Past tips on how to fix a loose door hinge are often cumbersome and time consuming.These tips often include gluing things like match sticks, golf tees or even tooth picks to tighten a loose hinge. A new solution now exists with the Fringe Screw by Fritan Technology.I recently tried out this product and am pleased with the results.

The Fringe Screw is designed to fix loose interior door hinges caused by stripped screw holes. It features a standard size #9 countersunk head but with oversized threads.Allowing the screw threads to embed in the enlarged or stripped screw hole while the head sits flush in the hinge. The Fringe Screw has the same finished look as a typical hinge screw when installed.It provides a simple, sturdy, quick, and attractive solution to loose door hinges caused by stripped door hinge screw holes and no glue or tooth picks are required.

I spoke with the inventor of this product, Frederick “Fritz” Krach, Engineering Manager with Fritan Technology, the maker of the Fringe Screw. Here is a recap of our conversation.

CHUCK: Tell me a little about your background and training.

FRITZ: I have a Master’s degree in electrical engineering and worked for eight years in the aerospace industry before founding Fritan Technology in 2009.I also have a background in aviation as a pilot and flight instructor.Early in my career I worked for several years as an auto mechanic and was ASE certified.   I became familiar with home maintenance and repairs at a young age by taking care of my parent’s home.I continue to learn more about this everyday as I am in the middle of my own home renovation project.

CHUCK: How did you come up with the idea for the Fringe Screw?

FRITZ: I first became aware of the problem with loose door hinges and stripped screw holes at a job I held when I was a teenager.The front door to the shop was loose and I would see one of the employees taking the loose screws out and stuffing the screw holes with wood shavings.Within a couple months of doing this, the door would be loose again.  Years later, when I had my own house, I had the same problem.I looked for a better solution than the “toothpicks and glue” approach.I tried long screws, but rarely did they seem to find the wood of a wall framing stud.There are two reasons for this: in older homes, such as my own, doors were often installed in large openings and shimmed in place with thick wood planks, resulting in a large distance between the door jamb and the nearest wall stud.Another reason is that door hinge screws do not align well with wall studs.The screw holes on a hinge sit close to the edge of the door jamb near where the casing trim is located.A long screw driven straight through a hinge hole will most likely extend into the wallboard or plaster, not the wall stud.  I needed a better solution, so Fringe Screw was really born out of necessity.After giving the problem some thought, the design just occurred to me: start with a basic hinge screw and make the thread diameter larger, but not so large that it would not fit through the hole in the hinge.

CHUCK: Explain how long it took you to get from initial prototype to a product available for purchase?Any notable hurdles along the way?

FRITZ: The design cycle was around one year for Fringe Screw.The first step was identifying the dimensions for the new screw.This involved a combination of common sense and testing.The design was then turned into a set of manufacturing prints.A physical prototype was difficult to achieve because of cost.We were very careful with the design specifications because of this.The first product run was a success and sold well, but was only produced in a brass finish.Since then, the biggest change we have made is offering Fringe Screw in three finishes, namely, antique brass, bright brass, and satin nickel. The biggest hurdle encountered was finding the right manufacturer for Fringe Screw.It is important to perform due diligence when looking for manufacturers.The success of a product depends on their ability to deliver what has been specified.

CHUCK: Did you do any special product testing for the Fringe Screw?Explain how you tested the product.

FRITZ: We performed two types of testing on Fringe Screw: performance testing and quality assurance testing.Performance testing was carried out to determine how well Fringe Screw would work in its intended application.Examples of what was tested or measured include strength, area of surface contact between screw and hinge, and pull out resistance. Quality assurance testing was performed to ensure that Fringe Screw met its design specifications and was uniformly produced.These tests inspected the dimensions of the screws and the quality of the finish.The objective of quality testing is to make sure that our customers never receive a defective product.

CHUCK: What types of people purchase the Fringe Screw?

FRITZ: Fringe Screw is purchased by both professionals and home/business owners.Professionals that use Fringe Screw include handymen and handywomen, building renovation and remodeling contractors, building maintenance technicians, and locksmiths.Since Fringe Screw does not require special skills or tools to install, home and business owners also purchase it.Men and women alike use Fringe Screw to secure loose doors in their homes and offices.

CHUCK: Where is this product made?

FRITZ: Fringe Screw is made in the USA.It is actually made by two US-owned and operated companies: one that manufactures the screws and another that plates them.Additionally, Fritan Technology is owned and operated in the USA.A purchase of Fringe Screws therefore supports three US companies, in addition to the shipping companies we use.

