Ready for something new
One thing I like about house projects is that they vary quite a bit.
Right now I don't like the project I'm working on and will be glad to
move on to the next project. My current project is stripping the nook
windows.
We are trying to keep as many of our original windows as
possible. So I removed the windows from the frame and got started.
First I removed as much paint as I could with the heat gun. The paint
along the sides came off pretty well, but I was concerned about using
the heat gun close to the glass. I removed a little bit of the paint
and very old putty from the small pieces along side the glass, being
very careful. This was an extremely slow process and I was afraid
that I would hurt the glass. So this morning I put a coat of chemical
stripper on one window, put it in a garbage bag and then prayed that it
would become a simple project. Soon I remembered how much of a mess it
was to refinish the staircase. It had been about a year which must be
the time span for forgetting what a painful process it is! After
removing the window from the door, the paint was coming off pretty
well, but there was a big mess smeared all over the window. I scraped
and cleaned up best I could with the after wash and steel wool. Some of
the putty was coming off with a razor blade and in a couple of spots it
would pop right off. I'd carefully put the razorblade between the putty
and glass and then apply a little pressure and about an inch of putty
would come off of the glass and leave a nice clean strip of wood.
Other spots the putty wouldn't budge, but along the bottom half of the
window it was working pretty well. I was making good progress along one
side and was getting about ½ in sections off at a time on one side. I
moved the razor blade, did the exact same thing as before and CRACK! I
put a small crack in the glass. So- now I'm thinking of going back to
the heat gun after all the chemical stuff has dried and hopefully I
won't catch anything on fire. I wish I had a big vat of chemicals
I could just dip this window in, go to bed, and find that there was
only bare wood when I woke up! The worst part is that we're painting
these windows and they don't need to be perfect. When the putty
started coming off and it was old and crumbly I knew that needed to be
replaced. Now one pane of glass will need to be replaced and the entire
window will probably have to come apart. Maybe that will amke it easier
to refinish. This
project is going to take me forever! Anyone have better luck with
windows than I'm having? I'll ship my windows to you & you can show
me how it's done if you like!