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mosquito screens (DIY?)
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Volksaholic
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

vermontgirl wrote:
i love the idea of having the hatch door open just a little bit if having it wide open isn't an option. is there any actual name to the things you all have crafted to make this work or did you make them yourselves? sorry... i should probably know what they are but i haven't really seen it before.

I made mine from those J-hooks that are available at any hardware store. I included a "before and after" pic in my previous post. I already had a torch out and was going to make one from some other steel rod when I saw the J-hooks in my hardware stash. It was easy to make, but it took heating, bending, brazing, and grinding... not something the casual Vanagon owner is set up to do. GoWesty sells their lock extension for about $30, which seems like a fair price if you're not set up to make your own.

Paul
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dhaavers
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Same thing, different (& admittedly low-tech):
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

You need:
- a bolt (4" to 6", your choice)
- a vice
- a hammer
- a nut
- super glue

Bend the last 1" of the bolt at right angles, add the nut & glue to lock in place. DONE!

TOTAL: $1.07 or junk laying around the garage.
TIME: about 5 minutes.

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to camp around here without the hatch up & screen in place.
I also plan to make the front window socks & I wish I had the time &/or guts to do the rear side window sliders or jalousie mod.
The hatch screen will have to do.

SLIDER SCREEN:
Possible to forget the zipper & just overlap 2 pieces @ the center?
I think it'd be easier than messing with a zipper & they would drape
together with enough overlap to stay bug-free...
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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childofthewind
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhaavers wrote:
Same thing, different (& admittedly low-tech):
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

You need:
- a bolt (4" to 6", your choice)
- a vice
- a hammer
- a nut
- super glue

Bend the last 1" of the bolt at right angles, add the nut & glue to lock in place. DONE!

TOTAL: $1.07 or junk laying around the garage.
TIME: about 5 minutes.

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to camp around here without the hatch up & screen in place.
I also plan to make the front window socks & I wish I had the time &/or guts to do the rear side window sliders or jalousie mod.
The hatch screen will have to do.

SLIDER SCREEN:
Possible to forget the zipper & just overlap 2 pieces @ the center?
I think it'd be easier than messing with a zipper & they would drape
together with enough overlap to stay bug-free...
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


brilliant! this i can do.

ps: love the beagle
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Timwhy
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I saw a persons slider screen that was weighted at the bottom of the screen. It also was of the
overlap model and was attached to the van by way of the curtain rails' glides. I know that this
may not help those with a tin-top but you could always add a cord or rod on the top to span the
distance.
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campism
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My bride made our slider screen that looks a lot like the commercial ones except that instead of a zipper ours overlaps slightly in the center and we use magnets sewn into the vinyl edging material to hold the two flaps together. You push it open to enter or exit and the flaps fall back together and stick. Seems to work pretty well. Also, the bottom hem of each flap is weighted with BBs so it rests against the floor.

She ordered no-see-um netting that is a much finer screen than normal.
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Volksaholic
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

campism wrote:
My bride made our slider screen that looks a lot like the commercial ones except that instead of a zipper ours overlaps slightly in the center and we use magnets sewn into the vinyl edging material to hold the two flaps together.

I used Rare Earth (neodymium... sp?) to attach my screen to the body, but I imagine one would want a more conventional ceramic or some such magnet for the overlap. I'm not speaking from experience, but I suspect you could claw through the screen without opening the flap if you have it held shut with mating Rare Earth magnets! Smile

Paul
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Love My Westy
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We use sticky velcro (hook side) attached to the underside of the rain gutter for the full width of the sliding door, and some 6" pieces running down the sides. The center of the screens overlap by about a foot, and some 1-1/2" rocks are sewn into the lower hem which hangs outside the door about 8" below the door frame. A notch is cut into the top to allow the screen to fit over the slider guide. Non sticky velcro (loop side) is sewn to the soft flexible tent screening, full length across the top including about 1-1/2" of it on the side that falls on the other sided of the slider guide. Then 6" pieces are spaced down the sides. The overlapping screen makes it far superior to anything with zippers or snaps as you can easily walk through it and it will serve to wipe the mosquitos off your back.

The down side is that you can't close the door with the screen in place, but it's not that big of deal for us. We just remove the velcro from the inside as the door closes, gather the net up and stow it. You don't need the net when the door is closed. It's easy enough to put it back up when the door is opened.
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Andross
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 2:36 pm    Post subject: Re: mosquito screens (DIY?) Reply with quote

Considering ordering the rear hatch and or sliding door screens from GW, but they come in an early model and a late model version? How are they different?

I have an 86' tin-top with the AC plenums removed and no cabinetry in either area. I wish they would give the dimensions and forget about model years...

Thanks in advance!
-Andrew
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campism
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 3:19 pm    Post subject: Re: mosquito screens (DIY?) Reply with quote

Here's a pic or two of the screen for the slider that I mentioned above and years ago, with the setup clipped to the outside of the van for demo purposes. The bottom hem is weighted with BBs and usually rests on the van floor when in use, but can also hang outside the doorway. We installed snaps along the upper edge and on both jambs to anchor the screen inside. No-see-um netting keeps out the pests.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


This shows how the magnets are stitched into the center stiles. On approach you just slip a hand or elbow into the seam and it parts easily.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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ak_runner
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:30 pm    Post subject: Re: mosquito screens (DIY?) Reply with quote

I have one of the premade ones for my slider from a vender but never installed it as it does not fully seal the door opening and Alaskan mosquitos are smart enough to get around it.
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fxr
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 8:17 am    Post subject: Re: mosquito screens (DIY?) Reply with quote

We fitted the Busdepot slider screen - https://www.busdepot.com/255413

It can be made to fit very tightly - it has kept us midge and mozzy free.

Note the fitting instructions should be used as a guide, not as gospel. A few extra snaps were needed to cope with fire extinguishers etc.

Here's the write-up:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=775674
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Irishcalifornian
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 8:45 am    Post subject: Re: mosquito screens (DIY?) Reply with quote

I bought the GoWesty screen about 4 years ago.
Well made, great for mosquitos but the gnats/midges still make their way through it.
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