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Does anyone in or near Chicago have a 34 x 15 7/8 piece of wavy glass? I need one to replace the nonwavy glass I broke. Despite my old-window-hoarding ways, I don’t have a piece that wide. I do have smaller pieces, particularly if anyone’s looking for a pane of a multi-light sash.
When you’re lucky enough to have a dozen or more old windows left in your old house, you become acquainted with the some-now-more-later approach. So this year brings me to the big, bad, fixed bay window on the front of the house, as well as the smaller, transom-size window above it and its mate from the south side that I didn’t have the cajones to climb up and do in place a couple years back.
The first part of the adventure was removing the sashes—all of them fixed, not designed to slide up and down, and all of them painted in. Our plan was to pull them out from the inside, but they’ve all got storm windows on the outside and there was the reality-laden likelihood that we would have to remove the storms to break the paint seals and loosen the windows for inside removal. So we started with the big one, which is about 3.5 feet by just over 3.
After removing the stops, it was clear that we had to haul the ladders out and approach this from the outside. Removing the storm for the bay window turned out to be more of a big deal than breaking through the paint, since it was almost all cracking like crazy anyway:
Old, old glazing:
But even after pulling the storm and busting through the paint seal from the outside with scraper and razor, it still wasn’t completely free. We took off some of the inside casing that it seemed to be nudging against, but that still wasn’t enough. It turns out that because of the house’s nearly 100 years of settling, the window was sitting in its frame slightly askew. So we had to get out a planer and take some of that great, old-growth wood away to let the sash slide out freely. This was done in a part of the framing that won’t be seen when all the face trim is put back on.
Then, after a few taps from the outside, it was easy to pull the whole thing out from the inside, and we got it upstairs to the worksite with no problems. The smaller, transom-size windows were a cinch to remove. They were free-moving as soon as we pulled off the casings around them on the inside. So here’s the big sash upstairs waiting to be operated on:
I started out working on one of the small sashes and was very pleased to get all the old, petrified glazing and points out without breaking the window. I used a heat gun and plumber’s heat-guard to avoid cracking the glass. On the second small sash, my luck did not hold up. I broke the glass and was crushed. I wasn’t sure if I had gotten careless in covering the glass while heating the glazing or if, perhaps, the problem was that I was using a different heat shield—a black, fluffy one—than on the first one (the beige, multi-woven one seen in the linked entry above). A few days later, I realized that the glass I had broken was not wavy! It was newer, flat replacement glass. This realization made my week, as only an old-house aficianado’s week can be made. In any case, there was still the big sash to contend with. And I was nervous because that was without a doubt vintage wavy glass that belongs in that front window.
So I set out slowly on the day that seemed right to try to start. And I took a tip from my partner in this folly and tried breaking the seal between the paint and the glass with a razor blade before trying to pry out the glazing.
As I was doing this, I found that I could slide the blade completely under the crusty glazing and loosen it by degrees. I ended up getting all of it out like this. Didn’t even turn on the heat gun. And the whole, huge pane has been preserved thus far.
Just came across this excellent top-10 list from the New England Window Restoration Alliance.
Top 10 Reasons to Restore or Repair Wood Windows
1. Because your windows fit your house.
• Quirky as they might be, your older windows fit your house. Care was taken to match the weight and style of window to the building, the trim, etc. They have expanded and contracted with the seasons. With proper weather stripping they can be made to fit and seal even better. Replacement windows have a rigid structure that fits within your window openings. Old houses move and shift over time, and frequently the gaps that open up around replacement windows and the window openings result in more drafts than the original windows.
2. Because you appreciate good craftsmanship
• The true mortise and tenon construction of antique windows is incredibly strong and even when it begins to weaken is easily repaired. Many unique window shapes were created because of the craftsmanship with wood joinery. Antique windows were built to last and not land in a landfill.
3. Because you value good materials.
• Antique wood windows are constructed of old -growth timber. The wood is much denser and more weather resistant than today’s tree-farmed softwoods. Delicate profiles are possible because of the density of the wood. The reason these windows are still around—even with years of neglect—is because the wood is of very high quality, requiring no cladding or additional materials to give them weather
resistance. Minus all the ugly paint, your wood windows are usually quite beautiful, graceful, and strong.
4. Because you love the character of antique glass.
• Even the glass in antique windows tells a story. It may be roundel or cylinder glass, each indicating a certain era of manufacturing. Old glass has varieties of color and texture that are a delight to the eye. Two layers of glass are better than one, and in an antique home that second layer of glass should be the storm window that protects the original window.
5. Because you think a warranty should be more than 20 years.
• Chances are your windows have done their job for 50 or more years already. Sure, they may be a little creaky and may not be as attractive as they once were, but it’s a far better investment to repair a proven performer than to sink money into a new window that only has a 20-year warranty at best. With proper maintenance your antique windows should last another 100 years. Heck, even without maintenance they
may last that long!
