Repairing & Glazing Wood Windows, Part 3
Okay...windows and windows and windows.
I've finished two and I'm working on four others. There are 27 windows that need work in here. And four more which need to be replaced where they were taken out of the walls. Ack! So, we last left off with the rot...
Wow. I'm tired.
I had researched a variety of wood epoxies and wood restoration products...there has been a great discussion about this over on Enon Hall's Forum. Getting a quality wood epoxy is important for windows because they are exposed to wind, cold, water and a lot of physical stress (because windows are made to move.) Following a tip in a back issue of Fine Homebuilding
After the Jasco dried, I painted the wood with wood hardener. And right before it became completely dry, I mixed up some Abatron WoodEpox with sawdust and applied it. The tackiness of the wood hardener helped the epoxy to adhere to the wood.
Because a quality epoxy can be sculpted and sanded just like wood when it hardens, I built the repair up beyond the boundaries needed in the frame. In order to give the epoxy something to cling to at the point where the mullion meets the sash, I sharpened a wooden dowel, cut it down, and inserted the point up into the mullion. The end of the dowel descended into the sash and provided a frame for the epoxy.
After the epoxy hardened, I was able to use the Fein
I measured the inside of the frames and purchased pieces of glass from my favorite Ace Hardware store. The right measurements are pretty critical. Measure the inside of the frame in a grid pattern...not all old windows are perfectly square!
And always fit the glass in the frames before you begin to make sure it is correct before you apply any glazing. Then remove it before you begin.
After I sculpted down the epoxy, I glazed all of the windows. I could put a step-by-step explanation here, but I don't think I would communicate it half as well as Ed at Fixing Our Historic House. The steps he describes are the same steps I followed to replace the glass. (Except I also kept a little bowl of mineral spirits next to me while I was working to use on the putty knife. It is so important to keep the putting knife clean...I can't even tell you how important this is. Otherwise the putty knife drags the glazing right off of the window.) Note to self: Keep expectations low while dog-tired and writing for the houseblog.
After the glazing "skins over", I'll paint it with primer. Painting the glazing is also important, because that little 1/16" stripe of paint that overlaps the glazing and the glass helps to keep moisture out of the glaze and the frame.
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Comments
Oh geez, that sounds so hard. I'm afraid of projects that have a lot of steps. :)
Posted by: Kristin | May 19, 2005 2:29 PM
Okay you hard worker you- you have to at least tell us thumbs up or down on the new Star Wars movie. please! :)
what you're doing there takes some patience as I said before- kind of like the brackets we are still working on...Thank you for the "how to" info also.
Posted by: Jocelyn | May 19, 2005 4:09 PM
Kristin--
I dislike projects with many steps SO MUCH that I avoid cooking anything with more than 4 ingredients.
Jocelyn--Unbelievably, although I was holding tickets for the new Star Wars in my HOT LITTLE HANDS, it did me absolutely NO good when I threw out my back last night and had to sleep with a heating pad. So Aaron and his dad went to battle the Sith without me :(
Posted by: jm | May 19, 2005 4:12 PM
Umm, going to Star Wars while my wife stays at home with an injured back makes me sound very bad here... I promise I asked repeatedly and she said I should go.
Posted by: Aaron | May 19, 2005 4:17 PM
Whoops! Kristin, I also meant to say that--even though I destest projects with too many steps--once I had finished one window, the other 5 were a LOT easier.
Posted by: jm | May 19, 2005 4:20 PM
Oh whoops again!! Yes, I BEGGED Aaron to go to the movie even though he was VERY very willing to stay home...I wanted to know how it was!
Posted by: jm | May 19, 2005 4:21 PM
lol- I just love you guys.
Sorry to hear about your back. Hope it's better soon.
And maybe Aaron will give us the thumbs up or down on the Sith...?
I am with you on the projects with many steps. I am a total taskmaster- I like finishing tasks not dragging them out for over a year, which of course we have never done- not!(kitchen).
Posted by: Jocelyn | May 20, 2005 8:26 AM
Yes, I highly recommend the new Star Wars film. I was apprehensive, but there was a lot more rich plot there than I expected. Dialogue is still stiff, but it's lots of fun.
Posted by: Aaron | May 20, 2005 9:04 AM