The Historic District

My meeting rails are angled, presumably for a tight fit when they're closed and locked. But the angle on the top rail prevents me from pulling the parting beads out since it overlaps. Yep, that's how these old windows were designed. To get a stubborn upper sash to drop, I have drilled a hole in the...

Yes, that second one looks like what I have. If it is that one, US 1031429 A, my windows are missing the friction strips on the side jambs. The patent was filed in 1909. My house was probably built around 1900. So they could be an aftermarket addition. Or possibly the kitchen room was added later. B...

Thanks for the responses. I'm trying to read what I think is a patent number on these things. Here is a close up of the writing on the outside. I can't make out the letters. I will keep working on it.

I just began working on window 11 of 13 in my house and have come across a new control mechanism. This window is in the kitchen, and it has a metal roller on each side of the sash. The roller is set into a metal box, and I can see a spring in there. The rollers roll and they also move slightly up an...

I'm working on the bottom sash of the most damaged window in my 100+ year old house (northwest side of house). I removed the glass, stripped the paint, and made liberal use of Abatron liquid wood and wood epox. And only now am I looking closely at the base of the bottom rail and realizing the wood i...

I am installing pulley and weight systems in the windows in the my house (circa 1900) that didn't have them originally. I am a basic DIYer. I am keeping the top sashes stationary and only installing them on the bottom sashes. I am wondering how your spring balance functioned on just one side of the ...

I can tell you what doesn't work, so you can cross it off your list. I had high hopes that the wire brush attachment to the Dremel would remove paint from my sash pulleys. I was really surprised what a failure that was.

Is there a "correct" placement for sash lifts? I have two panes per sash, so should I center the lift with the glass, or move them out slightly? I have done both.

Another way to go about this is to shop the architectural salvage stores and buy ones that were pulled from old houses.

Thank you so much, Jade, for the helpful info. Can anyone help me understand the photo of the door weatherstripping in the Kilian website? It shows the weatherstripping attached to something - a block - and then there is a smaller block. Is one of those blocks the door? Or is the door not visible? I...