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Date:         Tue, 15 Jun 1999 21:09:26 EDT
Reply-To:     CarlMarin@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Carl Turner <CarlMarin@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Replacing pop top bug screen the manly way.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

In a message dated 6/15/99 3:30:36 PM Mountain Daylight Time, LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

> Replacing pop top bug screen? What of it?

We replaced our screen in our Westie. All it takes is some work. Easier than replacing the canvas I think in the long run and quicker than bitching about it for years :^0 We used a good quality screen mesh material from the Surplus store, fiberglass based rather than the flimsy plastic that was in there before. Its also a dark green in color rather than the original white which makes looking in during the daytime less of a problem.

Anyway, on to the basic concept. You need to cut out the screen to the proper size, use the old one for a pattern if any of its left, we made a paper template as ours was completely gone. We sized it so that it was loose, wouldn't be stressed by the canvas and we knew that these things always end up tighter than you think after the sewing is done so we were generous, left an extra 1/2 inch all the way around. Next, we sewed on some cotton edging material to the screen similar to the original, this we could do on a machine in the house. The edging is just some 1 inch material folded over on itself, you can buy it at the fabric store in all sorts of festive colors. We stuck with tan. Our original stuff was rotten so we didn't try to reuse it.

Now the task is to stitch the screen to the zipper. On ours we had to also replace to the zipper so we figured out how it had to fit from looking at the remnants on the canvas, machine sewed it onto the screen. If your zipper is still good your task will be somewhat more straightforward. You need to rip the stitching from the old screen to the zipper down into the canvas seams. Get a seam ripper from the fabric store, makes the job much easier. On ours we ripped the seam holding the zipper to the canvas as we were stitching in a new one but the principle is the the same. You need to fix the screen in place about where it needs to go using straight pins (fabric store item again) You then basically replace the stitching by hand using two needles, working from both sides and using the existing holes from the original stitching. Not really that hard, just tedious. Do it in one hour sessions and you will be done in less than a couple of years ;^) Of course we did a double row of stitching just as the original was done. If you look at a cross section of the seam you will have what looks like a continuous figure 8 pattern formed by the two threads going in and out, each hole will have a thread going through it from both directions, get it? Very strong and won't rip out if it fails in one place as it would if you were to be able to make one of those cheezy hand sewing machines work as they only form a chain stitch. Fail in one place and it just zips open all the way around pretty quick. Besides, these machines won't work worth crap on thick material anyway, actually, they don't work worth crap on anything come to think of it. Someone like to buy mine?

If you are sewing to the zipper the effort is pretty easy but you will still need to sew the bottom edge to the canvass capturing it in the bottom seam from the flap (which you had to rip open of course) and do some big seams in the corners. Use a thimble to save your hands, have a pair of pliers to get through the hard parts. I guess you could use some seam sealer from the camping store to finish off with but we didn't bother with ours and it hasn't leaked in the rain (mostly under the canvas flap after all.

Total cost for the job, about 10 bucks. Please, I don't need to hear about how your time is too valuable to do any work like this. That's your problem, not mine. Hard and (nearly) pointless work is ennobling to the human spirit after all. Busy people with the real valuable time will just have to live with the bugs I guess ;^) (Maybe busy people with the extra valuable time shouldn't own Westfalias anyway. United Airlines gets there faster :^(

Regards,

C Turner 84 and 85 Westies from Hell.


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