commiseration thread

[hangster]

I was placing a jack to adjust my truck bed platform and I tore my original 40 year old window screen..
Why couldn't it have been a fingertip

 

[Rusty]

new window screening is a good thing......be very happy it wasn't the aluminum siding as is often the case....or the window

part of the reason to campaign against ratchet pole cable jacks...there are lots of other reasons too

 

[hangster]

thanks for the commiseration rusty.. I feel better.
yea new screens is on the list but the screws holding them in are blobs of rust..
Drilling out screws is way down the list at the moment

 

[Rusty]

PB Blaster.....a couple days worth of setting time

they WILL come loose.....

 

[Vic Harder]

wait, why remove the screen? isn't it just held in by a thin plastic thread all the way around? i did my Hawk's screen door this spring no unscrewing required

 

[Rusty]

there are a couple of retainer screws holding the screen frame in place and the screen retainer thread is on the inside of the frame

because the frame of the window and screen are aluminum and the screws are galvanized steel...over time the galvanizing is sacrificed to electrical charges...in the air and in the camper....after some time the screws become "rusted" in place...a shot of PB and a couple days leaving it alone loosens the rusted screw...no bigee...just replace the screw when you reassemble....so the new layer of galvanizing can be sacrificed ...ugh....better to replace with SS if you can

 

[hangster]

I had already tried 3in1 for a couple days but I'll try again.
yea, and grinding off the heads won't help, the shafts will still keep the screen from sliding out.
Where'd the post go suggesting that?
oh well guess she deleted it.. thanks though

 

[Rusty]

try a center punch right in the middle of the phillips...not too hard...just enough to jar the joint of the threads...then spray

as a last resort....small vise grips on the head....tighten first...just pressure...then reverse out

I have an old philips screw driver with a steel and wood handle.....I use that as the punch...set squarely...and a sharp tap with a small ball pein

PB is a penetrating fluid and a slight solvent...

 

[thisoldcamper]

I’ve had success removing rusty old screws by cutting a slot in them with a Dremel and a cutting wheel. The heat generated plus a clean slot for a flat blade screw driver usually lets you turn them right out.

 

[hangster]

thanks for the tips, I will try each one.
I put a little patch on the rip today..it was annoying me.

 

[Gary]

Ive broken two windows in the last two weeks..

 

[Rusty]

Ive broken two windows in the last two weeks..

With cable jacks?

 

[hangster]

I feel your pain Gary..

 

[hangster]

decided to adjust my chains and poked another hole in my screen..it's a curse

 

[hangster]

it's windier than hello here today...got on the freeway, looked in the sideview and my hair stood on end.
The top had risen about two inches in the front plus the lower section had risen about an inch off the rails.
I thought I could get away with chaining to the 4 tie downs in the bed.
Nope, too much angle and play. Just bought 4 straight bolts and will drill holes in the bed when the wind dies down.

 

[hangster]

note to self: make sure drill bit is not duller than a spoon.
Got camper in the air today, pulled forward enough to jump in the bed..drill barely made a dent.
Loaded back up went to home depot for a new bit, someone in the parking lot says "there's a drill on your roof"
lucky me it stayed up there I borrowed it, not a cheap one either.

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW SS screws are the wrong answer in aluminum. Cad plated steel is better according to galvanic potential tables like this one: http://www.pemnet.com/design_info/galvanic-corrosion/

SS screws are made from 18-8 which is 304. Note how far from aluminum it is in that chart compared to how close cadmium is. the further apart two metals are the greater their galvanic potential.

 

[hangster]

I made two small desert trips, both 200 miles. Camper didn't move a half inch that I could tell.