 12:51:57 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Griffiths"
wrote:

I'm not 100% sure but it's not good news if this blind was not a good one
in
the first place!

These sidewinders work by having two springs wound in opposite directions
each acting as a brake against the other. Pulling the beaded chain
releases
one brake so you can pull the blind against the friction of the other
spring
and vice versa. If it's falling under it's own weight the brake isn't
working.

It may have come apart inside the tube so it's worth a look. If it's a
cardboard tube throw blind away and start again. If it's aluminium you
are
in with a chance as there are only about two or three manufacturers of
these
things so you should get a replacement. Whats the make?


I've not had the time or the courage to take the blind down yet so I
dont know if it's cardboard or ally, but just looking at the size of
the blind (its on the side of the conservatory) and the weight of the
material I wouldn't be suprised if the blind is to heavy for the
mechanism

That's OK - I suddenly thought we might be talking at cross purposes!

If this is a big blind - say greater than 72" width (old money) then it's
probably not a cardboard tube, which are used for mass produced, cheap DIY
blinds.
Just a couple more thoughts: does the blind come down and turn the
sidewinder and bead chain as well? If so then it's certainly the weight of
the fabric and the sidecontrol is either not man enough for the job or it's
defective. How about fitting a cleat to hold the beadchain?

Or is the roller turning and the sidewinder stays put? Still could be a
defective sidewinder but it could also be that the roller is slipping on the
sidewinder. Difficult to tell without taking the blind down and trying the
fit. If it is too loose then a pin punch could be used to make a dent in the
roller where the sidewinder is fitted and increase the grip.

not sure if that helps!

Peter
wrote in message
...
On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:57:19 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Griffiths"
wrote:

Maybe I misunderstood - is this inside or out?
The weight could well be the problem.

Peter


inside - I should have made that obvious !