Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

The Puddy knife still is you best bet.

Leave the screwdriver and hammer alone and concentrate on "wiggling" the
puddy knife into the various gaps.

The first place where you make progress often loosens up other places so you
keep trying "everywhere" and things gradually loosen up.

I have never had the need but at the extreme you could use a paint remover
or solvent.

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but that may
not
be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.

I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or putty
knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight windows,
three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver thing is not
working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the late-1950s window
frames before they come unstuck if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but that may not
be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.

"cybercat" wrote in :

I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or
putty knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight
windows, three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver
thing is not working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the
late-1950s window frames before they come unstuck

Enough paint in there and you just might.

if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but that
may not be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.




Tried one of these?
http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...puttyknife.jpg
http://images.lowes.com/product/048661/048661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't smash
the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it indespensible for a
thousand things if you do a fair amount of putzing. I've even used it
while painting too :-)

On Jul 23, 10:01 pm, Al Bundy wrote:
"cybercat" wrote :

I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or
putty knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight
windows, three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver
thing is not working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the
late-1950s window frames before they come unstuck

Enough paint in there and you just might.

if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but that
may not be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.

Tried one of these?http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...8661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't smash
the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it indespensible for a
thousand things if you do a fair amount of putzing. I've even used it
while painting too :-)

Don't know where you are at, but we would call that a "5 in 1 tool"
even though it has many more uses than that. The OP really needs a
window zipper:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...=1785302 8443

JK

"cybercat" wrote in message
...
I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or putty
knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight windows,
three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver thing is not
working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the late-1950s window
frames before they come unstuck if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

Are you scoring the joint with a sharp boxcutter before you start with the
putty knife? Another trick, like tightening a frozen bolt to loosen it up,
is to use a block and mallet to close the window tighter before you try to
open it. In windows of that era, metal-on-metal galling and dried-up
lubricant on the metal weatherstripping can sometimes bind it up as much as
the paint in the cracks. Note that this sometimes requires access to the
outside of the window, to tap the upper sash upward. (unless of course you
can get the bottom half open, and reach the bottom of the outer frame from
inside.)

aem sends...

Big_Jake wrote in
ps.com:

On Jul 23, 10:01 pm, Al Bundy wrote:
"cybercat" wrote :

I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or
putty knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight
windows, three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver
thing is not working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the
late-1950s window frames before they come unstuck

Enough paint in there and you just might.

if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but
that may not be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.

Tried one of
these?http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...ife.jpghttp://
images.lowes.com/product/048661/048661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't
smash the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it
indespensible for a thousand things if you do a fair amount of
putzing. I've even used it while painting too :-)

Don't know where you are at, but we would call that a "5 in 1 tool"
even though it has many more uses than that.

I've seen 6's, 7's, 8's, etc...All seem to be a takeoff on what I've seen
it called as a painters tool.

Let's see. This morning it was a get the roofing cement off the vertical
wall flashing tool.

The OP really needs a
window zipper:

Good one Jake. Thanks for the pointer to the pic.


http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...78341&cp=&f=Br
and%2F1004501%2F&kw=RED+DEVIL&parentPage=search&se archId=17853028443

JK

On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:01:43 -0500, Al Bundy wrote:

"cybercat" wrote in :

I have always lived in older houses, and just used a screwdriver or
putty knife and a hammer.

But the current house has these awful, small, eight-over-eight windows,
three-four in most rooms, and the hammer and screwdriver thing is not
working--it feels like I will tear the hell out of the late-1950s
window frames before they come unstuck

Enough paint in there and you just might.

if they ever will.

Is there any little trick anyone knows of to make this easier?

(Before we sell this place we will replace the old windows, but that
may not be for a while ... that is what I really want to do.)

Thank you.




Tried one of these?
http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...puttyknife.jpg
http://images.lowes.com/product/048661/048661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't smash
the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it indespensible for a
thousand things if you do a fair amount of putzing. I've even used it
while painting too :-)

I have had one of them in my toolbox for years. Don't even know where it
appeared from but it's always come in handy for all sorts of things,
mostly when I'm fitting coving.

Now I know exactly what it is I might even try using it to bed glass into
window frames :-)

--
Registered Linux User 413057.
Both Mandriva 2007.1 and Ubuntu 7.04
You can have it all. My empire of hurt.

Liverpool F.C.-more European Cups than all
the other English teams put together :-)

"Al Bundy" wrote

Tried one of these?
http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...puttyknife.jpg

http://images.lowes.com/product/048661/048661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't smash
the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it indespensible for a
thousand things if you do a fair amount of putzing. I've even used it
while painting too :-)

Hey, I remember these from when I painted for a living. Much
sturdier than the putty knife. Good suggestion, I will pick one up.

Thanks!

"Big_Jake" wrote

The OP really needs a
window zipper:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...=1785302 8443


Oh, man. Could it be this simple?? At $10.49, I sure will try it. We've got
Ace around here.
Thank you.

"aemeijers" wrote

Are you scoring the joint with a sharp boxcutter before you start with the
putty knife?

Sure didn't, but I will next time.

Another trick, like tightening a frozen bolt to loosen it up, is to use a
block and mallet to close the window tighter before you try to open it.

Interesting, I never thought of this for loosening bolts, either.

In windows of that era, metal-on-metal galling and dried-up lubricant on
the metal weatherstripping can sometimes bind it up as much as the paint in
the cracks. Note that this sometimes requires access to the outside of the
window, to tap the upper sash upward. (unless of course you can get the
bottom half open, and reach the bottom of the outer frame from inside.)


You know I would love to avoid dealing with the outside of the windows, as
it will require a much taller ladder than I have--but it has occurred to me
that
I may need to do that. I will try the methods, probably easiest to hardest!

Thanks to all who contributed. Maybe by fall I can open my upstairs windows
to enjoy the breeze!

"cybercat" wrote in :


"Al Bundy" wrote

Tried one of these?
http://www.bejane.com/files/images/h...puttyknife.jpg

http://images.lowes.com/product/048661/048661349892.jpg

Called a painters tool. Get yourself a good heavy one so you don't
smash the handle when you hammer assist. You will find it
indespensible for a thousand things if you do a fair amount of
putzing. I've even used it while painting too :-)

Hey, I remember these from when I painted for a living.

Professional stroker, ehhh...

Much
sturdier than the putty knife. Good suggestion, I will pick one up.

Thanks!

On Jul 24, 7:30 pm, "cybercat" wrote:
"Big_Jake" wrote

The OP really needs a
window zipper:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...1278341&cp=&f=...

Oh, man. Could it be this simple?? At $10.49, I sure will try it. We've got
Ace around here.
Thank you.

Yeah, it is that simple. Cheaper at Menards, if you have them in the
area.

Don't waste your time with all these other methods 'til you try one of
these.

JK