I should have said: The window gives us the size and shape of the shutters. Not the design. Unsolved is the hinge mechanism. How do I keep them open given the winds we have around here?
ceg
shutters
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phil
- Has many leather bound books
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Re: shutters
few ideas :
you could design a spring loaded friction device onto the hinge pin so it could be opened and closed but with some degree of resistance.
You could put hooks on the shutters so they could be hooked to the building when open. the downside is that it might freak people with fear of heights out to have to lean out the window a little to latch them open.
the shutters could be sprung so if they were let free they would come to rest at the outside of the building and to close them you'd have to overcome the spring and hook them together. then you could just unhook them and they'd spring open. you'd need rubber bumpers to stop them from crashing into the outside of the building.
- along those lines but more ellegant would be to incorporate a bit of metal into the hings so that when the window closed it also climbed a circular wedge. this way you wouldn't need to use a spring. In order for the window to close , it would also lift the window slightly. the effect would be similar to being sprung open but instead of stretching a spring it could make the window climb a little as it closed. thinking a bit further, the "circular wedge" could have it's peak at the half open point so the shutter would want to either fully close or fully open but the weight acting on the wedge would not allow it to sit on it's own in any other position. parts would need to be made from brass or stainless and greased occasionally.
other solutions might involve a rod or crescent shaped piece near the windowsill but I'd try to avoid designs that clutter the sill. a crank opener would work but it would look dumb.
you could make it so the shutter had to be lifted and then would fall into indents.
you could use a system where you have a spring behind a captive ball bearing that falls into detents so the window could hinge normally but would encounter resistance in some positions.
If you look at how they do it on most car doors, they usually have a flat spring and a roller and they are designed to hold the door open. for example if you parked on an uphill slope you'd probably still be able to open your car door without it closing under it's own weight. you could copy ideas from that mechanism, possibly even use the springy part from an auto wrecker.
I think my favorite would be a simple latch to lock them either open against the walls outside or closed and latched together for security. I'd just use the common type you often see on gates and things, the hook shaped thing and an eyelet. they really only need two positions, fully open or fully closed.
I would make the shutters from iron not wood but that's just what I think would look nice. Id' try to copy wrought iron work but just use cold rolled steel and hammer it to get the wrought iron look. Just an opinion I think it would suit the robust look of the rest of the place if they were iron instead of wood.
you could design a spring loaded friction device onto the hinge pin so it could be opened and closed but with some degree of resistance.
You could put hooks on the shutters so they could be hooked to the building when open. the downside is that it might freak people with fear of heights out to have to lean out the window a little to latch them open.
the shutters could be sprung so if they were let free they would come to rest at the outside of the building and to close them you'd have to overcome the spring and hook them together. then you could just unhook them and they'd spring open. you'd need rubber bumpers to stop them from crashing into the outside of the building.
- along those lines but more ellegant would be to incorporate a bit of metal into the hings so that when the window closed it also climbed a circular wedge. this way you wouldn't need to use a spring. In order for the window to close , it would also lift the window slightly. the effect would be similar to being sprung open but instead of stretching a spring it could make the window climb a little as it closed. thinking a bit further, the "circular wedge" could have it's peak at the half open point so the shutter would want to either fully close or fully open but the weight acting on the wedge would not allow it to sit on it's own in any other position. parts would need to be made from brass or stainless and greased occasionally.
other solutions might involve a rod or crescent shaped piece near the windowsill but I'd try to avoid designs that clutter the sill. a crank opener would work but it would look dumb.
you could make it so the shutter had to be lifted and then would fall into indents.
you could use a system where you have a spring behind a captive ball bearing that falls into detents so the window could hinge normally but would encounter resistance in some positions.
If you look at how they do it on most car doors, they usually have a flat spring and a roller and they are designed to hold the door open. for example if you parked on an uphill slope you'd probably still be able to open your car door without it closing under it's own weight. you could copy ideas from that mechanism, possibly even use the springy part from an auto wrecker.
