Thread: Repair 107 year old sash cord

For these jobs Ive a Fein oscillating tool. Its very good at getting into the corners.

I love your house!

Thanks WoodPixel

We love it too, but I'm not a great fan, at the moment.

I opened up the other side...
One of these things is not like the other!
And there should be 4, not 3[emoji51]

Originally Posted by woodPixel

For these jobs Ive a Fein oscillating tool. Its very good at getting into the corners.

Timely, I have created a "which multi tool do I buy thread" in powered hand tools[emoji1303]
I presume your recommendation is Fein!?

Originally Posted by graham.murfett

Timely, I have created a "which multi tool do I buy thread" in powered hand tools[emoji1303]
I presume your recommendation is Fein!?

Ill reply in your thread, but I think the Fien is a very nice tool.

I've renovated a few houses (5) and for the last one it really did a good job on all the corner bits. Sanding back a three-layer-horrific paintjob on door jams, window sills and doing tiling it worked very well. Its not an industrial sander - I used a Festool Rotex 125 for that part, but for the corners and details it was great.

Very noisy and needs hearing protection, but recommended.

Now to find your thread so I dont poison this one!

So I have weighed the larger weights and the larger window.
The 2 weights equal 16.4kg, and the window is 19.6kg.
Does that sound right?
Does anyone know what the comparative ratio formula is?
The window doesn't stay in the full up position.
Thanks

You'd think they'd want to be even, or fairly close. They need to counterweight, like a drawbridge

I saw some out at the local builders recovery centre and the weights looked like they could be added to in a modular fashion, a bit better than your taped-on bolts though

I would think that at some stage the glass has been replaced with a new thicker and heavier piece.

I think that the balance should be equal and you will need to add some extra to the weights. Might need to buy a big bag of large washers to slip over the cord or if you can get some welding done add a piece of bar to the existing weights.

The saga continues.
It's not that I have bitten off more than I can chew; rather the meal is bigger than estimated.

Painted 7 times. 6 times by bad painters. Last paint job wasn't even wiped or sanded[emoji33]



Estimating by the amount of paint I had to remove from around the upper sash window, I don't think it has been moved for 50 years.

So my newest head scratcher is how do I replicate the architraves?
Removing paint by any means isn't going to be enough.
I'm going to need more architrave due to previous infestation. The bad example weighs a lot less than the good example.
Does anyone have ideas?
I have a router table, and combo-thicknesser etc but not a moulder.
Is it worth getting a profile made, as I presume over time I'm going to need to replace more existing architraves. This shape is around all doors and windows.




Which paint stripper and rust removers do woodies recommend?
Thanks

Having a custom architrave made up is rather expensive, the initial set up of the machine being the most expensive part. If the damage isn't too significant I'd spray the affected area with earls wood hardener to solidify the soft timber and then crack out the builders bog.

If you do decide to get them custom made to match the existing profile I would ascertain exactly how much material you need and get it all done at once, as the tooling of the machine can cost $300+

I definitely wouldn't be replacing the architrave because of those borer holes. Timber filler will make short work of that. We rarely replace old with new in the homes we work on, it just looks wrong. Old should look old, character is nice.

Hahaha! I remind ye of this : "well, my wife will tell you it turns into a reglasing, a complete paint job, replacing cornice, paint the room, polish the floors, new electrical switches and hinges on the doors.... "

If it were me, well, I'd first have all the old paint removed with a soda blaster. It will only remove the paint/bog and leave the timber completely unharmed. IF you are thinking about doing all in the house, they are a good thing to buy. One can make up a clear-plastic "booth" to reuse all the media 100 times.

For the recreation, I'd make new boards by dividing the job into sections. If you have a router table and tablesaw, I'd say you can get pretty close with judicious choosing of fancy router bits from MLCS. They seem to have a better selection of weird styles than say Carbitool (which are excellent). Perhaps carbitool will make you a profile to match? (do bits 3+4 as a single bit?).

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Graham
You certainly have done a lot more than what is required to change the cord!
You have to be careful with removing paints that's probably more than 50 years old. They would all be lead based. If you are sanding, be sure to wear proper mask that is certified to capture lead particles. Alternatively, paint strippers can be used. And for the sashes and casings that are loose, using a paint stripper bath is a good alternative.
Your lead light in the upper sash is much heavier than the lower sash. and so it will need heavier counter weights.
Ideally each counter weight should be half of the weight of the sash, but it could be a bit lighter, but never heavier. You can adjust the weight by how difficult it is to open vs to close your window. If it is more difficult to open than to close, increase the weight, and vice versa. The weight should be equal on both sides.
Having borer holes are no reason to discard your casings. They look alright to me from the photos. Why would you want to replace them?

regarding the lead paint.

and be especially careful if you have pregnant females or young grand urchins around.


I don't know about Brisbane, but in Sydney it's possible to get a "metric match" for mouldings like yours.
The match is not exact, but provided it's not a mating part -- i.e. it's in a different room or on another window -- without a profile gauge and ruler no one will notice the slight inconsistency.
When I did my 1890s terrace, I installed all new architraves in the kitchen and recycled the recovered bits to replace missing bits in other rooms.


Buying the router bits required to make your own mating profile, can get expensive very quickly