Replacing Glass in 100 Y.O. Window

Is it possible to remove the sash from the frame? It seems like it's built right into the frame in this old style wooden window. And then how would you go about putting the new window back into the frame once you replaced the glass?

glass replacement...

Eric,there should be a small piece of trim that the window rides up against that can be removed,Hard to tell with all that paint...is there a pully wheel up in each of the top corners?The window more than likely had sash counter weights that are behind the side trim pieces.I'd be suprised if the sash weight ropes haven't broken. Looks like the window hasn't worked properly in many "moons"...Remember, old windows used lead based glazing (that old glazing gets as hard as concrete!) and looks like there is plenty of lead based paint under those "forty" coats of paint.You will most likely need a paint film cutter if the window has been painted in.It's a wafer thin serrated blade with a handle to literally "saw thru the paint between the window frame and the runners...if you need to replace the sash weight ropes you will have to take the side trim pieces off to get to them.
You might already know all this but others reading the post may find the info useful...

Old dog pretty much summed it up. That window frame only looks like one piece because of all the paint. The wood closest to the sash is a stop molding, tacked in place. Use a utility knife to score the paint at the joint, to minimize cracking. Use a stiff putty knife to gently pry it out. Work from one end up, prying a little at a time so you dont split the wood.

Thanks. There are about 40 coats of paint on this frame, so it's hard to tell if there is a separate piece of stop molding that can be removed. There's no Pully or counter weights. These windows just move up and down the inside groove with no mechanical aid and lock in place with a spring bolt. The window actually still works just fine if not for the broken glass.

how do they stay up once you've opened them?

molo said:

how do they stay up once you've opened them?

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He wrote: "...and lock in place with a spring bolt."

This was common a hundred or more years ago. The bolt is about 5/16 inch in diameter, and has a somewhat decorative turning that also gives it a shoulder that allows a person to easily grip it. It is in the side frame of the window, usually one on each side, and they are spring-loaded to push into holes drilled in the casing. In order to move the window from a fixed position you have to grasp each bolt and pull it inward and then move the window.

I use to build My own windows

This is basic, to a REAL carpenter! Why are You contracting or doing this work?
Your questions tell Me, You haven't a clue about this! Maybe I'm being hard ,
but it's the truth.

I may not be a "real" carpenter. But you're definitely a "real" a$$hole.

lol

Lol

Good call Verdeboy. Maybe toolaholic was born knowing everything but the rest of us have to learn it. Bet he is real fun to be around on the jobsite.

two links that may help you a little:

http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/articles/yohwindows.html

http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief09.htm

you may want to check with your home center or lumber yard and see what kind of replacement window is available for that opening,

one that is double glazed and workable and more weather tight, (with out the 35 layers of paint).

no more coffee...

Verdeboy said:

I may not be a "real" carpenter. But you're definitely a "real" a$$hole.

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LMFAO!!!!
I gotta stop drinking coffee while i'm up on this site...don't know how many more times the old computer will withstand me spraying coffee all over it!!
I know "real" carpenters who have never seen old windows much less work on them.
some guys need to do this to others to make themselves feel better.the old"if I can't dazzle them with my own brilliance,then baffle them with bulls***!"
I don't tolerate that type of s*** attitude on my jobsites.I've canned alot of otherwise good workers and thrown off subs for less BS than he tosses around on his posts.Keep asking questions...THATS HOW WE ALL LEARN!!

Do you have access to the outside? No need to go through all that paint & removing the trim piece, you should be able to swap out the glass without removing the sash. Just chip & scrape away the old glazing, pop in the new glass, re-glaze it.

Wear a good mask, there's sure to be lead paint under there.

Trying to get the piece of trim out is going to leave you with massive paint chipping, even after you've cut through most of it; and a lot of the time the wood's weaker than the paint by now, so it'll get destroyed in the process, leading to a whole lot of patching...

Actually, removing the window stop trim was a piece of cake. That window is pretty high up and there was a gnarly old tree in the way. So, I'm glad it came out so easily. The owner wants plexiglass, so plexiglass it will be. The original builders are probably turning over in their graves.

Consider Lexan...stronger, less affected by UV, and you can get it with scratch resistant coatings.

jadnashua said:

Consider Lexan...stronger, less affected by UV, and you can get it with scratch resistant coatings.

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But is it cheap? That's all this guy is concerned with.

Neither Plexiglass nor Lexan are cheap - glass is cheap. Plexiglass gets brittle when it is cold; Lexan is almost impossible to break under normal conditions. If he wants cheap, use glass.

Ya, Maybe I Am

But You come here daily to find home repair answers ,one of My apprentices
would know!! This is how it goes V. BOY ,1st You learn the trades then You hang Your shingle! But You make believe You,re a contractor,sell the job, Then come here and there to find out how to do the job. Not fair to homeowners,or legit contrs.
I have been helping people for Years. But I won't help homeowners create a health or safety trap, someone buys down The road. As You've found I also won't help hopeless hackers born on April fools day! CHEERS

Old Dog, Put Down That Coffee!

Making fun of my work, which you haven't even seen, is one thing. But making fun of my Birthday? The gloves are gonna have to come off now, buddy.

I'll try to explain this, so even a mental midget like you can understand. I always ask a lot of questions. I used to keep silent. I used to be afraid that some a$$hole like you would come down on me for asking a question. But I've done enough "recovery" work to not internalize moronic comments like that.

Most of the work I do, you never hear about. It is done with skill and professionalism. The questions I post here are to increase my knowledge base in a particular subject or to learn about a new subject. I turn down a lot of work that I don't feel competent to perform. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to learn more about that particular trade.

I'm used to being a professional. First as a research scientist, then as a property manager. I try to bring that professional attitude to my work as a handyman. As a late starter, I have a lot to learn. And, I'll keep asking questions and learning, despite pricks like you.

Unfortunately, you are just verbalizing, in a crass way, how a lot of people on this forum feel about Handymen. To be an openly admitted Handyman or Woman on this forum is dangerous. People take pot-shots at you all the time.