All the windows in my guides use a weight and pulley system. This system allows the window to stay in place once opened.  A majority of windows from these older eras used weights and pulleys.  However, not all did!  

Sometimes, you'll find your building has either no mechanical system (possibly because your building is very old) or it will have an alternative mechanical system. If the mechanics of the window are different than the weight and pulley system, you may need to enlist a local craftsperson to teach you how to maintain and repair your specific mechanical system.  Hopefully, though, you can figure it out. 

Also common to many windows was a weight and pulley system using chains rather than a sash rope.  Generally, these were found on large windows in commercial buildings, like the Rice Hotel in Houston.   There are also “Tape Balances” which are devices that attach to your window and roll out like a piece of tape.  Very expensive to replace - but probably many of the original ones will still work if they are just simply re-oiled.

• If you need to replace chains, which were often used on very large windows, you can look here for replacement parts: https://www.srshardware.com/product-category/chain-cord/
• An example of a Tape Balance: https://kilianhardware.com/tapebalances.html

Short Video of An Alternative Mechanical System

Pictures

VIDEO ONE (IMG_7448 Shortened)

• MINS 0:00-END. Replacing Broken Glass.  A quick explanation of how I replaced my wavy glass when I broke it.  To replace broken glass, you’ll need to pull out the old, broken glass and then replace it with the new pane of glass. Follow the tutorials in the Traditional Method chapter for the full tutorial on how to do that.

VIDEO TWO (IMG_7447 shortened)

• MINS 0:00-END. Securing a Crack in the Glass.  Although this video is in both chapters covering the Traditional and Australian methods, included it here again so you have it at hand.  A simple video that goes over repairing glass that is cracked or contains a crack. 

Another option to remove old paint is to use an infrared paint remover or a heat gun. There are some good infrared paint removers online for about $5-600.  Again, I did not go this route and did not find it necessary.  But some people swear by this method.  It is especially helpful in areas that are more decorative, where it is harder to remove old paint. I did not like this method because I didn’t want to have to work with anything that was really hot. Again, if you want to use this tool you would still follow my methods, but instead of scraping the paint off just using a vacuum scraper, you will use this tool to melt the paint and then more easily pull off the paint with a basic or vacuum scraper. 

• Here is a good one online: https://www.srshardware.com/product/speedheater-standard-1100-kit/
• Here is another one: https://www.srshardware.com/product/speedheater-cobra/
• Silent Paint Remover: https://www.earthandflax.com/product-page/the-silent-paint-remover-super-light

Be Careful with Lead Paint

Since these windows are on older homes built before the 1970s, lead paint is likely a consideration.  Additional disclaimer here that you are performing any tasks at your own risk, this section is for informational purposes only, and this guide is not giving safety advice.  Full Disclaimer Here.

Do Your Own Research

I strongly recommend that you take the time to research whether your house has lead paint and that you take the proper precautions in compliance with your local laws.  You can research the internet and also talk to your local craftspeople and contractors and get their opinions on how to handle lead paint in your area of the country.  Do your own research! Regulations (like the EPA regulations below) generally focus solely on professional contractors, not home owners performing their own work, but there may be local/other regulations that include non-professional property restorers.

Lead Dust

USE A PROPER MASK.  For these projects, whether lead paint or not, you will experience some amount of dust.  So I recommend you use masks for some steps of the process and any Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) (see Tools List) that you feel is appropriate based on your own preferences and research.  Also make sure you use a HEPA vacuum cleaner to suck up any dust.

As to masks, from the articles I've read, the rule of thumb seems to be that professional contractors doing this work day-in-day-out for years and years, should consider a respirator mask, while someone just restoring their own windows can use an N100 disposable mask.  I used a few N100 disposable masks for my whole project.  I would throw them out once I saw evidence of a lot of dust accumulation on the mask.  Again, use your own judgment.

• Here is an article on lead abatement that I found helpful: http://www.oldhouseauthority.com/archive/lead_paint
• From the article above: “Anyone who’s exposed to lead paint dust needs respiratory protection; acceptable choices include a professional-grade, half-face respirator with HEPA cartridges or a less cumbersome N100 disposable respirator. A flimsy paper "nuisance dust" mask does not provide enough protection. Workers who have young children should be especially careful that they don’t inadvertently bring lead dust into their homes. Remove dusty work clothes outside and wash them separately, or, better yet, wear disposable coveralls during the dusty portion of the job.”
• AND: “A half-face respirator with purple (HEPA) filter cartridges is standard equipment for workers who routinely disturb lead paint. Do-it-yourselfers and trades people who don’t disturb lead very often can wear a comfortable N100 disposable respirator.”
• I used both mask types, but most often I used the N100. That’s what I wear in each of the videos where I’m wearing a mask.
• Here is an additional article on EPA guidelines that focuses on contractor guidelines: https://www.thespruce.com/epa-lead-paint-rrp-rule-1824925 .
• Strips you can buy on Amazon to help you determine whether lead is present or not: LINK
• Post pandemic, you might be used to hearing about the N95.  The N95 is not the N100.  You need to be using the N100.  Don't skimp here.