6. Because you want to avoid vinyl.
• Poly vinyl chloride (PVC) is becoming one of the greatest concerns in the building industry. Not only does the production of it create an environmental nightmare, but the gases it emits over time are becoming a concern. Heaven forbid your house catches fire, and PVC burned will release toxic amounts of dioxin. If you are concerned about lead, please understand that it is used as a stabilizer in the
manufacture of PVC. If you are concerned about our planet’s health, you should read up on efforts to reduce the use of vinyl.
7. Because you want more light.
• Replacement windows are set into the window opening, and the sash is smaller than the originals. You get less viewing area and less light. Who wants less light?
8. Because windows are a functional part of your house.
• Weights and pulleys are the best balance systems ever invented. There is a prevalent myth that a lot of cold air comes in through the weight pocket. If there is cold air in the weight pocket it’s generally because there is a gap between the outside trim of the house and the siding. It may also indicate a poor seal at the floor joists. Replacing easily serviceable weights and pulleys with vinyl jamb liners or invisible balance systems means installing a system that has a maximum life span of 10-20 years but generally fails in less time. You won’t believe how joyful it is to open and close windows easily with one hand when everything is restored to the way it was designed to work!
9. Because you really can save 30-40% on heating costs.
• According to the Field Study of Energy Impacts of Window Rehab Choices (conducted by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, the University of Vermont School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering laboratory), the estimated first-year energy savings between a restored wooden window with a good storm window vs. a replacement window was $0.60. Yup, less than a buck. In their conclusions section they noted, “The decision to renovate or replace a window should not be based solely on energy considerations, as the difference in estimated first-year savings between the upgrade options are small.” Broken glass, failed glazing, no weather stripping–these small and repairable items are what really affect energy efficiency in windows.
10. Because the greenest building is one that is already built.
• Replacement windows are touted as a way to save energy. But when evaluated from the perspective of the entire production, shipping, installation and removal process, replacing windows consumes a whole lot of energy—or, viewed another way, an older building has a great deal of embodied energy. If the total energy expenditure to manufacture replacement windows is considered, the break-even period stretches to 40-60 years. In the words of Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “We can’t build our way out of the global warming crisis. We have to conserve our way out. That means we have to make better, wiser use of what we have already built.” Repairs and restoration work are done by local craftspeople paying local taxes. They use a minimum of materials and resources and a maximum of labor. Restoring windows is the best use of existing materials and the best way to support the local economy.
On the way to work the other day, I noticed a neighbor scraping paint off the old windows on the fabulous bungalow nearby. Scraping paint! As in fixing the old windows—not ripping them out. It fills me with glee, this sight that is so very rare these days.
I hope this helps inspire our other neighbors to renovate rather than trash.
Looking past why I was installing weatherstripping in January, check out the nifty old packaging of this spring bronze weatherstripping that I snagged from my manly cohort’s brother-in-law. He found it on someone’s front lawn waiting for trash day.
She’s got her puffy-toe heels on!
Almost 60 years old—and they never used it. I made up for lost time.
I use screws instead of nails—except on the very edges sometimes when I can’t fit the drill into the space to drive in the screw.
All the original hardware on the windows and doors looks dingy, grimy and, well, kinda Januaryish. I was debating whether I should try to clean up the old stuff or get it replated or buy new, so I set upon one of the sash lifts with steel wool and denatured alcohol. And I found the gleam!
Looks like they were copper-plated, just like the few doorplates I’ve gotten around to cleaning up. Gonna spray some clear lacquer on top to keep that finish from crusting over again. And yeah, the uncleaned bottom one is bent; don’t know how that happened (painted-closed sash maybe?) but I’m going to swap it out with one from a window in a less-visible spot because this one is destined for a front-of-the-house sash.
After all the work I put into restoring nearly 100-year-old windows, it’s annoying to be able to see the metal point or the paint that covers the glazing from the inside of the window because of a shallow rabbet holding the glass. So, on the advice of my old-house cohort, I snipped the tips off the points that protruded beyond the edge of the rabbet or would force me to paint so that it would be visible from the inside. I’m pleased with the results and the approach, which takes only a few more seconds when installing the glass.
A full-size glaziers point
Snipping off a millimeter or two
A shorter profile that allows for applying putty and paint without them being visible from the other side
To try to make myself feel better about yesterday’s broken glass, I’m posting this photo of me working on a window I did not break (but did reglaze in place).
This was in October, and it was brutally cold with a stiff wind. And what you’re seeing up there is me using a razor to make sure people on the inside (like the photographer) don’t see the paint that covers the glazing. Alas, it’s not wavy glass in that window.
