Make Your Own Window Cleaning Ledger

"Viewmore Window Cleaning" is a family operated business with 2 generations working in the window cleaning industry. John Harrington is the owner/operator and has been living and working in the Bayside suburbs of Melbourne for over 25 years. Two years ago his son Daniel joined the business and together they have been able to offer a genuine service to their clients based on good old fashion service and values." This article was kindly submitted by John Harrington of "Viewmore Window Cleaning" in Melbourne. Don’t forget to visit his website - Melbourne Window Cleaning – Viewmore Window Cleaning.

Window Cleaning Forum Australia is aiming to become an interactive site with high quality information about window cleaning in Australia. Having noticed that there was no online discussion sites for window cleaning in Australia, and that the only specific information required you a fee to join their site, Daniel decided to start his own with the hope that contributing window cleaners across the country will help grow the site." See part 1 here.

Make your own ledger for $5

Introduction: Part 2 of the DIY Window Cleaning equipment feature follows on closely from the first project. I’d like to thank all those who commented on, featured and linked back to my first article. I’m glad to have been able to provide you with some valuable and free information. Today we will learn how to make your own attachment to add on to any pole to use it as a curved style. This attachment achieves the same purpose as the pole we made in the first project but it is detachable so you are able to remove it from your pole at will. I made this ledger myself from scraps I had left over from the first project, it’s total cost for me was absolutely nothing, but you can make it yourself for less than $5.

Equipment:

• 1 piece of irrigation pipe the same as in the first article. Approx 40cm long.
• 15cm of wooden dowel (same diameter as a broom handle).
• Wood plane or sander
• Heat gun
• Optional - Black spray paint

Step 1: Assemble your equipment on your work station, and clear the area you plan on working in. You can see the items I used in the photo, but I accidentally left out the wood plane and spray paint but they are easy to find.



Step 2: Using your wood plane or sander, simply contour the end of the wood to make the shape of a window cleaning tip. Leave the other end of the wood untouched as we will be placing that inside the irrigation pipe to keep the tip in place.



Step 3: Like in the first article, you need your heat gun in order to bend your pipe to the angle you want. If you are using this as a ledger, you can customise the shape of the curve and its location along the pipe to suit an individual task (eg. A pesky 5” ledge on a shop front you can’t reach the bottom of properly). The irrigation pipe comes in all widths and lengths which allows you to create a completely custom ledger for your work and one that suits your technique. To bend the pipe, turn your heat gun on and aim it at the point of the pipe you intend to bend. Once the pipe begins to heat up, you will be able to pull or push it to reach the angle you want for your ledger. Just remember, like in the first post, your pipe will bend back slightly as it cools, so you can place it in water to cool instantly.



Step 4: By this stage you should have a curved piece of pipe and a 15cm long wooden window cleaning tip. Depending on where you placed the curve on your pipe, you made need to shorten the length. Again using your heat gun, point it at the end of the pipe that the tip needs to go in, after about 15 seconds on the highest heat, the pipe should become malleable enough to slide the tip in. Let the pipe cool and you're done!
Optional Steps:

1. If you want to, you can spray the wooden tip of the pole black to match the pipe. Or just buy a cheap window cleaning tip to use instead. Either will work.

2. Mark the pipe to use it for wagtails. It is important that you have a wagtail squeegee lined up in the center of the pole so it works the best.



About the Author: This article was kindly submitted by John Harrington of Viewmore Window Cleaning in Melbourne. Don’t forget to visit his website Melbourne Window Cleaning – Viewmore Window Cleaning.

See it in action: You can see a working example of this ledger in action in this You-Tube clip.