The sash in the bedroom is really old and needs replacing.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare £800 on me, so it's going to get
refurbished instead. I've done this before so I know how to remove the
beading and get the windows out to works on. The problem is, the frame
has changed shape as a result of a century of settlement and is now a
bit wider at the top than the bottom. This makes the upper pane a poor
fit.

Can anyone think of a way I could build up the frame so it fits a bit
better? I thought about trying to create a very thin wedge and glueing
it in place, but it can't work out how to make one. Or maybe there's
some kind of springy steel product I could get?

Cheers,

John

aboleth wrote:
The sash in the bedroom is really old and needs replacing.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare £800 on me, so it's going to get
refurbished instead. I've done this before so I know how to remove the
beading and get the windows out to works on. The problem is, the frame
has changed shape as a result of a century of settlement and is now a
bit wider at the top than the bottom. This makes the upper pane a poor
fit.

Can anyone think of a way I could build up the frame so it fits a bit
better? I thought about trying to create a very thin wedge and glueing
it in place, but it can't work out how to make one. Or maybe there's
some kind of springy steel product I could get?

Cheers,

John


Hellish job given that the rollers would probably have to be re-positioned.
I think I'd start by putting a series of round headed screws in the
frame and adjusting them in and out till the upper sash is snug but
still moves freely. Packing the sides might throw the top out of line.
At least this way you'd know what size "wedges" you need.
Car body filler is good for this sort of thing

Stuart Noble wrote:


Hellish job given that the rollers would probably have to be re-positioned.

Nobs. I hadn't thought of that. Might get away with it with a slot in
the wedge.

I think I'd start by putting a series of round headed screws in the
frame and adjusting them in and out till the upper sash is snug but
still moves freely.

Nice tip.

Packing the sides might throw the top out of line.
At least this way you'd know what size "wedges" you need.
Car body filler is good for this sort of thing

There's some fast setting wood filler I guess is pretty much the same.
The problem is how to get it to stick. I thought wood might be better
as it can't crumble or chip.

In message om,
aboleth writes


Packing the sides might throw the top out of line.
At least this way you'd know what size "wedges" you need.
Car body filler is good for this sort of thing

There's some fast setting wood filler I guess is pretty much the same.

AFAICS, having used both they are the same thing - just different
colours and body filler seems to be cheaper.

The problem is how to get it to stick.

It sticks well even in thin layers, and sands nicely

--
Chris French

aboleth wrote:
The sash in the bedroom is really old and needs replacing.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare £800 on me, so it's going to get
refurbished instead. I've done this before so I know how to remove the
beading and get the windows out to works on. The problem is, the frame
has changed shape as a result of a century of settlement and is now a
bit wider at the top than the bottom. This makes the upper pane a poor
fit.

Can anyone think of a way I could build up the frame so it fits a bit
better? I thought about trying to create a very thin wedge and glueing
it in place, but it can't work out how to make one. Or maybe there's
some kind of springy steel product I could get?

Cheers,

John

would fitting draught excluders into the sides of the sashes take up
the gap? Tis an easy enough job.

NT

aboleth wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:

Hellish job given that the rollers would probably have to be re-positioned.

Nobs. I hadn't thought of that. Might get away with it with a slot in
the wedge.

I think I'd start by putting a series of round headed screws in the
frame and adjusting them in and out till the upper sash is snug but
still moves freely.

Nice tip.

Packing the sides might throw the top out of line.
At least this way you'd know what size "wedges" you need.
Car body filler is good for this sort of thing

There's some fast setting wood filler I guess is pretty much the same.
The problem is how to get it to stick. I thought wood might be better
as it can't crumble or chip.


As Chris says, it's pretty tenacious and sticks to almost anything.
Gouging a few small grooves in the frame would help. Halfords are pretty
cheap for small amounts, or a car paint trade outlet for 3.5 kg size. No
point in buying it as a wood filler if you're going to paint over it.
It's all the same stuff basically.

If you have access to a sawbench, you could machine a strip of 50mm x
2mm wood and fill behind it to give you a flat surface. A couple of dabs
of filler would hold it in place to begin with. It goes off in 5 minutes
so you could even hold it in postion

Owain wrote:
aboleth wrote:
The sash in the bedroom is really old and needs replacing.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare £800 on me, so it's going to get
refurbished instead. I've done this before so I know how to remove the
beading and get the windows out to works on. The problem is, the frame
has changed shape as a result of a century of settlement and is now a
bit wider at the top than the bottom. This makes the upper pane a poor
fit.

Sash windows can be adjusted to slopey tops and bottoms quite easily,
but if you have non-parallel sides your sashes will never, erm, sash?
properly.

Can you pull the box out, cramp it back into a rectangle, and put it back?


They aren't parallel and no way am I getting the frame apart! This is a
job for Captain Bodgeit.

wrote:


would fitting draught excluders into the sides of the sashes take up
the gap? Tis an easy enough job.



Yes, I was wondering about that, there are some sprung steel designs I
believe.