Post by Franklin1 on Dec 2, 2010 17:40:28 GMT 10
G'day All,
First up, apologies for the length of this post, and the huge number of photos included. Hope your computer doesn't have a meltdown.
This is a story about the fun and games I've had trying to understand a bit more about the windows on my Franklin.
Aluminium windows with a rounded corner on all four corners were used on various vans, such as this one owned by minicamper...
...and this one owned by Surf Tragic...
But this thread is about the windows that are on my "Franklin" van...
The four side windows have a join on each side of the aluminium frame, with screw heads showing either side of the joint on the inside of the frame. There is no manufacturer's name, or any other marks, anywhere on the window...
Looking at the inside of the frame, there is a black felt weather-strip around the edge...
The felt is about 4mm thick...
At the bottom of the window frame there is a small brass bracket pop-rivetted to the frame...
...which holds a brass rod that is the window-stay...
Above the top of the window there is a curved length of J-mould which acts as a rain shield...
The hinges at the top of the frame are brass, and are rivetted to the aluminium frame...
And lastly, the glass sits in the frame with a window rubber (a plastic moulding) showing on both sides of the glass...
----------------------------------------------
Now to the story about trying to dismantle the window...
No amount of careful prising of the glass rubber on either side would shift it. After a number of attempts, it dawned on me that the rubber might possibly be one complete moulding.
Then I tried to undo the screws on each side of the frame joints, but couldn't budge them. After a number of goes, I eventually threatened them that it would be in their best interests to yield a bit, and so they did.
Next I tried to separate the two halves of the frame, but there is nowhere to stick anything to try and prise them apart. But try I did, and in the process I lost my grip on the window and it fell over and the glass cracked.
"Oh goody!"
, I says. "Now I can smash the glass and get a good look at how this thing is put together!"...
...and lo and behold the window rubber was indeed a one-piece moulding...
Undoing the screws on the sides of the frame allowed me to separate the two halves...
...which then revealed the aluminium block that the screws are threaded into...
Just as an aside, these windows have been sitting in my shed for over two years now, ever since the restoration project was shelved for various reasons. When I took this window outside today and laid it flat on the ground, a couple of spoonfuls of water leaked out of the joint in the window rubber. When I dismantled the window frame and pulled the rubber away, at the bottom of the frame the rubber was a rust colour, and there was a rusty appearance on the inside of the frame where the window-stay bracket was pop-rivetted into position...
The steel shank in the blind rivet has corroded in the water sitting in the frame. There are no weep holes cut into the window frame anywhere, so water can never get out. I will replace the blind rivets with sealed rivets to eliminate any future corrosion, and I will investigate how I can cut some weep holes in the frame at the bottom somewhere.
--------------------------------------------------
This is how I think these windows were assembled in the factory:
1. Place the window rubber moulding around the glass, with the join at the top.
2. Place the glass/rubber into the bottom half of the aluminium frame.
3. Cut the window rubber moulding at the top to get a neat joint.
4. Fit the top half of the aluminium frame down over the glass/rubber.
5. Screw the retaining screws in on both sides.
Obviously some sort of lubricant is required to allow the aluminium frame to slide easily over the glass/rubber moulding. Perhaps something like a smear of olive oil inside the aluminium frame channel.
If you have windows similar to the ones I have, this 'technical informtion' may help you if you ever have to dismantle them.
-----------------------------------------------------
Now the big question. Can anyone tell me if my windows are definitely Alfab windows, or are they something else?
-----------------------------------------------------
I will put a link to this thread in the Aluminium windows section of the DHL.
Thanks for struggling through this post.
cheers,
Al.
First up, apologies for the length of this post, and the huge number of photos included. Hope your computer doesn't have a meltdown.
This is a story about the fun and games I've had trying to understand a bit more about the windows on my Franklin.
Aluminium windows with a rounded corner on all four corners were used on various vans, such as this one owned by minicamper...
...and this one owned by Surf Tragic...
But this thread is about the windows that are on my "Franklin" van...
The four side windows have a join on each side of the aluminium frame, with screw heads showing either side of the joint on the inside of the frame. There is no manufacturer's name, or any other marks, anywhere on the window...
Looking at the inside of the frame, there is a black felt weather-strip around the edge...
The felt is about 4mm thick...
At the bottom of the window frame there is a small brass bracket pop-rivetted to the frame...
...which holds a brass rod that is the window-stay...
Above the top of the window there is a curved length of J-mould which acts as a rain shield...
The hinges at the top of the frame are brass, and are rivetted to the aluminium frame...
And lastly, the glass sits in the frame with a window rubber (a plastic moulding) showing on both sides of the glass...
----------------------------------------------
Now to the story about trying to dismantle the window...
No amount of careful prising of the glass rubber on either side would shift it. After a number of attempts, it dawned on me that the rubber might possibly be one complete moulding.
Then I tried to undo the screws on each side of the frame joints, but couldn't budge them. After a number of goes, I eventually threatened them that it would be in their best interests to yield a bit, and so they did.
Next I tried to separate the two halves of the frame, but there is nowhere to stick anything to try and prise them apart. But try I did, and in the process I lost my grip on the window and it fell over and the glass cracked.
"Oh goody!"
, I says. "Now I can smash the glass and get a good look at how this thing is put together!"......and lo and behold the window rubber was indeed a one-piece moulding...
Undoing the screws on the sides of the frame allowed me to separate the two halves...
...which then revealed the aluminium block that the screws are threaded into...
Just as an aside, these windows have been sitting in my shed for over two years now, ever since the restoration project was shelved for various reasons. When I took this window outside today and laid it flat on the ground, a couple of spoonfuls of water leaked out of the joint in the window rubber. When I dismantled the window frame and pulled the rubber away, at the bottom of the frame the rubber was a rust colour, and there was a rusty appearance on the inside of the frame where the window-stay bracket was pop-rivetted into position...
The steel shank in the blind rivet has corroded in the water sitting in the frame. There are no weep holes cut into the window frame anywhere, so water can never get out. I will replace the blind rivets with sealed rivets to eliminate any future corrosion, and I will investigate how I can cut some weep holes in the frame at the bottom somewhere.
--------------------------------------------------
This is how I think these windows were assembled in the factory:
1. Place the window rubber moulding around the glass, with the join at the top.
2. Place the glass/rubber into the bottom half of the aluminium frame.
3. Cut the window rubber moulding at the top to get a neat joint.
4. Fit the top half of the aluminium frame down over the glass/rubber.
5. Screw the retaining screws in on both sides.
Obviously some sort of lubricant is required to allow the aluminium frame to slide easily over the glass/rubber moulding. Perhaps something like a smear of olive oil inside the aluminium frame channel.
If you have windows similar to the ones I have, this 'technical informtion' may help you if you ever have to dismantle them.
-----------------------------------------------------
Now the big question. Can anyone tell me if my windows are definitely Alfab windows, or are they something else?
-----------------------------------------------------
I will put a link to this thread in the Aluminium windows section of the DHL.
Thanks for struggling through this post.
cheers,
Al.