I think my favorite would be a simple latch to lock them either open against the walls outside or closed and latched together for security. I'd just use the common type you often see on gates and things, the hook shaped thing and an eyelet. they really only need two positions, fully open or fully closed.
I would make the shutters from iron not wood but that's just what I think would look nice. Id' try to copy wrought iron work but just use cold rolled steel and hammer it to get the wrought iron look. Just an opinion I think it would suit the robust look of the rest of the place if they were iron instead of wood.
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phil
- Has many leather bound books
- Posts: 4616
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
- Location: Near Vancouver BC
Re: shutters
[quote="phil"]few ideas :
you could design a spring loaded friction device onto the hinge pin so it could be opened and closed but with some degree of resistance.
You could put hooks on the shutters so they could be hooked to the building when open. the downside is that it might freak people with fear of heights out to have to lean out the window a little to latch them open.
the shutters could be sprung so if they were let free they would come to rest at the outside of the building and to close them you'd have to overcome the spring and hook them together. then you could just unhook them and they'd spring open. you'd need rubber bumpers to stop them from crashing into the outside of the building.
- along those lines but more ellegant would be to incorporate a bit of metal into the hings so that when the window closed it also climbed a circular wedge. this way you wouldn't need to use a spring. In order for the window to close , it would also lift the window slightly. the effect would be similar to being sprung open but instead of stretching a spring it could make the window climb a little as it closed. thinking a bit further, the "circular wedge" could have it's peak at the half open point so the shutter would want to either fully close or fully open but the weight acting on the wedge would not allow it to sit on it's own in any other position. parts would need to be made from brass or stainless and greased occasionally.
other solutions might involve a rod or crescent shaped piece near the windowsill but I'd try to avoid designs that clutter the sill. a crank opener would work but it would look dumb.
you could make it so the shutter had to be lifted and then would fall into indents.
you could use a system where you have a spring behind a captive ball bearing that falls into detents so the window could hinge normally but would encounter resistance in some positions.
you could use a good magnet, like a modern one, a rare earth magnet and use that to hold the window open perhaps a latch inside to lock them closed and together. the drawback is that if others went to close them they wouldn't be expecting strong magnets to be holding them open. But once you knew how they worked you could just give them a yank to pull them away from the wall where they are stuck by magnetism.
If you look at how they do it on most car doors, they usually have a flat spring and a roller and they are designed to hold the door open. for example if you parked on an uphill slope you'd probably still be able to open your car door without it closing under it's own weight. you could copy ideas from that mechanism, possibly even use the springy part from an auto wrecker.
I think my favorite would be a simple latch to lock them either open against the walls outside or closed and latched together for security. I'd just use the common type you often see on gates and things, the hook shaped thing and an eyelet. they really only need two positions, fully open or fully closed.
I would make the shutters from iron not wood but that's just what I think would look nice. Id' try to copy wrought iron work but just use cold rolled steel and hammer it to get the wrought iron look. Just an opinion I think it would suit the robust look of the rest of the place if they were iron instead of wood.
you could design a spring loaded friction device onto the hinge pin so it could be opened and closed but with some degree of resistance.
You could put hooks on the shutters so they could be hooked to the building when open. the downside is that it might freak people with fear of heights out to have to lean out the window a little to latch them open.
the shutters could be sprung so if they were let free they would come to rest at the outside of the building and to close them you'd have to overcome the spring and hook them together. then you could just unhook them and they'd spring open. you'd need rubber bumpers to stop them from crashing into the outside of the building.
