boler elephant skin

[Ste11a]

I would like to mount WINDOW CORD CABLE for curtains. The fish eyes and hooks are small. Just wondering if they will hold in the elephant skin or do I need to use longer length screws.

[daveandbonscott]

Stella
I don't think the "elephant" skin will hold the screw. You'll have to go through the skin and into the fiberglass. It is not very thick either so you just want to go as deep as necessary or be prepared to caulk over the screw if it goes through to the outside.

Dave and Bernice

[Ste11a]

Thank you!

[daveandbonscott]

Stella
I am also concerned about going through the fibreglass. If its simple a blind pulley, maybe find something else to glue onto the ensolite (elephant skin) like a small rectangle of wood and then put the screw into just the wood. Or maybe find something at the bottom of the window to attach it too. It's not a good thing to go through the fibreglass anymore than absolutely necessary.

Or sorry to suggest, just wrap up the string pull and put elastic around it and let it hang freely

[Kenny Strong]

The Elephant skin is so thin. use a piece of very strong tape ( gorilla tape, a hole in the center of a piece, cut in a 1 inch circle ) to secure a loop with a threaded shaft, washer and nut. the shaft goes thru the centered hole a washer to keep the post straight tighten washer in place with the nut.
Do Not pierce the fiberglass skin!!!!
If your loop has wood threads, it can be screwed into a thin plywood block of wood, ( or plastic or leather or something you find that looks nice ). an inch circle of 1/4" stock, then it is contact cemented to the skin, or use some very strong 2 sided tape.

[Kenny Strong]

thanks Dave

[Nicolas]

Another suggestion would be to cut a small “X” where the screw-eyes will go; peel the elephant skin back carefully so as not to tear it too much; tape the skin back with tape to expose the fibreglass shell on the inside; scrape and lacquer clean the glue that held the skin in place; using the little spacers that sometimes come with pegboard hooks, epoxy the spacer to the shell; allow to set for 24 hours; snip the points off of the skin that you peeled back and re-glue the skin back around the spacers; depending on the size of the screw, either screw the screw eye into the spacer or fill the spacer and screw the screw eye in; and voila mountings that are strong and presentable.

[Eric Frye]

I would go with Nicolas suggestion. Or..... you could be like me and do this.


[IMG]unnamed (3) by Eric Frye, on Flickr[/IMG]

Yeah I would go with Nicolas suggestion.

[Ste11a]

Thank you for all comments. I can see now that the previous owner installed curtain rods and they did pierce the fiberglass shell and then sealed I guess with putty. Does anyone know how the boler company originally hung the curtains?
Thanks again.

[bobdobqb]

On my 73 Boler 1300 The original curtain rod brackets are riveted through the shell on the front and rear and riveted through the window frames on the side.

[Nicolas]

When I bought my Boler, the curtains were hung in curtain rod brackets that looked so beat up that they could have been original. They were riveted into the metal frame of the side windows. The curtains hooks at the front and back windows were definitely add ons since they were poked through the shell. I installed a small storage unit at both the front and back to allow for a metal curtain rail to support the wide expanse. My side windows since I installed newer and bigger windows have medium screw-eyes with a metal curtain rail which are screwed into the new wooden window trim.

Don’t be afraid to poke holes in the shell to mount a decent bracket. Just make sure that you do the marking work from the inside, drill from the inside [use a soldering iron to melt through the elephant skin or a slow drill so that you don’t twist the material], use 5-minute epoxy to seal the hole as you insert the stainless steel rivet through the skin and through the bracket you are going to install [stops the rivet being an entry point later], pop the rivet and then using an acorn nut finish the inside installation to hide the unsightly rivet.

Always use stainless rivets since there are fewer problems with metal to metal corrosion and rust.

[Ste11a]

Do any of you have pictures of your curtain installation past and present?
That would help me.
Thanks.

[bobdobqb]

Here's some pics for you. The first one is how the side window curtain is originally fastened (haven't redone that window yet). The second is how I changed the interior trim when I redid the other side window and now the brackets don't go through the window/shell. The third is the original brackets on the back window. Front window is the same (haven't changed them out yet).







Hope this helps you out!

[Ste11a]

A picture is worth a 1000 words. It does help.
Thanks!

[Nicolas]

Originally Posted by Ste11a

Do any of you have pictures of your curtain installation past and present?

That would help me.

Thanks.

Are you asking about the side windows or the front?

Side windows are relatively simple since you have the metal frame protruding in to screw into but the front and rear are a little more problematic. I solved my problem by adding a small shelf unit over both the front and back a) to add more storage, b) allow for lighting at the table, c) a surface to attach solid curtain rails to.

[Nicolas]

Originally Posted by Nicolas

Are you asking about the side windows or the front?

Side windows are relatively simple since you have the metal frame protruding in to screw into but the front and rear are a little more problematic. I solved my problem by adding a small shelf unit over both the front and back a) to add more storage, b) allow for lighting at the table, c) a surface to attach solid curtain rails to.

Attachment 134296

[Nicolas]

Originally Posted by Nicolas

Attachment 134298

The close-up image is an example of what happens when you invest money in stainless steel for everything but the T-nuts and then spill a liquid.

Sorry that I seem to be sending duplicates of my photos. And they seem to be linked into someone else’s. Ah well, it’s not like I don’t have the time to learn the ins an outs of FGRV forums.

[Ste11a]

I was thinking of attaching the curtain on the top and bottom of front and back windows to avoid them hanging too far out at bottom. Good idea for the back as there is already a cupboard in place. thanks