Don’t forget to check your local guidelines, too! 

Scraping Lead Paint

Scraping the old Paint is a super quick and effiecient way of removing old lead paint.  And when you use a vacuum scraper, the HEPA vac just sucks it all up.  This is awesome because by the time you get to the sanding stage, you've already removed 98% of any old lead paint.

VACUUM SCRAPER LINK

HEPA VAC LINK. (This thing is incredible.  I did my whole house with it.)

Get some extra bags too: EXTRA BAGS LINK

Sanding Lead Paint

There are several options to sand off old lead paint.  The primary goal though is to avoid creating lead paint dust.  If sanding, of course be sure to wear a proper mask and any PPE you feel necessary.  Second, don't sand indoors.  Or if you must sand indoors, keep the area fully segregated from the rest of the living space.  Finally, work to ensure dust doesn't go airborne.  You can do this by wet-sanding or by sanding with a HEPA vac hookup. 

Hooking your Orbital Sander to a HEPA vac is my preferred method for dust abatement.  Small amounts of dust may escape, but but the HEPA vac will suck most of it up.  Make sure you're actually using a HEPA vac, and not just a normal shop vac, as that ensures lead dust doesn't escape from the vacuum.

Here is a hose you can attach to your Orbital Sander to directly connect it to the HEPA VAC.  What a great invention!!

LINK TO CONNECTOR HOSE.

Work Areas

First, common sense here - try not to do stuff like major sanding jobs indoors.

Second, segregate your work space, so that the area you're working in is cordoned off from the rest of your living space.  For my house, I had a back screened-in porch area that I did all my work in.  It was separate from the rest of the house and had good ventilation.  Even with that awesome space at my disposal, I still did not do any lead paint sanding indoors.  I would also sweep up any lead paint flakes every night when I was done.

A great way to section off an area is with these reusable "Zip Walls".  LINK TO ZIP WALLS.

Also put drop clothes down or be prepared to remove the soil under areas where you're working with windows or wood that have chipping flakes of lead paint.  

Encapsulating Lead Paint

Once you have painted over old lead paint, it is "encapsulated" and is generally considered safe again (because you can't actually touch or interact with it anymore).  

Moreover, if you follow all the steps in my masterclass, I teach you how to get back down to the wood.  So by the time you're done, you'll have scraped and sanded off 99% of the old paint, and then you'll encapsulate any remaining tiny remaining amounts.  

 A muntin is a decorative strip of wood that sits in the middle of some windows. 

It essentially divides the window to hold multiple panes of glass.  Some window sashes are divided into four panes of glass, some eight, some even more than that.  Often, after years of neglect, the muntins will break or degrade.  If your window has this problem, they can be fixed.  If it is in very bad condition, there are craftsmen most everywhere that can help you repair or replace the muntin.  However, you can also often take an old muntin off another window from a restoration salvage shop and replace it on your window.  The video below explains this.  My windows did not have muntins, but you would still follow all the same processes outlined in this Guide to restore a window with muntins.  You will just have more glazing to do.  Also, because the muntins are more delicate, you will need to be more careful when scraping them or consider using a steam cabinet so you can more easily peel off the old paint and glaze.

VIDEO ONE 7583

• MINS 0:00-END. A video with the owners of one of my favorite restoration salvage shops, Pickers Paradise.  It has everything one could need for restoring windows.  I go over with them a few tips on replacing muntins.  Apologies for the bad sound, my camera wasn’t working well that day and I only had a few minutes to grab the video.  Hopefully the captions help.

A quick discussion on the Rabbits and the use of shellac.  There are some differences about whether you should paint or shellac the rabbits (grooves) of the window sash.  This is the portion of the sash where the glaze touches, from above the glass to the edge of the sash.  There are arguments that the wood part on the sash will slowly suck the moisture out of the glaze, making it harder and brittle over many years – and that if you prime or shellack the rabbits first then add glaze, the glaze to retain its moisture longer.  This theory certainly sounds reasonable to me.  However, on my nearly 100-year-old sashes, they did not shellac or paint the rabbits.  The glaze directly touched the rabbit areas, granted the glaze was extremely hard and dry.  My theory throughout my restoration process was to match the original process as close as possible (except for my choice of glazing points) so I did not prime or shellac the rabbit spaces.  I don’t think it would hurt if you did, and it might even help.  The website Earthandflax sells very nice shellac that you can use.  Alternatively, you could just prime the area (which would probably help some) or you can use shellac you would get at a hardware store (did you know that Shellac comes from bug excrement?).  The normal shellac is also sold by Rivendell Bicycle Company, my favorite bike company.  If you are going for a landmark status project, you might want to go the shellac route.  I also discuss how to shellac the rabbits in Video Four of Step Nine of the AUSTRALIAN METHOD Chapter or Video Two of Step Eight of the TRADITIONAL METHOD Chapter.  (Same video in either place).

