I've done windows here at 173 quite a few times now. I put new windows in the back porch, new windows in the basement, re-glazed and painted the window on the north side of the house...
But, for a couple reasons, I've always avoided working on the interior of the windows. The first reason is that the woodwork is so beautiful I've been afraid I'd mess it up. The second is that they look intimidatingly complex. So much so that I've had to watch videos and study diagrams...
But, the other day I took the air conditioner out of the window, and thought - gee, I should re-glaze this window - it won't take long! THAT should have been my first sign - I'm ALWAYS wrong when I say something won't take long. Besides that, here's the radar picture for the day I pulled the windows out (173 is in New York):
And here it is the day after:
Life's about timing right? Anyway, the die was cast, the Rubicon crossed, now I was committed to the task! Here we go...A number of things are noticeable in this picture:
The color of the interior wood is beautiful, but towards the top you can see where some of the shellac is alligatoring. You can also see where (many years ago) some green paint was left on the window, and also noted is some of the crumbling green-painted glaze accumulated in the corner. And, the overall condition of the sill and the storm window.
I was surprised when I pulled off the first window-stop (above) and the whole window just wouldn't come out. Turns out the windows run on an aluminum track.
It took awhile to figure out, but after close inspection I figured out that the tracks were held in place with just two tiny nails.
So, the picture above shows both the top and bottom windows open a bit. I can honestly say this is the first time the top window has been down in some 21 years! Here's a picture of the outside of one of the windows...
I bet 173 was strikingly beautiful when it was white with fresh-painted green trim! The glaze was so old it took very little time or effort to remove:
Here's one window after sanding and putting in new glaze...
Definitely not as good as a pro, I monkeyed with the corners for a long time but never really got them figured out!
When pulling out the windows I broke the parting beads that separate the windows. I can't find a pre-cut board that fits properly, so now I'm cutting my own...
Well, it's November, obviously more to come!!