CHUCK: Any plans on the drawing table for new products?

FRITZ: We are pursuing many projects.Our approach is to leverage the visibility our company has received from Fringe Screw and produce other products related to home maintenance and repair.One product we are working on is a picture frame hanger that we call “Framan Hanger.”I do not want to reveal too many details yet, but our goal is to produce a product that is easier to install than existing frame hangers. We are also looking at other fasteners for older homes.One is a wall-mounted hook for hanging pictures that is specially designed for plaster and lath walls.Another product is a ceiling-mounted hook that is designed to be used with really thick ceilings like you would find in an older home where drywall has been installed over an existing plaster and lath ceiling. We also are developing an electronic system that will aid in inventorying items.

CHUCK: Any advice you can offer a ‘wanna be’ product inventor?

FRITZ: My best advice would be to do your homework before investing a lot of money or time.One can do this by first determining how original the idea is.Look through patent applications, store shelves, internet searches, etc. to see if someone else has already invented it.  If the idea is indeed original, then come up with a rough plan as to how it can be achieved.Make sure that the technology needed either exists or is worth the risk of trying to develop.Also make sure it can be manufactured at a cost that would make it profitable. Finally, if your idea is unique and feasible, find out if anyone will buy it.Perform a market analysis and determine who your customers will be.Then reach some of those customers and find out how much they would be willing to pay for the product.If the product is unique, feasible, and capable of generating demand, then it is a winner and should be pursued.If not, then invest time in changing the idea to meet these three requirements or come up with a brand new product idea.

CHUCK:  Thank you for your time!

For additional information and to purchase the Fringe Screw, please go to www.FritanTechnology.com.

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Q: Tell me a little about your background and training.

A: I have a master’s degree in electrical engineering and worked for eight years in the aerospace industry before founding Fritan Technology in 2009.I also have a background in aviation as a pilot and flight instructor.Early in my career I worked for several years as an auto mechanic and was ASE certified.

I became familiar with home maintenance and repairs at a young age by taking care of my parent’s home.I continue to learn more about this everyday as I am in the middle of my own home renovation project.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Fringe Screw?

A: I first became aware of the problem with loose door hinges and stripped screw holes at a job I held when I was a teenager.The front door to this shop was loose and I would see one of the employees taking the loose screws out and stuffing the screw holes with wood shavings.Within a couple months of doing this, the door would be loose again.

Years later, when I had my own house, I had the same problem.I looked for a better solution than the “toothpicks and glue” approach.I tried long screws, but rarely did they seem to find the wood of a wall framing stud.There are two reasons for this: in older homes, such as my own, doors were often installed in large openings and shimmed in place with thick wood planks, resulting in a large distance between the door jamb and the nearest wall stud.Another reason is that door hinge screws do not align well with wall studs.The screw holes on a hinge sit close to the edge of the door jamb near where the casing trim is.A long screw driven straight through a hinge hole will most likely extend into the wallboard or plaster, not the wall stud.

I needed a better solution, so Fringe Screw was really born out of necessity.After giving the problem some thought, the design just occurred to me: start with a basic hinge screw and make the thread diameter larger, but not so large that it would not fit through the hole in the hinge.

Q: Explain how long it took you to get from initial prototype to a product available for purchase?(Were there) any notable hurdles along the way?

A: The design cycle was around one year for Fringe Screw.The first step was identifying the dimensions for the new screw.This involved a combination of common sense and testing.The design was then turned into a set of manufacturing prints.A physical prototype was difficult to achieve because of cost.We were very careful with the design specifications because of this.The first product run was a success and sold well, but was only produced in a brass finish.Since then, the biggest change we have made is offering Fringe Screw in three finishes, namely, antique brass, bright brass, and satin nickel.

The biggest hurdle encountered was finding the right manufacturer for Fringe Screw.It is important to perform due diligence when looking for manufacturers.The success of a product depends on their ability to deliver what has been specified.

Q: Did you do any special product testing for the Fringe Screw?Explain how or who you tested the product.

A: We performed two types of testing on Fringe Screw: performance testing and quality assurance testing.Performance testing was carried out to determine how well Fringe Screw would work in its intended application.Examples of what was tested or measured include strength, area of surface contact between screw and hinge, and pull out resistance.

