Topic: Making a frame from a greenhouse

[davee52uk]

I have found some greenhouse bits - an aluninium frame, no glass with som parts of the frame missing. I already have a greenhouse and fancy making a cold frame out of the aluminium bits.

I already have four frames but one will need replacing soon. I have only have experience of using steel window frames and wooden frame sides. Has anybody got experience of making a frame with ally? How do you screw the frame to wood or put in hinges into aluminium? I fancy having a bolt going into the frame top so that it can pivot upwards to water and weed inside the frame - any ideas?

[alan42]

to fix aluminium together just use self taping screws or small drill then small bolts, if you want to make a strong fix then screw through the aluminium and into a piece of wood, hope that makes sense.
Alan

[Tee Gee]

Thats what mine is made of see here; http://tinyurl.com/23gkv8

click on pics to enlarge!

[davee52uk]

I may have changed my mind on this and will use the green house parts to make a lean to greenhouse to go against my allotment shed. As this has a brick wall this should be a good heat sink. The qusetion still remain however about using screws and bolts.

To expand a little, I was a Science teacher for many years and know that Aluminium will react with metals lower in the Reactivity Series. This can mean that it you use screws made of steel they will  react with the aluminium once they get wet. In practice, this seems to mean that screws will rust up very quickly. Can anyone advise on this?

[alan42]

i have used a wide range of diffrent screws and not had any reaction that would worry me, all still strongly holding. dry wall screws are designed not to react and will screw through aluminium without first drilling it.
alan

[davee52uk]

Thanks, I will try all this later when I put it up.