Cutting Vinyl Blinds Shorter Than Recommended

I wrote about blinds a few weeks ago and told you I was going to share how I cut them down shorter than they suggest or state on the box. 


They have a long length of steel bar on the inside of the top mechanism box. I had these cut down at the store as short as they would go as the windows in the basement are the same size. 

I got home and neither set would fit in the one bedroom window even though they are the same style and size of window so I guess when they put it in, they made the frame around it a bit thinner than the other window. 

The blinds were cut down as far as they could with the metal steel bar on the inside. I wondered if I could cut the steel rod on the inside and thought it couldn't hurt to try since I had the blinds and now couldn't use them as the window was a bit small.

I used a hack saw to cut the metal box around the  end I was planning on cutting. The top picture is of the dremel tool with the cutting blade. The second picture is showing the extra length of steel rod that really doesn't do anything in the box top. The third picture is me showing how I cut off the box around the steel rod so that the rod is exposed and I know how much of the rod to cut off. 

 
I got out my handy dandy dremel tool and put on a cutting tip. I was able to cut through the steel rod down about a half inch as you can see in the photo, it is hanging down just before it fell off. I wanted you to be able to see how it was cut and how much. I am sure I could have cut off more but I didn't need to but if you do, it can be done. 

The picture with the glasses is in there to remind me to tell you that when using a tool with ANY metal item, use glasses to protect your eyes as tiny metal pieces fly around when the tool is spinning and cutting. 


Working in the ER, I saw several people come in with tiny metal shards in the eyes due to just this thing. I myself have gotten wooden splinters of dust from sawing and just yesterday, I was using my drill with a grinding stone on it to sand out some rough edges on my trailer awning so it would go up and down smoother. I wore glasses knowing how those flecks of metal fly. Always be safer than sorry! 


The last two pictures are of the blind in the window. It will make it so much easier to open and close the blinds now that they have a pull chord rather than the twisty thing to open and close them. 

I always had to thin plastic blinds in there and so much light came through in the mornings that it would wake guests early. Now, we have the easier blinds and I think they are easier to clean as well. I used to have to take the others in the shower with me and use a scrub brush.

Yahoo for getting another project done! Princess Five now has the larger blinds in her room and opens them often where she NEVER opened the other blinds. It is nice to have more light in her room now. 

In the past month, I have replaced five sets of blinds in the house. I feel so enlightened!