greenhouse glazing clips
 

Hello,

I need to buy some glazing clips so that I can assemble a greenhouse.

I have used galvanised W clips in the past and one or two did rust
after some years, so I was wondering about buying stainless W clips
instead. What does the group think?

I also need the Z clips that allow you to put the top pane above the
lower one. I see you can buy these in aluminium or stainless steel. Is
one better than the other, or should I buy whichever is cheapest?

Thanks,
Stephen.

greenhouse glazing clips
 

On Wednesday, 21 June 2017 12:02:20 UTC+1, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I need to buy some glazing clips so that I can assemble a greenhouse.

I have used galvanised W clips in the past and one or two did rust
after some years, so I was wondering about buying stainless W clips
instead. What does the group think?

I also need the Z clips that allow you to put the top pane above the
lower one. I see you can buy these in aluminium or stainless steel. Is
one better than the other, or should I buy whichever is cheapest?

Thanks,
Stephen.

IME, aluminium glazing clips (w and z) beat stainless steel hands down. All it takes is a little scratch in the surface and ....

OTOH, have a couple of lean-to "growhouses". These are made entirely of aluminium and are polycarbonate glazed. I need to replace the poly panels but, to do so, need to unscrew fixings between the alu struts. I have tried everything I can think of from WD40 thru all sorts of "professional" things. I cannot shift a single screw. So I wonder if the "non-corroding" properties of aluminium are what they're made out to be!

greenhouse glazing clips
 

On 23/06/2017 21:25, wrote:
IME, aluminium glazing clips (w and z) beat stainless steel hands down. All it takes is a little scratch in the surface and ....

You have a scratched stainless steel clip. If it corrodes at the
scratch, it wasn't stainless steel, and was probably mild steel
passivated using nickel plating or similar.

Aluminium, on the other hand, gets brittle with age, in my experience.

OTOH, have a couple of lean-to "growhouses". These are made entirely of aluminium and are polycarbonate glazed. I need to replace the poly panels but, to do so, need to unscrew fixings between the alu struts. I have tried everything I can think of from WD40 thru all sorts of "professional" things. I cannot shift a single screw. So I wonder if the "non-corroding" properties of aluminium are what they're made out to be!

Using steel screws in aluminium will lead to corrosion of the aluminium
inside the screw hole, which causes it to expand and make the screws
seize solid. That's if the aluminium doesn't dissolve round the screw,
letting it fall out.

They are not easy to extract...

I'd recommend using aluminium pop rivets when you re-glaze it, and
resign yourself to drilling them out next time it needs re-glazing.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

greenhouse glazing clips
 

On 23/06/17 21:25, wrote:
On Wednesday, 21 June 2017 12:02:20 UTC+1, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I need to buy some glazing clips so that I can assemble a
greenhouse.

I have used galvanised W clips in the past and one or two did rust
after some years, so I was wondering about buying stainless W
clips instead. What does the group think?

I also need the Z clips that allow you to put the top pane above
the lower one. I see you can buy these in aluminium or stainless
steel. Is one better than the other, or should I buy whichever is
cheapest?

Thanks, Stephen.

IME, aluminium glazing clips (w and z) beat stainless steel hands
down. All it takes is a little scratch in the surface and ....

I've never seen aluminium glazing clips; I'm surprised they have the
strength needed to keep the glazing in.

OTOH, have a couple of lean-to "growhouses". These are made entirely
of aluminium and are polycarbonate glazed. I need to replace the poly
panels but, to do so, need to unscrew fixings between the alu struts.
I have tried everything I can think of from WD40 thru all sorts of
"professional" things. I cannot shift a single screw. So I wonder if
the "non-corroding" properties of aluminium are what they're made out
to be!

Are you sure they are made of aluminium? Those supplied by Norfolk are
made of galvanised steel. I'm not sure what the screws are made from.

Is there any possibility of an electrochemical reaction between steel
screws and aluminium supports which might lead to them being very
difficult to remove?

--

Jeff