home improvement and maintenance

[splinky]

Thanks. I might just have to replace the whole screen.

window glass places often replace screens inexpensively. i like the glass place on 5th ave near bergen. i think they are closed on mondays, though

[flyfish]

Ah, it's a Canadian thing, although this explains the Marr name too:

 

www.tnb-canada.com/en/catalogues/online/comresconstruction/pdf/c5/01_marrcat_e.pdf

 

At the turn of the twentieth century, a young Scotsman named Bill P. Marr immigrated to Ontario, Canada. After settling in the Toronto area, Marr was soon employed by the T. Eaton Company as a contractor for Ontario Hydro, where he worked as an electrician converting gas lit homes to electrical incandescent lighting. As part of this conversion, the accepted practice back then was a process called "solder and tape". Typically, a mechanic would first run the wires required, then an electrician would polish the exposed conductors and twist them together. Next, the ends of the wires would be firmly joined by dipping them in a pot of molten solder, and after they cooled, the wires would then be wrapped with an insulating tape. Over time, this process proved to be both time consuming and dangerous, as Bill Marr discovered first-hand when he inadvertently spilled a scorching solder pot while working in a customer's home. Convinced that there had to be a safer and more efficient way of joining two electrical conductors, Marr worked tirelessly in his basement shop until he finally invented the first pressure type wire connector (a set screw version which was the forerunner to the modern day wire connector). Since that day in 1914, the Marr®company has become a leading manufacturer of twist-on wire connectors in North America. The Marrette®brand has so revolutionized the way branch circuits were connected that the term "marrette" has become synonymous with "wire connector" in the electrician's vocabulary.

 

More than we needed to know. Carry on!

[g.johnson]

Those things always seem iffy to me. In the UK wires are always* joined by scewing them down in a junction block, something like this

 

 

 

*At least that was the case 30 years ago when I spent one summer working as an electricians mate.

[splinky]

Those things always seem iffy to me. In the UK wires are always* joined by scewing them down in a junction block, something like this

 

 

 

*At least that was the case 30 years ago when I spent one summer working as an electricians mate.

time marches on, sparky

[SRD]

A typical UK ceiling rose:

 

 

the wires are held into the connector with small screws.

[memesuze]

Thanks. I might just have to replace the whole screen.

be sure to read up on stretching the fabric so it doesn't sag....and I ain't saying no more.

[SLBunge]

Those things always seem iffy to me. In the UK wires are always* joined by scewing them down in a junction block, something like this

 

 

 

*At least that was the case 30 years ago when I spent one summer working as an electricians mate.

time marches on, sparky

Actually, these would be superior but the US junction boxes aren't designed for them to be fastened internally. Most industrial facilities either don't allow or are moving away from wire nuts because they fail (particularly with temperature cycles).

[flyfish]

Thanks. I might just have to replace the whole screen.

be sure to read up on stretching the fabric so it doesn't sag....and I ain't saying no more.

After many attempts at screen repairs that invariably pulled out, sagged , etc., we now take ours to the helpful lads at the Home Hardware. They do the work and it is very affordable.

[mongo_jones]

i'm actually pretty good at re-screening--and given how bad i am at most things, that means anyone should be.

 

this evening i bought one of those patch-kits for two screens that the dogs have clawed holes in. i tried to do the best i could, but i can only hope these patches will blend in better once they get nice and dirty like the rest of the mesh.

[mcj]

Ah, it's a Canadian thing, although this explains the Marr name too:

 

www.tnb-canada.com/en/catalogues/online/comresconstruction/pdf/c5/01_marrcat_e.pdf

...

More than we needed to know. Carry on!

 

They still make two types of connectors: the Marr® and the Marrette®.

The Marr connector has a brass "screw/nut" to hold the wires and a plastic cap is screwed onto this.

The Marrette has a a cone shaped wire coil secured within a plastic cap and is simply twisted onto 2 conductors, however, they're not generally as reliable as Marr connectors when joining 3 or 4 wires.

 

When using a Marrette (or equivalent), match the metal of the internal coil to your wiring — copper for copper wires, aluminum for aluminum wires. Aluminum wiring is much less common than it was decades ago, but aluminum connectors are quite commonly available.

 

When aluminum wiring was first introduced (1960's??), it was various fire investigations that brought a weakness of aluminum to light... aluminum is a plastic metal (it flows much more easily than other metals when under the pressure of screws & connectors — basically, it gradually melts out and you get sparks). When the copper wires were replaced with aluminum, it was because aluminum wiring was cheaper, but only when using the same gauge of wiring. That was the problem. Aluminum also heats up more easily (and thus plasticizes much more easily) than copper does. In order to maintain the wires' integrity, it has to be a gauge higher than copper for a given amount of current carrying capacity (i.e. 14 gauge for copper means use 12 gauge for aluminum). That change in law (higher gauge, etc.) made aluminum wiring less economical and the publicity garnered by houses burning down made it a lot less attractive to home buyers. The aluminum wiring is now harder to find, but not the connectors. Caution is advised.

 

Back to you Fly.

[ntsc The Art of The Pig]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

 

With those hardware store and paint store names you do place yourself. I spent a lot of money in those two places.

[flyfish]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

 

With those hardware store and paint store names you do place yourself. I spent a lot of money in those two places.

Welcome ntsc AOTP. Don't miss this: http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=14013

 

[ntsc The Art of The Pig]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

 

With those hardware store and paint store names you do place yourself. I spent a lot of money in those two places.

Welcome ntsc AOTP. Don't miss this: http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=14013

 

Thanks for that pointer, that is the sort of thing I do in my spare time.

[cristina]

oooh, slbunge has just elected himself our handyman. to be paid in food.

How funny...our friend Ken is sawing away in our kitchen right this minute, replacing our sink and getting ready to tile the counter top. When asked, he said, "Will work for food." Good deal.

 

Of course, the kitchen is completely in shreds at the moment: the water is turned off, everything is under several inches of sawdust, and there's no chance of food preparation. He did get supper last night, breakfast this morning, and some ham and cheese sandwiches a little while ago. Maybe using the last of my little bottle of Durkee's Famous counts.

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to cook again, although I doubt it. There's a lot of homemade ragu in the freezer.

 

When it's done I'll post pics in the "Your Kitchen" thread.

 

My favorite quote about re-doing a house: "Can we afford the remodel AND the divorce?"

[Rebecca]

I just take the screen to a re-screener. Plus I buy a couple of yards of screening for odd garden projects, including covering drainage holes in flower pots. Next time I'm going to go black for one side. It has been way too long waiting for someone to get creative and make art screens.