- along those lines but more ellegant would be to incorporate a bit of metal into the hings so that when the window closed it also climbed a circular wedge. this way you wouldn't need to use a spring. In order for the window to close , it would also lift the window slightly. the effect would be similar to being sprung open but instead of stretching a spring it could make the window climb a little as it closed. thinking a bit further, the "circular wedge" could have it's peak at the half open point so the shutter would want to either fully close or fully open but the weight acting on the wedge would not allow it to sit on it's own in any other position. parts would need to be made from brass or stainless and greased occasionally.
other solutions might involve a rod or crescent shaped piece near the windowsill but I'd try to avoid designs that clutter the sill. a crank opener would work but it would look dumb.
you could make it so the shutter had to be lifted and then would fall into indents.
you could use a system where you have a spring behind a captive ball bearing that falls into detents so the window could hinge normally but would encounter resistance in some positions.
you could use a good magnet, like a modern one, a rare earth magnet and use that to hold the window open perhaps a latch inside to lock them closed and together. the drawback is that if others went to close them they wouldn't be expecting strong magnets to be holding them open. But once you knew how they worked you could just give them a yank to pull them away from the wall where they are stuck by magnetism.
If you look at how they do it on most car doors, they usually have a flat spring and a roller and they are designed to hold the door open. for example if you parked on an uphill slope you'd probably still be able to open your car door without it closing under it's own weight. you could copy ideas from that mechanism, possibly even use the springy part from an auto wrecker.
I think my favorite would be a simple latch to lock them either open against the walls outside or closed and latched together for security. I'd just use the common type you often see on gates and things, the hook shaped thing and an eyelet. they really only need two positions, fully open or fully closed.
I would make the shutters from iron not wood but that's just what I think would look nice. Id' try to copy wrought iron work but just use cold rolled steel and hammer it to get the wrought iron look. Just an opinion I think it would suit the robust look of the rest of the place if they were iron instead of wood.
Re: shutters
If I were designing something new, I might go the route of the circular wedge. But the object is to discover what was meant by the architect.
That being said, Heights does not bother me as I have recently designed and drawn a proposed fire escape which would essentially become a balcony under these windows. (yah, the clash between original and necessary upgrades. I will match the building so they look original.)
I like the idea of gravity holding them open or closed. Too bad the tops of these hinges are flat. I would have to retrofit every one of them.
As for material, I was thinking of closed cell Styrofoam (the pink stuff) with a weather proof coating (something like Gigacrete but I need to run experiments to see if this will work). The requirements are to make them strong, light weight, and isolative.
The outer hinge will have to be cast. They could be decretive at no extra cost. Whatever the choice, they must appear to be period. They must match the building. Perhaps taking a design from the metal ceiling to bring the inside to the outside would work.
(When it comes to the metal ceiling, I will create a new thread. Some of that is damaged or missing and needs replaced I will need to send pictures and measurements for those.)
Back to the hinge: Thanks for the suggestions. Remember: Keep it simple. There is genius in simplicity. The Stanley Steamer had only twelve moving parts.
ceg
That being said, Heights does not bother me as I have recently designed and drawn a proposed fire escape which would essentially become a balcony under these windows. (yah, the clash between original and necessary upgrades. I will match the building so they look original.)
I like the idea of gravity holding them open or closed. Too bad the tops of these hinges are flat. I would have to retrofit every one of them.
As for material, I was thinking of closed cell Styrofoam (the pink stuff) with a weather proof coating (something like Gigacrete but I need to run experiments to see if this will work). The requirements are to make them strong, light weight, and isolative.
The outer hinge will have to be cast. They could be decretive at no extra cost. Whatever the choice, they must appear to be period. They must match the building. Perhaps taking a design from the metal ceiling to bring the inside to the outside would work.
(When it comes to the metal ceiling, I will create a new thread. Some of that is damaged or missing and needs replaced I will need to send pictures and measurements for those.)
