In article . com,
wrote:
Last time I replaced the beads I soaked them in Cuprinol for some time
before fitting but after cutting to size - but this doesn't seem to
have extended their life or done anything for the paint adhesion.

Dear Dave
There is no point in soaking in cuprinol and then cutting

That's why I cut them first then soaked. As I said. ;-)

Best is to use a grade 5 durable timber as described in the BRE Digest
on porosity and durability eg iroko teak etc provided it is heart wood
or if using softwood make it Scots pine and cut it all to shape first
then double vac treat it If not double vac treat put each end grain in
liquid , preferably, overnight (min 60 mins) mount in non setting butyl
or similar mastic used for double glazing

Problem is all I've seen is the one type of moulding on sale - both in the
sheds and Travis Perkins. No idea what the wood is. It seems closer
grained than the ordinary stuff you get, though. The original stuff was
fitted under the supervision of the architect who designed everything -
but it lasted no better than the stuff I replaced it with. So where do I
buy this sort of spec timber?

On the sills and sub sills make sure there is a 10 degree slope and
drip groove

I wondered about that. The sill is a standard hardwood moulding of the
type most yards sell. The other two horizontals are just plain PAR - so no
slope. And the planted on bead has no slope either.

I completely endorse all the other posts with reference to
Weathershield primer ( Dorothy Bradbury) ( but not the specification
of "hardwood" - Balsa is one!) and decent arrises (10mm for sills)
and I recommend the Dulux OS paint system FOLLOWED by a coat of
Sikkens Water repellant preservative stain which I put on every two
years leaving the gloss underneath. The advantage is that it fails by
chalking and you need no preparation when repainting

Right.

I appreciate that with the conservatory below this is difficult but
would recommend either a purpose built access or opening window

To alter the design would be extremely expensive - as I said it is load
bearing. And it goes from floor to ceiling so a conventional opening
window - or at least anything big enough to give access to the outside
would be plain dangerous. At the moment there are three top hung opening
panels.

--
*A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.