Fly Screens 5

Now the big windows of the bedroom and living on the first floor, on the east side. No old fly screens, though they definitely have been here, seeing the evidence...

I counted 50, weighed them: 3g. All together these weigh 36 grams, so ca. 600 staples.

Fly screen 4b

Yesterday: 123 staples. Well, no. As you ar sanding, more show up. 8 more!

Fly Screens 4

Are you sick and tired of my window frames and fly screens too? I am sympathetic with me too. This wood may be sanded heavily... It is not rotten! Only the top layer is weather-beaten.

 123 staples. PIGS!


Correction: 131. While sanding 8 more showed up.

 Lucky this is a window that is accessible from the outside. (Bath room 2)

And the fly screen, also made today. Of the last bits of aluminium corner stuff. The aluminium is now all used, all 15 pieces of 2 meters. And the Lopez is out of stock, because we bought the whole supply. And, as everyone at the aluminium center is now on holiday new supplies will only be available in September.. That is not even "mañana"..

Fly Screens 3

, it keeps a man occupied.

Fly Screens 2

Now the screens for the two big windows. A bit bigger aluminium profiles, 1.5 cm. Each a day work, but they work! Immediately after installing a few flies could not get out.

A bit of a nasty surprise with window number two: I had not seen that there is a sill/beam on the lower end of the window that sticks a centimeter beyond the window frame when the window is closed. So, you cannot install the fly screen in the window frame, because this beam will push the fly screen our of the window frame. Which explains why the old fly screen was loose on the underside, too. It was stapled onto the window frame, but also detached when the window was closed.

So, the fly screen needs a hinge at the top, so it automatically gets pushed out a bit when the window is closed. No problemo señor.

Fly screens

Now the old fly screens skilfully have been removed from the window frames, the mosquito's game was on. And yes, there are mosquitos here, now and then. Probably related to the irrigation of the orchards here. Sometimes some puddles of water remain. I am very attractive for mosquitos. Even with evening showers, and DEET. So, a new job: about ten fly screens need making.

Bought aluminium angular profiles, 1cm x 2 meter, labelled "hoekprofiel". Yes, the stuff is imported from The Netherlands. And a whole roll of fly screen screen, 30 meters for 40 €.

The first fly screen took a whole day, the second just a few hours and only a quarter of the curses. And it turns out quite well, thank you. Dark wood with a strip of aluminium looks quite good!

I had expected the tensioning of the screens would be quite a job, but it isn't. The screen stuff is not elastic. Only a little bit. So it's quite right when first put in it's frame. Which was nice. And it saves a lot of cursing.

Fly curtain

The house had a nice fly screen of metal chains. After the transfer of the house it had vanished, however. "Everything minus a number of things" apparently was no guarantee for the staying behind of the fly screen.

Last year there were few flies. Now there are a few, so better get a fly screen. No tacky coloured plastic strips please, we want nice metal chains.

← You can buy bags with 100 meter aluminium chains here, and special rails.

And lo.

The chains that were here till last year were heavier, but aluminium is good enough.