The Historic District

Yep— saw our contractor do that in Seattle once and I’ve done it ever since. His arm looked like a plaster ghost afterwards, but it worked!

Thanks for the video link— it got my brain gears turning. I thought if this guy can use a bag for an ultra long beam, why can’t I use it for a window?? So I threw a sash into a contractor garbage bag (3mil???) and plugged in my steamer. Still some improvements if I do it again, but it worked surpris...

Thanks Phil— I ended up just using a bit of the albatron wood filler (skipped the liquid wood). I think it turned out ok, filled the gaps, sanded and primed. Mostly I wanted to use it as a test bed, because I’ve got another area that will need a much more complicated profile and finish. All the best!

Thanks for all the information. Sorry you can’t see the photos, Phil. This sash is actually in pretty good shape, so it doesn’t need any real wood replacement or repair, I just wanted to make sure I was taking proper care of it before I glazed it and threw it back in there. The AC unit is gone, so t...

Restoring a lower sash that has a little water stain/damage. I guess the question is: at what point do you repair with LiquidWood/Epox or just leave it alone and oil paint? The wood doesn’t feel particularly soft, just in a few places. It has water stains from how it sat for years holding in a windo...

Thanks. It’s only the first set of hangers, so I’ll stick with what I already started, which was lacquer. Can’t see that window from the street, so it’s a good test bed. I should probably just end up painting, like you both said, but I kind of liked the thought of a little bare metal detail. We’ll s...

And for my next question, I’m reglazing my old storm windows. What’s the best way to protect the hardware after I’ve scrubbed through all the decades of paint? Just a little spray on lacquer? It’s not brass because it’s magnetic.

Just wanted to add my evidence for keeping historic windows... you’ll never see this beauty with vinyl replacements, that’s for sure.

Thanks for the encouragement Mick—

I’ve only found one guy in NJ, and he said if he did it it would be nearly the same price to repair vs. replace, but I think he wanted to mill all new muttons. Thinking of heading west toward PA to see if I can find some good PA Dutch/Amish craftsmen.

Ah, a Foursquare! I’ve always called it a CraftsTorian...! It’s got some of the decorative elements like corbels and the gothic windows, but nothing too ornate like a prime Victorian. I’ll look up the Albatron, etc. I have a fear that as soon as I take the glass out, the whole thing will disintegrat...