Quality assurance testing was performed to ensure that Fringe Screw meet its design specifications and was uniformly produced.These tests inspected the dimensions of the screws and the quality of the finish.The objective of quality testing is to make sure that our customers never receive a defective product.

Q: What types of people purchase the Fringe Screw?

A: Fringe Screw is purchased by both professionals and home/business owners.Professionals that use Fringe Screw include handymen and handywomen, building renovation and remodeling contractors, building maintenance technicians, and locksmiths.Since Fringe Screw does not require special skills or tools to install, home and business owners also purchase it.Men and women alike use Fringe Screw to secure loose doors in their homes and offices.

Q: Where is this product made?

A: Fringe Screw is made in the USA.It is actually made by two US-owned and operated companies: one that manufactures the screws and another that plates them.Additionally, Fritan Technology is owned and operated in the USA.A purchase of Fringe Screws therefore supports three US companies, in addition to the shipping companies we use.

Q: Any plans on the drawing table for new products?

A: We are pursuing many projects.Our approach is to leverage the visibility our company has received from Fringe Screw and produce other products related to home maintenance and repair.One product we are working on is a picture frame hanger that we call “Framan Hanger.”I do not want to reveal too many details yet, but our goal is to produce a product that is easier to install than existing frame hangers.

We are also looking at other fasteners for older homes.One is a wall-mounted hook for hanging pictures that is specially designed for plaster and lath walls.Another product is a ceiling-mounted hook that is designed to be used with really thick ceilings like you would find in an older home where drywall has been installed over an existing plaster and lath ceiling.

We also are developing an electronic system that will aid in inventorying items.

Q: Any advice you can offer a ‘wanna be’ product inventor?

A: My best advice would be to do your homework before investing a lot of money or time.One can do this by first determining how original the idea is.Look through patent applications, store shelves, internet searches, etc. to see if someone else has already invented it.

If the idea is indeed original, then come up with a rough plan as to how it can be achieved.Make sure that the technology needed either exists or is worth the risk of trying to develop.Also make sure it can be manufactured at a cost that would make it profitable.

Finally, if your idea is unique and feasible, find out if anyone will buy it.Perform a market analysis and determine who your customers will be.Then reach some of those customers and find out how much they would be willing to pay for the product.If the product is unique, feasible, and capable of generating demand, then it is a winner and should be pursued.If not, then invest time in changing the idea to meet these three requirements or come up with a brand new product idea.

Below you will find excerpts from my interview with James Williams, CEO of Skan Technologies (www.skantechnologies.com).  I met Jim via a Linked-In group we were both members of online.  He was gracious enough to take part in this interview.

James Williams, WurkPads Creator

CHUCK:  Tell me a little about your background and what it is that you do today?

JIM:  I am owner of Skan Technologies, LLC.  I started Skan Tech as a way to bring my ideas from the drawing board to the market.  Most of my ideas revolve around ergonomics and efficiency.  Whenever I am doing something my mind naturally starts spinning in the background looking for a better way to achieve the desired end result.  If I have an idea I write it down or make a voice note on my phone.  Tinkering in my shop is one of my favorite hobbies so I’ll make a prototype out of junk I have laying around and see if there is any future for the idea.  The downside of this is that I tend to save old vacuum cleaners and other broken stuff.  Fortunately I have plenty of space behind my shop in Alaska to hide my stuff so our house doesn’t resemble a hoarder’s domain.  Of course starting up a product development company is not cheep so I still commercial fish in Alaska 4-5 months a year to augment our income.  I started fishing for crab (Deadliest Catch) back in the ’80s when Dutch Harbor was the wild west and the Elbowroom gained it’s reputation.  Now I primarily fish for Halibut.

CHUCK:  Where did you come up with the idea for WurkPads?

JIM:  Tension on the Fishing Vessel Kilkenny was high during the summer Shelikof Straits Scallop season so we decided to take a break for a week.  I used this time to begin work on an out building on our property in Homer, Alaska.  I was putting in the sub floor, hating the latest set of kneepads that I had purchased because the strap kept biting into the back of my thighs and calves.  The idea for a strapless kneepad had been circulating through my grey matter for some time and on this day it surfaced again.  “How can a get rid of this freaking strap” kept spinning in the background.  I was blinded by the bright light that came on in my mind and immediately went to my shop to tinker.  I had some old suspender clips and foam from work I had done on the NeckAid project so I pulled my utility knife out of my tool belt, trimmed out an oval, and after modifying the suspender clips, attached them to the edges with pop rivets.  Voila, a strapless kneepad was born.

