Oiling a sunblind

[JohnN]

Anyone got any bright ideas?
I've got a couple of largish sun blinds, in cassettes, that wind out over our back windows by means of a gearbox at the end of each roller. I oil the joints and ends of the rollers every year, but they are fairly old and, though in good nick, have started to squeak slightly, seemingly from the centre of the cassettes, which are 8 feet long.
Any suggestions of how to get lubricant into the "core" - I've tried sqirting WD40 along the roll when its fully out, but still squeaks and I don't want to risk damaging the fabric.
Thanks, John N.

[Ricard with an H]

Hi John.

I have very little experience of blinds though I do have experience of keeping various materials lubricated and "Oil" or "WD40" whilst being suited to many things may be the wrong lubricant in this case.

I think you need to be looking at silicone spray or silicone gel, I also think you need to let the dog see the rabbit which is possibly going to be difficult for you.

When I fitted our blinds I made a note of what was likely to need attention, it is the string going over nylon-type rollers. What happens to make them stop working ? A multitude of spider nests during the period you leave the blinds in one position ?

I'm making a guess John, the guess is based on what I found over years. A door that isn't opened regularly for most of the year can get stuck with spider nests. Some of my blinds are getting sticky but I can easily remove them and i'll use silicone spray.

Warning, if you get silicone spray on any paintwork you'll never get to paint over successfully unless you use a silicone remover paste.