Steel casement restoration - a few questions

[phil]

you might check a glass shop to see if they have a self adhering sticky tape. there are probably different brands but Im thinking not silicone I want to say a butyl tape like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAB4w5nWogM
Ive seen window tape like that but with string inside the tape and other stuff without the imbedded string. you can stretch it a lot , it sticks to everything btu it isnt' really what you use for a weatherstrip that has to make contact and compress. there are lots of different brands and also like plastic or vinyl ones that will compress. Im thinking maybe you can do your metal prep and then use the tape or weatherstrip you choose. I just wouldn't try to put silicone onto rusty metal without treating the rust.

Id try a window shop that does home or car windows. they will have various products and often deal with things like windows that have rusty metal channels.. stuff like old "butterfly" vent windows have the glass embedded in a metal channel. the water eventually sits int he channel and rusts, once you have rust you have a gap for water to wick in. The fix is to remove the glass, treat the metal and bed the glass again.

I've got a roll of tape sort of like that which is used when connecting wires outdoors. It is very stretchy and sticky so you can wrap things like you would with black tape but since it really sticks to everything including itself it seals against water. you can look into the various weatherstrip types. the stuff Im talking about might be ok to bed the glass but between the frame where it closes and opens you would need something compressible and of course you don't want it to stick to the window if it has to open and close against it.

I was watching video last night on chimney flashing and he used a wide tape for taping the flashings that he said was used in window installations it looked like a foil tape on one side with this sort of gummy stuff that sticks to everything. I think it's not so much to repair the windows but to seal the flashing surrounding them.

I have another intersting tape called UHMW tape. it is expensive but it is basically a tape with sticky glue one side and it is a very slippery black plastic like teflon. it isnt' reallly compressible so not for weatherstrip but it might do in some situations where you want the slipperyness. teflon is very hard wearing and tough. It might be handy on a sliding window or if you put the stuff on drawer guides they would slide like they were on rollers.

[Casey]

Hi,
Here is the page for spring bronze weatherstripping made for metal casements. http://metalstrips.accurateweatherstrip ... -casemen-2
Here's a link for butyl glazing tape that I think would be ideal for metal sash. http://www.crlaurence.com/crlapps/showl ... delID=1266
Casey

[Manalto]

Thanks, Casey. Does the 'don't mix two kinds of metal' rule not apply with bronze weatherstripping? Or does the paint provide an adequate barrier?

why do they call them 'tooth' when they should be 'teeth brushes'?)

When a noun serves as an adjective, it remains single. For example, we don't call it a 'shoes store' or 'peas soup' even though both contain more than one shoe and more than one pea, in order to stay in business and to satisfy our hunger, respectively.

[Gothichome]

Manalto, any thing that comes out of tube and called silicon is manufactured by the devil himself. I can only urge you to run away from the thought of using it on your old home.

I'm sure your advice has merit, but would you mind telling me why? As a newcomer to this activity, I'm not aware of evil associated with silicon/silicone. I'm also a little confused by the nomenclature. Silicon is a naturally-occurring metalloid and silicone is a synthetic polymer that contains silicon. I was referring to the flexible plastic that's used in kitchenware and medical applications. Have you an alternate suggestion for weatherstripping/gasket thin enough to allow steel casement windows to close and latch? I'm just recalling the brutal experience here last winter with its record-breaking cold; the house is so leaky, even with the heaters going, at times I could see my breath - and that was when 2/3 of the window bank was covered by bookcases. It's not really an issue on this visit, but when I return in the winter it very well could be.
Thank you for the link. Useful information!

Manalto, silicone goo that every one thinks is a cure all for every form of sealing problem, it’s not. I shrinks over time, traps moisture and dirt under it, peels and generally really looks ugly after a while and It doesn’t take paint. After removal you have to sand down exesivly what ever it was stuck down to to get rid of the residue if you ever want to get paint to adhere.
My hate for the stuff, might just be a personal grudge, but you’de be hard pressed to change my view.