A prototype of the WurkPads

CHUCK:  How long did it take you to get from prototype to product available for purchase?

JIM:     A long time.  The light that seared my retina came on in June of 2006 and I told myself that I was going to steamroll this product to the market as fast as humanly possible.  We received our first run of 1500 pair in August 2010.  Not exactly steamrolling.  The winter of 2006-07 I refined the hand-tooled prototypes and got them into the hands of tradesmen.  My parents were building a house at the time so we had a few sets on the site for the subs to try.  Of course there were issues with the crude prototypes but we had an overwhelming thumbs up from those who tried them.  I searched for a company to help engineer and produce the product and came across GID (www.gidcompany.com).  The product development time line was agonizingly slow since Jim Grimes and I are both perfectionists.  I would tell him what I wanted.  He would come up with a better solution than my idea.  We would get a prototype made.  I would test the prototype. I would make suggestions based on field tests that I performed.  We would make another prototype.  etc.  Grimes and I are both strong headed but once the wax is cleared from the ears we both are open to alternative view points and solutions.  The collaboration was synergistic.

CHUCK:  What types of professionals are using the WurkPads?

JIM:  Carpenters, plumbers, tile guys, utility workers, handymen, landscapers, gardeners. We have a few large corporations that offer it in their PPE crib. We are working on getting it to the Air force and National Guard.

CHUCK:  I heard the WurkPad will soon be available in the big box home improvement retail stores, when will that happen?

JIM:  We have gotten the green light from one of them.  When the buyer saw the product he said that it “screamed quality” and wanted to keep the quality standard for their high volume purchases.  We are negotiating the deal this week.  I imagine it will be available from the big boys sometime in 2011.  In the meantime product can be purchased from Skan Tech’s website (www.skantechnologies.com).  You have to see the user video on the site to appreciate the product.

CHUCK:  Any plans on the drawing table for new products?

JIM:  Yes.  There are several… if your readers want to see them they’ll have to sign a non-compete agreement or look for them on the Skan Tech website in hopefully less than 4 years.

CHUCK:  Any advice you can offer a ‘wanna be’ inventor?

JIM:  It’s not for the faint of heart.  Write your ideas down and test them out if possible.  Treat it as an expensive hobby and maybe you’ll make some $ down the road.  Get a good patent attorney.  I can recommend one.  Even if you think you know what you’re doing legal counsel is still a must.  There are a lot of scams out there that just want to take the inventor’s money and never really put any effort into their ideas.

To learn more or purchase a pair, go to www.skantechnologies.com.   Jim has offered a $5 discount to my readers to  purchase a pair of WurkPads.  Click on ‘Contact’ on the top menu and send me a request for details.

>>>

remodeling blog

There continues to be a good deal of discussion around the remodeling industry about starting a new trade association.  The industry has two organizations that serve in this role.  NARI, and the NAHB Remodeler’s Council but some seem to believe that those organizations aren’t fully meeting the needs of remodelers.  Here is a new discussion on the topic on the Remodel Crazy website.

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Corner Cabinet Solutions

Ever try to get at items that are way back in your kitchen cabinets or pantry?  This company has come up with some great solutions to make that hard to reach space more useful and accessible.

Here is a line of products from Korner King that helps solve the problems of both wasted space and poor access.  Learn more at www.kornerking.com.  Be sure to watch the videos to see how it works.

DDN Services and DDN Mortgage Services will cease operations
Effective Monday, December 21st, 2009

DDN Services and DDN Mortgage Services regret to announce that due to market conditions in the construction lending industry, government intervention in the normal foreclosure process, and frivolous and baseless lawsuits filed against the company, we will cease operations effective Monday, December 21st, 2009.

All work completed as of Sunday, December 20th, 2009 will be returned to clients via the usual channels.   Any new orders or work in progress will unfortunately not be accepted or be able to be completed.   We will make every attempt to keep our website and the data housed on it up and available to clients through January 31st, 2010, though circumstances beyond our control may prevent us fulfilling this effort.

We appreciate the loyal patronage of our clients over the past seven years, as well as the excellent and professional service of the inspectors and contractors in our national network. We apologize in advance for the negative impact our demise may have on any of these groups, companies, or individuals.

Digital Draw Network and Effective December 21st, 2009,  DDN has closed.  See http://drawnet.com for more information.