A wiper blade handy tip

[rpmerrill]

I use my windshield wipers rarely. If it's even thinking about raining, the Admiral ain't going. Sometimes I hit a wave that splashes up on the windshield.... Admiral says, "Slow down!"

Just got done watching a short IMTRA video on wiper maintenance and thought of my old idea.
Wiper blades (especially mine) sit idle a lot. In the heat and the sun, they tend to take a permanent set. After a long idle period, when you turn on the wipers they chatter in one direction and then go smooth (but don't really wipe) in the other direction. With four wipers going at the same time It could drive you crazy.

I've used this on my little old British car and on the boat. I put a wine cork between the wiper arm and the window/window frame. This keeps the rubber blade about a half inch off the window. Nice and relaxed and in it's natural state. So far, over three years, the blades are still good.

Nice thing is, when you turn on the wipers, the corks drop down and (usually) go overboard. Don't worry, I know where to get more corks.

 

[NorthernFocus]

I love simple, inexpensive ideas like this. In this case not one that I'm likely to utilize. Ours get plenty of exercise 🙁

 

[bluestreak]

I'll have to save my wine corks.

 

[Toki]

Great idea, and a fine reason to drink 4 bottles of wine!

 

[yorangerjim]

I will drink to that

 

[ohioan55]

Wait a minute so that I can open another bottle of wine! My wife will like this a lot. As far as the admiral/captain relationship, I would tell the admiral 'unless you want to relieve me of command, as long as I'm the captain of this ship (boat) and will command accordingly'.. Let me know how this goes and maybe I'll try it on my Admiral!

 

[rpmerrill]

Chicken !

 

[ohioan55]

I see you're from Easton. Think there will be a Waterfowl festival this year? We missed it last year, and plan on going, if possible.

 

[ohioan55]

PS.. Wise, not chicken..

 

[rpmerrill]

I haven't heard anything. Md hasn't hit the peak yet, but November is a long way off.

Seeing that there is an election in Nov., we should be about as healthy as can be. (Depends who you are listening to. )

 

[SLyle01]

The newer R27s have the curved, 2 piece windshields. Great for visibility, but same old wiper system: basically USELESS.
Any suggestions?

 

[rehurst]

Might be a good time to remind folks that cork going overboard makes floating debris and plastic corks (most are nowadays) overboard is wrong.

 

[Chimo]

Might be a good time to remind folks that cork going overboard makes floating debris and plastic corks (most are nowadays) overboard is wrong.

You're absolutely correct! What's more, those corks are difficult to avoid when they get mixed in with all the logs that are floating out there in the Salish Sea. 😉 Next thing you know someone will invent plastic deadheads!

Cheers

Food for thought............... Isn't a plastic bottle closing device actually a stopper?

 

[rpmerrill]

But we're talking wine here.
Let's get our priorities straight.

Real cork, corks!
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. And all that stuff.
Relax.

 

[ohioan55]

You could always thread a piece of linen thread through the cork and secure it to something so that it just drops out of the way and can still be retrieved for use later. I don't think I'd secure it to the wiper arm of shaft though. Just a thought.