Doors and Windows - old windows

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View Full Version : old windows


k9mom007
08-25-03, 06:54 PM
My old home, built in 1909, still has alot of the original windows, and I want to keep them...the wood and glass is in good shape, but the putty needs replaced...is there a easy method, and/or tool to taking the old putty out??....or should I just pay the fee and take them, a couple at a time, to my very reputable local glass shop>>>???....,....also,some of the "channels", if you will, that the windows slide up and down in, are made of wood, and some are painted, with the paint cracking and falling off......should I just scrape and/or use paint remover to clean them up, and then just sand and seal them with some sort of wood sealer,??.....or should they be repainted????.:confused:


lefty
08-26-03, 12:31 AM
1909 windows -- They make great display shelves! (Nevermind)

If you're really intent on keeping these, and thay are in good shape, then you simply dig the old glazing out and replace it. Dap 33 comes in a caulking tube with an applicator tip. Makes the job too neat and too fast.

The guides -- scrape them down to bare wood, repaint them, then use a wax (bee's wax, as in toilet wax rings) on the guides and parts of the sashes that rub each other. Do that every year.

(I still think you would be money ahead replacing them with efficient vinyl windows, and using the old wood windows for display shelves though!!)

k9mom007
08-26-03, 03:46 AM
You're a funny guy...and yes, I suppose I'm crazy for wanting to keep them....but I love the glass....lots of "droops", and imperfections......scraping the putty doesn't seem to go so good...this is hard stuff....I've seen a tool that fits on the end of a drill, with a guide..wondered about that,.....also wondered if I could use my heat gun to soften it, if I didn't get to close to scorch the wood.....in the mean time, I've got contractors lined up to give me estimates on some outside improvements, and I'll look into replacing them with something that would look similar...these are big windows....72 high by 32 wide...and I have 13 of them....ouch...perhaps some company would do a few at a time, as I could afford it.....as my dad always jokes: "it's hell to be poor"!!!!
Thanks for your help and humor......perhaps I should check out ebay and sell some "antique shelves"?????:D