• Here is a link for the Earth and Flax shellac. https://www.earthandflax.com/product-page/shellac-flakes
• Here is some normal shellac from Rivendell, the best bicycle company in the world. They use it to shellac handlebars of bicycles, which is a really fun project if you have a bike: https://www.rivbike.com/products/newbaum-shellack-kit

If after restoring your windows, you still feel that you want to take additional steps to enhance energy efficiency, then I suggest you try Spring Bronze Weatherstripping.  This is a metal weatherstrip that fits in between your sash and your frame and seals off any remaining air gaps.  It is a great way to go and will make your wood windows nearly airtight!

Check: www.springbronze.com or Killian Hardware for a number of options.  There is also Window Restoration Supply who sells a number of types of Spring Bronze.

Here is a tutorial video from my friend Steve on his blog called Wood Window Makeover on how to install Spring Bronze into a wood window: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbUSKvFuIv4

Here is another video from Steve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYAYnp4M_lM

You might consider using a steam cabinet for a number of reasons.  You may plan to do a lot of windows, or possibly your trim/casing is more ornate, requiring more delicate paint removal.  Steaming the paint and glaze will make things easier, because both are easier to pull off after you steam them.  I never felt I needed to go this route.  But you may wish to consider it, especially if you have ornate trim/casing.   

If you go this route, you will still follow the process I’ve outlined in my videos, but before scraping the windows or pulling glaze, you will steam the sashes first allowing you to more easily pull of the paint and/or glaze.  Correspondingly though, you will have to wait for the sashes to dry back out after steaming them before priming/glazing/painting. 

Helpful websites:

• Here you can buy plans on how to build a DYI cabinet. http://www.oldewindowrestorer.com/steamcabinet.html
• Another page: https://www.oldtownhome.com/2017/10/2/DIY-Stripping-Steam-Box-for-Antique-Window-Glazing-Removal-and-Restoration/
• Another forum with building plans for a cabinet: https://thehistoricdistrict.org/viewtopic.php?t=10074

And wow! I'm so glad I found this -- apparently you can actually buy a premade steam cabinet from Bagala Window Works in Maine, made by WRS (Window Restoration Systems).  See below:

Bagala Window Works WRS Steam Stripper Specs: https://www.bagalawindowworks.com/steam-stripper

Bagala Window Works Video of the Steam Cabinet in use: https://youtu.be/PKSuCDfoTSw

If you are restoring your windows for landmark status, doing this professionally, or just want to stay as original as you can, then you may want to deviate from using the newer style glazing points that I advocate in my videos.  You may instead want to use the diamond points that you see on most original windows.  Also, these points are easier to glaze over.  Using these would also be best if you are going the traditional route, and completely removing the glass, properly bedding the glass, etc.  You would do best with a point setter, which go for about $200 online.

• Diamond Shaped Glazing Point Driver Tool: https://www.srshardware.com/product/point-driver/
• Diamond Shaped Glazing Points: https://www.srshardware.com/product/no-wax-diamond-points/
• Other types of Points (like Triangle Points): https://www.hardwareworld.com/ctve3ay/Glazing-Points-Drivers

Interior Window Inserts

Restoring your windows will do a lot for increasing energy efficiency of the windows, and will help reduce outside noise and air passage.  However, adding a window insert take things even further.  An interior window insert can make your house nearly silent, which is great if you live near a busy street.  Or, an insert can dramatically increase energy efficiency and help make your windows even more efficient than a "modern" double pained vinyl window.  Using inserts are much cheaper than replacing your windows with vinyl windows, and will save the character and aesthetics of your house.  

Exterior Storm Windows

Another option is to add an exterior storm window. This is very common in the northern US, and in places like Europe and the UK.  In essence, a good option for colder climates.

Here are some vendors that provide options for either choice.

Cutting Glass

Here is a video I filmed of Steve showing his students how to cut glass.  I wish I had known this technique when I was restoring my windows.  If you are too nervous to cut your own glass, remember - you can always take it to a glass shop to get cut.  They will give you lots of warnings about how they can't guarantee that the glass won't break because it's wavy, but 9/10 times they will successfully cut the glass.  Anyways, here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4oNZPBIGVY

A good glass cutter can be worth its weight in gold, because a bad one will be a major disservice.  The times when you may need to cut glass is when you're replacing some broken wavy glass with other wavy glass from another, extra sash.  Since the size may not always be exact, you can just cut it and then you'll be good to go. I had to do this a few times on my house.  It's not too difficult.  Here is a link to a very good glass cutter:  https://www.earthandflax.com/product-page/glass-cutter-supreme-w-lubricant-and-alloy-steel-wheel

Note – if you feel intimidated to cut your own glass, don’t worry!  I did too, and just usually drove 5 minutes over to a local glass company where they would cut it for me.  That’s ok.  But hopefully with this video you’ll feel confident to cut it yourself!

Finding Wavy Glass

Remember, the BEST place to find wavy glass for your historic windows, are local restoration salvage shops.   Just find a shop in your area selling old window sashes with the glass still in them, take the glass out as I show in my Wood Window Masterclass, and use that glass to replace your broken or missing glass.  The other option is to buy new glass, that is made to look old. 

Glass Contractors / Wavy Glass Specialists

Here are some online options to purchase glass as well as glass specialists, like the man below who makes curved glass, a very special find.