[Manalto]

Fine, but I wasn't talking about the "goo." (I don't want to caulk my windows shut, I just put a bit of effort into getting them open.) I thought I made that clear that I was asking about sheet silicone when I used words like "ribbon" and "gasket" but apparently not. In any case, I'm not waging a war in favor of silicone for the job; it just seemed to me to have the properties of rubber but greater durability. I didn't know what to use, that's why I asked the question.

[phil]

the topic of dissimilar metals is quite complicated but basically some metals give up electrons more easily than others and a bad combination can cause degradation of the metal itself. it's also partially dependent on how much of each metal is used and whether they are in contact or if water bridges the area. In marine use this becomes really important because the sea water is a good conductor. sometimes a zinc anode is used as it gets attacked and this prevents corrosion of the base metal.

It's probably something not to be too worried about with your windows but if you use rivets and screws that combine different types of metal it is possible to get a reaction between the metals over time. You can read up on it if you google "dissimilar metals" or "galvanic corrosion".

For the windows you probably don't need to be too concerned but it is worth being aware of and you can look into it if you are combining different metals in contact.

here at work they made up a bunch of stainless steel signs, but the bolts they used weren't compatible , in no time they had brown streaks all over the stainless. I'm not sure if you could see this reaction if you used bronze strips and steel frames, it might be worth learning more about if you plan to do that. Maybe it's ok. I'm not completely sure if it would be something to fuss over or not , maybe its best to post this as a question.
"If James used bronze strips in contact with his iron window frames would he be likely to see issues over time with galvanic corrosion where they contact? "

[Manalto]

Maybe I'll just get a bigger heater and forget about weatherstripping windows.

[Casey]

The sash are painted before the weatherstrip is installed, so there is no metal/metal contact. Anyways, rust itself is an insulator to some extent, to deter galvanic corrosion.
Casey

[Gothichome]

Maybe I'll just get a bigger heater and forget about weatherstripping windows.

That’s an option to. Unless your getting water in, a little air infiltration is good. For all practicality galvanic reaction is not a big deal, go with the bronze and your good for another fifty or sixty years. Let the next caretaker worry about it then.

[phil]

silicone does last. It gets a bad rep because it gets smeared all over stuff and paint doesn't stick at all to some types. It will also not work well up against any rusty metal. I worked on a machine that made vinyl windows before and it was bought in 45 gallon drums. the plastic window frames would first get cut on the 45 and welded together with heat. then it would go through a station that would trim it in different ways to accept the hardware. they would place the frames on a machine that would optically detect the edges and it would squirt a bead of silicone around the perimeter. then the glass cell would be dropped into place, so the silicone was used to hold the glass cell into the vinyl frame. As much as we don't like vinyl in old houses, they were nice windows so far as the hardware and cranks and latches and stuff. the vinyl was designed with permanent air pockets that insulate. I think the silicone just isn't real great on wood that isn't painted properly or on rough surfaces because then stuff will creep between the silicone and the surface. Ive never really known the silicone itself to break down easily. for the window frame machien we had a special solvent we'd use to clean parts, you could try acetone but one thing with silicone is it is hard to dissolve. It seems to stick to most things pretty well, even plastic.

I had a bad fit at the top of my back door. it really needs to be taken out and a new frame made I guess.. anyway I cheated and what I did was draped plastic over the door and then sprayed that spray foam in the big gap I had there. once dry I pulled off the plastic so then the spray foam fit the top of the door and at least closed the gap for the time being. Sure I admit was a mickey mouse fix but no harm done and at least it stopped the big draft. the spray foam won't stick to plastic at all so it can be used as a form of sorts.

this idea works well if you need to ship fragile things. what you do is take a cardboard box and fill it about half way with spray foam. then take a sheet of plastic and lay that over the wet foam. then take your fragile item and lay it in, and the spray foam will surround the item and finish it's foaming and harden. after it's dry, throw another sheet of plastic over the item and finish filling the box. the part inside is then super well protected and the box isn't heavy and it isnt't too expensive. so I guess I sort of took that idea and used it to fix the big tapered gap over my door.. at least for now.