Hi folks,
Greetings! We're looking to replace some balances. The bottom shoe, however, has a width of 1 1/16", so I don't know if we should use the 15-001 or 15-002 shoe. What is your recommendation?
Thanks much, John :)
Series 351 or 390?
Handy Person from Sanford, FL
Oct 18, 2018 10:50 pm
2 user uploaded images
4 Replies
Tom from SWISCO
Oct 19, 2018 1:07 pm
Good question, John. Since your shoe is more than 1", we should guess that it probably wore down. A nylon part wearing down is a lot more common than it expanding. That means it likely was originally 1-1/8" like 15-001.
Handy Person from Sanford, FL
Oct 20, 2018 7:21 pm
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your input. That would make sense, except that these windows have not had that many opens and closes. I really doubt that 1/16" worn off. So let me ask a couple further questions:
- Is it possible that the original shoe was manufactured as 1 1/16", and you just don't carry an exact match for it?
- If I were to install a smaller than appropriate shoe (e.g., 1"), would it work? What would the potential problems be (windows having too much left-right play?)?
- If I were to install a larger than appropriate shoe (e.g., 1 1/8"), would it work? What would the potential problems be (windows not having sufficient left-right play to slide down over the shoes and thus not closing all the way?)?
Thanks for your input. That would make sense, except that these windows have not had that many opens and closes. I really doubt that 1/16" worn off. So let me ask a couple further questions:
- Is it possible that the original shoe was manufactured as 1 1/16", and you just don't carry an exact match for it?
- If I were to install a smaller than appropriate shoe (e.g., 1"), would it work? What would the potential problems be (windows having too much left-right play?)?
- If I were to install a larger than appropriate shoe (e.g., 1 1/8"), would it work? What would the potential problems be (windows not having sufficient left-right play to slide down over the shoes and thus not closing all the way?)?
Tom from SWISCO
Oct 22, 2018 8:08 am
Heat and time by themselves can shrink nylon, too. I wouldn't think too far into it, regardless, because we are not aware of a 1-1/16" shoe ever being produced, and we see a handful of these a day.
That being said, the safest bet is to overestimate rather than underestimate. A smaller-than-needed shoe will cause wiggling and therefore undue strain on the balance. A larger shoe can be filed down to the necessary size in the worst case scenario (which is mostly a "company line"; I've personally never had a customer need to do that for a shoe that measured 1-1/16").
I'm confident that if the shoe is noticeably greater than 1", 15-001 will work.
