From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Fin Straightener for Air Conditioners
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 03:40:10 -0400

Wendell Dohrmann wrote:

> A while back someone needed info on where to purchase a fin
> straightener.
>
> Noticed in the recent flyer for Harbor Freight Tools they have one on
> sale. Regularly $4.99 on sale for $2.49 - Lot No. 37892

Hey, Wendell,

That tool won't work very well if the fins are mashed much at all.
The reason is that the tool needs to be able to get under the mashed
fins and then pull out.  If one tried to just comb severely bent
fins, they'll bind and tear.  That tool has the proper kind of hooks
on the combs but the handle would keep it from being used properly.
I have a set of plastic combs, one comb per handle, that cost about
the same that do a decent job.  I got 'em at the local HVAC supply
company.  I have a good set of metal combs too, but I find the cheap
plastic ones work better on severely mashed fins.

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Rooftop A/C's
Message-ID: <030oiv8mulaluqlvpneggphp33is8lu4tb@4ax.com>
Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2003 14:21:05 -0400

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 08:57:00 GMT, Greg Surratt <glsurratt@att.net> wrote:


>Chris, can you make any recommendation to open up the aluminum fins
>that have been "flattened" - as in a tree branch dragged across them?
>
>Greg

You can get a little kit of plastic fin combs for under $20 from most any HVAC
supply company.  Johnstone, for example.  Some car parts places might also
have 'em.  The comb is fairly thick so it actually makes the fins flat instead
of just straightening them.  there are probably 10 different fin pitches in
use so the kit comes with that many combs.

In an emergency you can bend the tines of a fork to the proper spacing, maybe
filing them a little in the process.  Not nearly as good as a comb but OK when
the fins are totally wiped closed.

John