Window question--Jade and Sashguy?

[GibsonGM]

Unfortunately, they're all covered with paint so I want to strip them. I've tried boiling them, using brush cleaner, and paint stripper, with limited success and whole lot of angst (especially the chains!).

Do either of you have a good method for stripping all of the above?

Maybe it didn't come off as it is not oil paint? Most that I've done, the 'mess' is actually usually newer and so is latex....Denatured alcohol will remove latex paint in about 30 seconds. I take a yogurt container (used), put some in it, and place the window locks in there for a minute or 2. Then remove, wipe the paint off. Touch of oil when dry.

I wear gloves when handling so I don't get the denatured on my skin, and gently grab the parts with pliers to get them out. This may remove patina, tho!!

Denatured isn't 'highly toxic' or anything, but is flammable, so do it outside and no ignition sources...much nicer than lacquer thinner etc. (the method for oil paints)

[Ober51]

Are there different gauge thicknesses for glazing points? If so, how would one know which one to use?

[phil]

you can usually heat gun oil paint. If it wont' heat gun off you can try stripper. If the paint is old and very flat and dull looking it may be milk paint and some of that stuff is much harder to get off. You can use sandpaper too but we usually prefer to heat gun at least most of the paint rather than trying to sand through it. You can try stripper too.
maybe the window guys can chime in about availability of the chain , is it ball chain or the brass stuff ? my house uses rope.
boiling or most solvents won't harm your metal hardware. abrasives and scraping with metal tools might scratch. you can use some plastic brushes with stripper, others dissolve plastic, depending on which plastic.

you can put one drop of oil on the pin of window latches if they are stiff but oil attracts dirt and you don't want oil around stuff you are painting.

[Sashguy]

One of my former customers suffered from a hardware fetish and changed my method for cleaning hardware.
She soaked it over night in "Dad'sPaint Stripper" outside, as this stripper is pretty potent.
With rubber gloves and eye protection, she scrapes off the paint with popcycle sticks and shiskbob skewers.
Once clear, she washes with soap and water, dryers it with a towel and sets it out in the sunlight to dry.
Once dry, she rubs in Vaseline to prevent rust and wipes off the excess with a paper towel.

[heartwood]

ober......just saw your question about glazing point thickness...there may be variations but all are thick enough to hold the glass in place...no preference in gauge but I prefer these over all the others I have tried: http://www.dickblick.com/products/fletc ... ming-tool/ we use the 3/8" length...since we work on so many sash, the point shooter is quite handy...if the glass size is smaller than the length of the gun we are unable to use it...instead, we shoot a bunch of points into a container which renders separated points...we then set by hand...even when using the gun, the points need to be knocked in a bit....ta-daaa!

...jade

[phil]

the chain has a lot of nicks and crannies and would be frustrating to try to scrape, try stripper, or boiling or you can heat it up with a blowtorch outside and burn the paint off and then clean the chain with a brush and maybe soak it in an acid like vinegar for a while to get the shine back if you want it shiny ,, you can use a little brush and some metal cleaner like brasso if you wan it to gleam.

if it's chain that is iron with brass plating you could damage the plating with metal scraping tools but I'd just try and see what it looks like. brass has a lower melting temp than iron but just dont; get it so hot its glowing if you use a blowtorch. if a magnet sticks to it it's plated , if not its' probably brass chain.

[awomanwithahammer]

I don't think it's brass. It's a dull silver color. I've been soaking them in stripper, then scrubbing with a copper brush. I haven't gotten all the paint out, but the majority of it has come off. It is very tedious, but I haven't tried any of the other suggestions yet. I will on the next window.

Next question: On this first window, I removed all the trim because I wanted to see how everything on the inside worked. I don't plan to take any more off, but how do you feed the chain back in after cleaning? I tied a cord to the chain on the last one as I was pulling it out, but had difficulty in keeping it in the pulley tracks. I have access panels for the weights but they don't help since I can't get at the top pulley of the weight. It was tricky to get the chain back in even with the trim off. Is there a trick to feeding it back in?

[heartwood]

hmmm, I don't get how you would have difficulty getting the chain set up...I typically remove the weight and set it on a square of wood to protect the window stool...attached the spiral (part that goes in the 'knot hole' or 'bore') to one end...set the other end on the pulley and, with your index finger, press the chain lightly and push/turn the pulley wheel toward the weight pocket (counter clockwise)...after you get the chain in a couple of inches, lift it and allow the weight of the chain to drop into the pocket...does that make sense to you?
...jade

[awomanwithahammer]

Do you take off the window trim to access the weight? The weights in my windows are too big to get out through the access panel. I was hoping not to have to remove the trim from the rest of the windows after the first trial one. But if that's what I need to do, I will.

[phil]

on mine if you remove the left and right casings the weights are behind, but some houses have access through a removable panel on the inside of the window frame I believe. if threading it is difficult I'd try tying the chain to a scrap of wire so you can stick it through and then pull the wire so the chain follows. If you do need to enlarge that hole does the casing cover it anyway?

I find if I need to cut lath, a sawzall shakes the crap out of it and breaks the plaster keys, but a jigsaw works pretty well. a bit less aggressive.

sometimes I have to put other fiddly stuff together you can use a bit of wire such as the thin wire in ties for plastic baggies and tie stuff , like in this case to keep the chain on the pulley. then you can clip the wire and yank it out later.

check if the bottom of the weight pockets have accumulation , sometimes stuff like plaster bits falls down there and so the weight starts resting on it rather than hanging as it should. the same can happen if the rope ( chain) is too long. as long as the path is clear and you can reach the weights they can probably just stay in there and no need to open stuff up.

if you pull the casings just pry evenly and do it slowly. use a couple of flat thin pry bars rather than screwdrivers if you can. don't pull one end off pull it away on both ends about 1/2 inch or so before you attempt to pull it off. never pull from one end without freeing the whole length. You can cut any paint that's got them stuck there. After its off, pull the nails right through the backside of the casing. Then use new nails when you put it back. If you want to make new nail holes and move them to get fresh holes then pre-drill the new holes through the casings with a bit just a little smaller than the nails you use, because they will be dry and big nails can split them otherwise. if they ever split just make sure the pieces fit together well and remove any splinters that prevent them fitting each other exactly , then put wood glue on them and you can clamp or even just wrap them with masking tape until they set up. If you put them aside then you will inevitably damage the fit and loose bits near the crack so whenever I crack anything I glue it right away and continue. If it is a crack and not a full break usually you can run a line of glue along the crack and wiggle it and the glue will pull itself into the crack , then you can clean any drips and clamp.