Need advice on type of tilt mechanism for Venetian Blinds

[ihatealldiy]

Hi,
The venetian blinds in my mum's old home doesn't tilt open or close. The tilt control was possibly broken - but cannot find it anywhere.

The long straight rod in the blind is a weird shape - not square or horizontal. Almost like a 3-clover but not quite. Pics attached.

I've looked at tilt control on amazon and elsewhere and basically I can find square shaped and hexagonal shaped. What shape do I need to buy to fit this and how do I measure the size?

Thanks for any help anyone!

Pics of the long rod and part before the tilt control through which the rod passes is attached.

[url=https://postimg.cc/xq0C9Zqc][/URL]

[url=https://postimg.cc/G9qptjsz][/URL]

 

[RandomGrinch]

Hi,

I'm normally all for DIY, in nearly every circumstance!

But I'm afraid in this case, I think it will be far less hassle to just replace the blind - they aren't very expensive either.

Sorry!

 

[ihatealldiy]

Hi,

I'm normally all for DIY, in nearly every circumstance!

But I'm afraid in this case, I think it will be far less hassle to just replace the blind - they aren't very expensive either.

Sorry!

It's a question of matching six windows if I replace one for her.
Any idea why blinds are so cheap on amazon(about twenty) but more expensive in say Dunelm (more like seventy)?

Am I compromising buying from Amazon? Any tips ?

 

[RandomGrinch]

It's a question of matching six windows if I replace one for her.
Any idea why blinds are so cheap on amazon(about twenty) but more expensive in say Dunelm (more like seventy)?

Am I compromising buying from Amazon? Any tips ?

Ahhh, I see.
Would it be possible to do a partial DIY fix?
Buy one cheap blind and look at swapping the slats, or even just the mechanism?
It would be a hassle to re-string everything though.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

The long straight rod in the blind is a weird shape - not square or horizontal. Almost like a 3-clover but not quite.

It's a bit difficult to google a shape that you can't even describe, isn't it? WTF is that? Hopefully someone will spot your post and recognise it.
If you can find a tilt control that is close enough but the wrong shape, then you could try gluing it. It would need to be a strong, high-quality glue that isn't runny, almost like a putty. There's probably a proper name for that too, but that's something else I don't know.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Looking at the photo - The blind tilt control, is the weird shaped alloy strip. The alloy strip can be rotated several degrees back and forth, which then raises the very thin front or rear suspension strings of the blind.

It looks as if the alloy strip has come adrift, or slid out of plastic item the alloy strip is intended to drive, to work the tilt at one end of the blind (1st photo) - possibly there should be some sort of retainer for the alloy strip, which has been lost. I doubt very much that the alloy strip would break or be to short to work - it has simply slipped out of the plastic part it is intended to drive. .

 

[RandomGrinch]

Looking at the photo - The blind tilt control, is the weird shaped alloy strip. The alloy strip can be rotated several degrees back and forth, which then raises the very thin front or rear suspension strings of the blind.

It looks as if the alloy strip has come adrift, or slid out of plastic item the alloy strip is intended to drive, to work the tilt at one end of the blind (1st photo) - possibly there should be some sort of retainer for the alloy strip, which has been lost. I doubt very much that the alloy strip would break or be to short to work - it has simply slipped out of the plastic part it is intended to drive. .

Good point Harry, the end of the bar looked like it had a brittle fracture to me, but that was an assumption!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Good point Harry, the end of the bar looked like it had a brittle fracture to me, but that was an assumption!

It is an alloy extrusion, unlikely to break. I would guess it used to has some sort of spring clip on the end, to retain the alloy strip, the clip has come off and become lost. An easy fix, if that is the case.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Best solution, as you say you have plenty of similar blinds, is to remove a working one, and carefully disassemble it to see what happen s.
Video it so you can reassemble.

Or nick the missing part out of a less used blind.

 

[ihatealldiy]

Thanks to all. The rods in all the blinds are similar - apparently all blinds were custom made.
I'll have to figure something out!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks to all. The rods in all the blinds are similar - apparently all blinds were custom made.
I'll have to figure something out!

If it is the rod, then a blob of hot melt glue on the end might be enough.