Greetings!
Chuck Baum our lighthouse engineer has been working on the shutters to make life easier for the folks who have to open and close them.
If you’ve volunteered at Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, you no doubt have been frustrated trying to get the plastic pipes into the brackets to hold the shutters open on the second floor. As part of the restoration process, we had initially planned to use shutter dogs.
What are shutter dogs?
“Dog” is an Old English term defined as a “simple mechanical device for holding, gripping, or fastening.” Therefore, restraints that hold exterior shutters in place are commonly called shutter dogs. Alternative terms include shutter catch and shutter holdback.
The exterior shutter dog is intentionally asymmetrical so it naturally rests in a vertical position. Installed just beneath the open shutter, the tieback restrains an outstretched panel, then rotates horizontally to permit the release of the window shutter to close over the opening.
The problem with shutter dogs is they are installed under the far outside edge of the shutter. On a second floor window one would have to lean out the window to operate the shutter dog. And being located so far out from the window opening they might not even be reachable. They work fine on first floor windows where they can be reached from the outside.
Chuck came up with an ingenious device to hold the second floor shutters open and get rid of the visually intrusive plastic pipe that was not always easy to get in place. The new shutter blocks slide into place between the shutter and window frame. They rest on the bottom hinges. No more leaning out the windows!
The other thing Chuck fixed is how we secure the shutters to keep them closed. No longer will we have to connect the different array of old hooks at the bottoms of the shutters (and many windows had uncooperative hooks) and insert the conduit through the conduit connectors. Chuck installed robust hooks and catches at the bottom of the shutter along with a hook further up the shutter to securely hold them closed.
Thank you Chuck!
Ed