Back to the hinge: Thanks for the suggestions. Remember: Keep it simple. There is genius in simplicity. The Stanley Steamer had only twelve moving parts.
ceg
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phil
- Has many leather bound books
- Posts: 4616
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
- Location: Near Vancouver BC
Re: shutters
if you really wanted lightweight and insulated you could use pour in place foam, or the stuff in the cans. It can be sprayed into simple molds and then fiberglassed. you can encase metal or wood for strength if you want to. It's a cheap way of making some pretty elaborate shapes. for example if you made one master set of cheap pine with detail you liked and used that covered in shrink wrap. to make a mold you just put it in a cardboard box and spray the foam around it , using thin plastic to separate layers. It would be a two part mold. You could just use the lid of a cardboard box, fill it up half way, drop a sheet of plastic over the foam then press your pine one down into the still wet foam. then when dry, flip the works over and do a second mold in another cardboard box lid. when you take it apart he plastic will stick to the foam but you can pull it off. there might be some touch ups to the foam if there are air holes and such in the foam but you can easily trim it with a knife or add more material with the spray can.
once you had that then you could just spray in the foam to make more.. so your copies made from the mold are just made of the foam.
Once you have your foam shaped like shutters, then coat the foam with fiberglass and epoxy or polyester resin, use gelcoat for the color. you could add wood or metal to the design such as maybe a metal frame. It would be weatherproof, lightweight , probably look good from the street. of course when you opened them you'd feel that they weren't made of the cast iron or wood that you are replicating. a couple layers of fiberglass encasing the foam is pretty strong, you can double or triple the layers if you want even more. you could get even more detail if you used fiberglass molds. If you wanted a more intricate detailed design. even heavy cast iron looking hinges could be part of the mold but you'd have to encase metal parts inside for strength , or course the hinge pins should be metal or something a bit tougher than fiberglass. magnets would be a simple way to hold them open or closed. If the wind caught them , they would just stick in the open or closed position.
I think the materials would be pretty inexpensive by comparison to having wood shutters and way less than having an ironworker make repro cast iron ones. you could just brush the gelcoat on for the color. It's just lke thick paint but since it is polyester too it sticks and becomes part of the fiberglass rather than a coating that could flake off. it's the gelcoat that makes it really waterproof.
to get started you could just make one little window a foot square or so to iron out the process. I think it would go really fast once you got a system worked out. maybe attach the hinge pins to a bit of metal for strength and bury that metal in the fiberglass to tie the pins into the structure. I'd use stainless pins with stainless washers to fit the captive part of the hinge that you already have.
Phil
once you had that then you could just spray in the foam to make more.. so your copies made from the mold are just made of the foam.
Once you have your foam shaped like shutters, then coat the foam with fiberglass and epoxy or polyester resin, use gelcoat for the color. you could add wood or metal to the design such as maybe a metal frame. It would be weatherproof, lightweight , probably look good from the street. of course when you opened them you'd feel that they weren't made of the cast iron or wood that you are replicating. a couple layers of fiberglass encasing the foam is pretty strong, you can double or triple the layers if you want even more. you could get even more detail if you used fiberglass molds. If you wanted a more intricate detailed design. even heavy cast iron looking hinges could be part of the mold but you'd have to encase metal parts inside for strength , or course the hinge pins should be metal or something a bit tougher than fiberglass. magnets would be a simple way to hold them open or closed. If the wind caught them , they would just stick in the open or closed position.
I think the materials would be pretty inexpensive by comparison to having wood shutters and way less than having an ironworker make repro cast iron ones. you could just brush the gelcoat on for the color. It's just lke thick paint but since it is polyester too it sticks and becomes part of the fiberglass rather than a coating that could flake off. it's the gelcoat that makes it really waterproof.
to get started you could just make one little window a foot square or so to iron out the process. I think it would go really fast once you got a system worked out. maybe attach the hinge pins to a bit of metal for strength and bury that metal in the fiberglass to tie the pins into the structure. I'd use stainless pins with stainless washers to fit the captive part of the hinge that you already have.
Phil
Re: shutters
Hmm, not bad. Lot's of good ideas, thanks.
ceg
ceg