Thursday, March 19, 2009

Windows 102

Okay folks, now if you have not read Windows 101, you will need to drop down the page a bit. Read all this stuff in order so it makes sense to you.

Time to remove the sash out of the frame. The first thing you will need to do is remove the little screw in the top of the frame. It is in the center way up under the frame and is very difficult to get a hold of. I used small vise grips to slowly back the screw out.

That screw goes into this piece of plastic that keeps the sash from sliding back and forth.

Now here is one of my true confessions. I cannot figure out how to put these back in place. They are lost to the wind, or ground, or someplace else. I am reasoning that the lifters and locks keep it where it needs to be. Someone will tell me how to do this, but it is too late. All six windows are now missing these blocks.

Next you need to go inside the trailer and remove the two screws holding each lifter. Do not loose these. They are very difficult to match up, for the thread pattern is very course and they are quite short. Just let the lifter hang free in the frame. Now go outside and lift the window and slide the friction clips out of the wide part of the slot. The lifter hanging free will make this very easy. This is a good time to replace any lifters not working right and any friction pads on the end of the arms. Vintage Trailer Supply has all of these parts. I replaced all of my lifters and all of my friction blocks. So now the window is totally free in the frame.

Next the drip cap or eyebrow end needs to be moved out of the way. If you have a 1963 or later, well sorry for you, for you do not have this wonderful window detail. Remove the screw from one end. Look at the curve of the shell and try and figure which way is going to give you the most room. Remove the screw and if it is a rusty one throw it way. Not on the ground for it will become a part of your tire, but in the trash. When putting it back together, use a stainless steel screw. Now carefully bend the drip cap up to give you the clearance. Bend it slowly and carefully as to not crease the drip cap.

Now lift the sash so it is straight out and slide it out. The whole sash just slides right out. This makes working on it very convenient.

Okay now with all seriousness. Your interior is very vulnerable right now. I encourage you to put plastic over the opening. If you do not, a bird will fly in, it will start to rain, or your wife will need you to do something that will keep you from finishing. You might even break the glass and need to order a new one. It could happen, seriously, it could. Just be safe instead of sorry and cover the opening with plastic.

Time to prepare the sash for the glass. Some people put tape over the glass to keep it together and to keep it from flying off. If you do, you are cheating yourself out of the joy of breaking some glass. Common now, everyone loves to break glass. I do it over a blanket so that once the glass is broken I can pile it in the center and then just dump it all into the trash can. But if you feel the need to cover it with tape, well, you know what I think.

The old butyl needs to be removed along with any adhesive was applied behind it. I took a screw driver and ground it to fit the groove exactly. I also ground it like a chisel. Be careful here. The tendency is to hold the sash with one hand and push the custom chisel with the other. Your best purchase on the sash is directly in front of the chisel. When the chisel slips, it will stab you right in the palm. It will stab you deeply, and the wound will become infected, and it will hurt for weeks, and fester terribly. I could happen, it is possible , and it might be very painful. There will remain some butyl and adhesive at this point. I find that some mineral spirits applied with an acid brush will remove all of this residue.
Now it is time to clean and polish the sash and frame. I am not going to show this step. Everyone has their own polishing technique and if I show you mine someone will tell me they do it better. The window frame and sash will now be clean and free of all debris. They are both ready for Windows 103.

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