String Classic Shade
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You are ready to string the lift cords through the lift rings and lifting hardware on the mounting board. First you must decide which side of your shades you want the pull cords. Most shades operate with the cords on the right-hand side. This is probably because the majority of us are right-handed. Your shade may be in a location where a left-hand pull is more convenient. Place a safety pin into the shade in the location you want the cords to end, as shown in the drawing at the left. You will be stringing your shade upside down on your work table. It saves on the brain damage when you have a marker on the shade.
You will string the lift cords through the columns of lift rings and pulleys or screw eyes on a work table before attaching your shade at the window.
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I start stringing the shade at the mounting board on the side where the cords will be exiting. This way you can pass the cords through the flat pulleys or screw eyes, down the column of lift rings, tie the cord on the last lift ring and then cut the cord.
If you are using a cord lock pulley, you ignore the cord lock pulley when you string your shade. You will be removing the shade from the mounting board before mounting it at your window so why bother. You do want to thread the cord through the flat pulleys so that you cut each cord the correct length.
Turn your shade upside down on a table or on the floor. Attach the headrail to the shade using the Velcro. You will be removing the shade from the board after you have strung the cords, so don't worry about having it perfectly in place.
Starting at the side of the board where the lift cords will exit (you marked this side with a safely pin), thread the lift cord through every pulley then down the "last" column of lift rings, passing the cord through every ring in the column. Tie the cord securely to the bottom ring using a square knot. Leave about a 1" tail on the cord. Don't trim that tail yet. You will now cut the cord at the side of the shade where you started. Pull the cord down to your safety pin then cut about 5" past that. This will leave you enough cord for braiding. If you don't know where you want the cord to end, run it down the entire side of the shade and cut it at the bottom of the shade.
Let me be a little more detailed about going through the flat pulleys or screw eyes. We will assume you are making a right-hand pull shade, which is shown on the right-hand side of the drawing above. You start on the left-hand side of the mounting board and thread left-to-right through all of the flat pulleys exiting on the right-hand side of the mounting board. Then you go down the column of lift rings. If you are using a cord lock pulley, it would be on the left-hand side of the mounting board (the starting point). I simply pass the lift cord through the top of the locking pulley housing into the tandem pulley and procede threading through the rest of the pulleys. You don't need to bother with the locking mechanism at this point since you will be removing the board from the shade before mounting is at your window.
Now for the second column of lift rings. Each column only has one lift cord passing through the rings. Begin as before at the side of the mounting board with the safety pin and thread the cord through all of the flat pulleys or screw eyes EXCEPT the last pulley. Go through the second to last pulley then down the second column of lift rings. Tie and cut the cord. Repeat this procedure with all of the internal column of lift rings.
The final lift cord seems different, although the procedure is exactly the same. Thread the lift cord through the outside pulley. Now go directly down the remaining column of lift rings. Tie and cut.
While the shade is still upside down, pull evenly on all lift lines. Pull firmly on each knot at the bottom of the shade to make sure they are tied. Make sure the shade remains flat and then you have taut lines with equal tension. Tie a loose knot just outside the shade where the cords exit the board. This is only a temporary knot. Hold the shade up and pull on the cord. The shade should fold up evenly. If not, check that the cords are passing through every lift ring and you didn't skip one.
Place the shade upside down on your table, pull each knot firmly at the bottom of each lift line, trim the tail to about 1/2" and place a small dab of glue on both the knot and the very end of the cord. Be sure to use a glue meant for fabrics, not a simple white craft glue such as Elmer's. Let the glue dry until it is clear.
Remove the shade from the board. First carefully remove the cords from the flat pulleys or screw eyes, making sure they remain threaded through the lift rings. Loosely knot all of the cords together at the top of the shade so that they will stay threaded through the rings when you mount it at the window.
If you used non-decorator fabric, spray your shade with a fabric protectant, such as ScotchGard and let it dry thoroughly. (Almost all decorator fabric is already treated, but do check the bolt to be sure.)
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