But that is one of my more presentable pieces of house-project attire (partially since you can’t see the pants)!
It’s the seasonal rituals that fill me with joy—hanging the wreath, gathering photos to send with the holiday cards, cramming caulk into every cranny so I don’t feel like I’m skiing every time I walk by one of the vinyl windows the previous owner installed upstairs.
Thankfully this year we were aided in this wintry rite by the battery-powered caulk gun we’ve got on loan from my father-un-law (sic, cuz we’re happily unmarried).
It’s a Ryobi, and I love it—though I will admit I’ve not tested other power guns. After caulking a magnificently painful mile in the last few years, this thing makes me feel like a slacker. A slacker who doesn’t have a cramped, flaming arm and hand.
Now I also love the Seasonseal caulk because it sticks tight when you need it but peels right off in the spring when you want to fling open that sash. Though I love it a little less after the tube you see up there burst its casing and started chugging out the side of the tube. That made neat work tricky.
But I don’t care anymore. The new vinyl windows are ugly, and they don’t keep the chill out, and I can’t even ignore them by looking through them because their surface is foggy and impossible to get clear. I just need to save up so I can replace them with something that won’t be useless like they are in 10 years.
Here’s some comparison info from the October 2007 issue of Old House Journal that I hope will inspire you to think twice before dumping your old windows:
Assumptions for all examples: 3×5 window; gas heat @ $1.09/therm
Storm window over single-pane original window
Cost for storm = $50
Annual energy savings = 722,218 Btu
Annual savings per window = $13.20
Simple payback = 4.5 years
*Nothing sent to the landfill
Double-pane thermal replacement of single pane window
Cost $450.00
Annual energy savings = 625,922 Btu
Annual savings per window = $11.07
Simple payback = 40.5 years
*Original window in the landfill
Low E glass double-pane thermal replacement of single pane window
Cost = $550.00
Annual energy savings = 902,722 Btu
Annual savings per window = $16.10
Simple payback = 34 years
*Original window in the landfill
Low E glass double-pane thermal replacement of single-pane window with a storm
Cost = $550.00
Annual energy savings = 132,407 Btu
Annual savings per window = $2.29
Simple payback = 240 years
*original window in landfill
Now, I know there are a lot of pressures in the world, and the personal timeline, that make it seem better to buy new windows. I respect each person’s assessment of the state of his or her house and ability to restore various parts, but I feel the need to point out that those new windows you think are solving your problems may just be the start of a whole new, expensive set of troubles. It may be slow going, but at least you can fix the old ones.
More testimony can be found from the Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board and Gail Wallace of Restoration Works Inc.
This evening I have a tale of success following failure and how even my most basic instincts don’t always kick in—to the detriment of a beautiful piece of old, wavy glass. But the good news first:
That piece of glass, which is going to live in the top sash of the north window on the east side of the first floor of my house, is intact! After being cut to size from a larger pane that my father decided to ditch when he (cringe) replaced the old windows on his 1915 house. I brought that sash and two others to my house a couple years back because I was about to start renovating my windows and because the glass in his was uber-wavy. I found out in trying to remove it that it was also thicker than my glass and still fitted snugly in its sashy station. I’m used to removing glass from cracked, falling-out putty; this stuff was tight and put up a fight. Having got both panes out, the man of the house and I set to cutting them to fit our sashes that had broken glass when we got here. I was too chicken to try, having been convinced I was going to break the glass in removing it. So he, who had successfully cut glass before, gave it a go. And things were going well enough until the final cut, when the pane exhibited a rebellious streak—sideways, ruining the piece for our hopeful use. So we didn’t even try on the second pane and thought maybe we’d take it to a professional in the neighborhood who we’d gone to when it came time to replace a glass shelf in my 1948 Hotpoint refrigerator. In the meantime, I searched the Old House Web boards and Google for tips on cutting wavy glass. And this is the point where I don’t understand myself because I usually research the bejeezus out of everything before taking any action. I found the advice to clean only the line to be cut with mineral spirits and to use the beady back end of the glass cutter to bang the back of the cut before setting the glass back on the table and snapping it down to take off the excess piece. None of these things had we done when we tried to cut the first pane. So I got curious, did a test run on one of the ruined pieces and decided to try again. And it worked!
The worst breakage we got was this little bit of cratering and uneven edges, which were easily cleaned up later with a diamond bit on the Dremel tool:
So here’s the newly cut piece in its new home, along with the rebellious piece on top:
So I’m just going to go ahead and be pleased about the second piece and chalk up the first piece to education (it’s also good for my co-worker who has a broken pane in a multi-light sash and has been looking for wavy glass to replace it). Next time: Stick with my usual inclination of research first!
