Mr. Harvey, because of the problem you mentioned I have stopped using this method. I've switched to a Stanley No.78 Duplex Rabbet Plane. I just haven't had a chance to update the video. Hope this helps.

@@MartinJMuller Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I ended up returning my makita planer and bought the Stanley 78 like you suggested.

RJelly. Nice that you have your private hawk show unfolding in your back yard. If you are in the Seattle area I would love to hear about which nest you're watching. In order to make sure we (Urban raptor Conservancy) aren't missing a site. You can learn about our study at urbanraptorconservancy.org

Yelizaveta Evreeza, I took a piece of intact weather-stripping to a local metal shop and they were able to manufacture something close enough that it worked.

Lee Stebbins, I would leave no more than 1/16" on either side, so a 29 7/8"-wide sash for a 30" opening. Once there is 1/8" gap on either side it's time to add weather-stripping.

Oscar Valdez, on the lower sash you only need to remove enough wood that the smaller hook of the upper sash can wrap around the lower sash hook. 3/8" is plenty. If you remove 5/8" you will be left with a much-reduced nailing surface for that lower sash hook. The diagrams available online (Dorbin Metal or on my website) show the installation of the meeting rail hook in the center of the meeting rail. It is more common to install the hooks at the bottom of the meeting rail, which is what my description is based on. If this is not clear email me at martin muller (one word) at msn dot com and I will send you a better diagram.

@@MartinJMuller thank you Martin for the quick response. Email sent. What’s your website btw?

@@ovaldezkep2 doublehungwindowrestoration.com

B1ack_Raven. Thank you for the kind words. I am glad to read you are taking proper precautions protecting yourself and any other people in the home from lead-containing dust. It's nasty stuff. Yes, removing all the original/old paint is a lot of work. I typically only remove the paint from the friction surfaces (where it doesn't belong in the first place). For this I use the Gelplane ProScraper (hollow, attaches directly to HEPA vacuum). Since I only remove paint from these relatively small areas, the scraper works just fine. If the paint is well-adhered to the wood there is no real good reason to remove it. Be aware that lead migrates from the paint into the wood, so even when you remove all the paint and think you're dealing with bare wood, you are in fact still dealing with lead-containing surfaces. According to the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Brief # 10 (Exterior paint problems on historic wood work) "removing paint from historic buildings-with the exception of cleaning, light scraping, and hand sanding as part of routine maintenance-should be avoided unless absolutely essential. Once conditions warranting removal have been identified the general approach should be to remove paint to the next sound layer using the gentlest means possible, then to repaint." You could be saving yourself a LOT of work. Lastly, I don't know why some window manufacturers included a pocket door while others didn't. Most likely simple economics, but I wasn't there at the time, so I'm not sure. Luckily it's not that difficult to create a pocket cover. Good luck with your project Martin Muller

@@MartinJMuller Thank you for your reply. Good point on saving a lot of work. Maybe I'm over thinking things.. My reason for removing the paint is there are so many layers that it binds the window from operating properly. There's 1/16" or more of paint in places. I notice that the windows in this video are fully painted, to include the jamb. You said you remove paint from the friction surfaces, but you repaint those locations? How do the windows not stick and bind? Do you use wax? My plan is/was to not re-paint the jambs after removing the paint. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

@@iksnyzrog The windows in the video were restored and painted by the homeowner. Too much wood was removed (he got carried away sanding the surfaces after removing the paint) and as a result the sashes (almost 1/8" thinner than originally) were rattling and rolling in the frame. I was hired to install the interlocking weather-stripping and I used the project to create the installation video. Good for you for noticing that the windows were completely painted. I'd forgotten about that. When I say I clean the friction surfaces I mean the outer 3/8 edge of the interior and exterior faces of the sashes. The part that sits up against the interior stop, parting bead, and blind stops. My rule of thumb for what needs finishing (either paint or stain & clear coat): you only paint what you can see with the window in the closed position. That also applies to the frame. So the portion of the jamb that is not visible when the lower sash is closed does not get finished. But the jamb sections above the closed lower sash, and below the bottom of the closed upper sash do get finished. Exceptions (there always are exceptions): the 3/8"-wide strip at the top of the upper sash interior face (which becomes visible as the top sash is lowered) may be finished. Same with the bottom of the lower sash interior face, which sits up against the stool (interior sill), which becomes visible when the lower sash is raised. If you want you can finish the in-facing face of the top sash lower (meeting) rail to match the interior finish. You can also finish the out-facing surface of the lower sash top rail (exterior color). Really no need to finish the top of the top rail of the upper sash, or the bottom of the bottom rail of the lower sash. I do wax the friction surfaces. Paraffin wax. I use the canning wax found in the canning supplies section of the grocery store.

@@MartinJMuller What a very clear and understandable explanation. Thank you! My plan has been to only paint what can be seen when the window is closed, but when I viewed this video I questioned that decision. Thankfully I have not sanded my windows.. The weather stripping seems like a level of complication that is best avoided by a homeowner like myself, but if the amount of play and rattle is unacceptable after restoration I may be back for more questions :-) Again, thank you for your time!

MB Cummin, Thank you for taking on restoration, rather than replacement. The short answer is that you remove the weather-stripping in reverse order of installation. But that leaves out some pitfalls, since often the sashes are painted shut. So, first determine if there is lead-containing paint. If there is, please take appropriate safety precautions (see information here: www.doublehungwindowrestoration.com/the-issue.html). If the lower sash is painted shut you will have to score the paint on both inside and outside and then CAREFULLY free up the sash. First remove the interior vertical stops (assuming they are nailed, use a putty knife and/op small pry bar to gently pull the stop away from the jamb, try not to break the stop; if they are screwed on, remove the screws). Please don't jam a screwdriver into the wood at the interior bottom of the sash. Instead use a stiff putty knife on the exterior, slid beneath the lower rail corners at the same angle as the sill (if you drive it in straight you will damage the sill). Preferably put the putty knife beneath the vertical stiles while (CAREFULLY) prying the sash up. Once the sash moves up and down go to the interior and find the two or three nails that hold the vertical weather-strip (rib strip) in place. Depending on whether the original installer was right- or left-handed you will find the nails on the right side or left side more easily accessible. You are looking to first remove the nails that were installed last. That reverse process I mentioned. Using a putty knife or pry bar inserted between the backside of the rib strip and the jamb, try and start pulling the nails out. If this fails you could try using a hacksaw blade to cut through the nails. Or, as a final option you could use a nail set and drive the nails through the (thin metal) rib strip. Once one side of the weather-strip is loose, you can move the sash up with the rib strip and remove the sash. For the upper sash, if it's painted shut, you need to remove the paint from the rib strip end that protrudes below the bottom of the (closed) upper sash. You also need to score the paint that holds the parting bead (small vertical wood strip between upper and lower sashes) in. The only way to remove the parting bead intact is by sliding the upper sash all the way down to the sill. For information about this see also: www.doublehungwindowrestoration.com/typical-restoration-process.html . Once the parting bead is out and if the upper sash does not slide off the bottom of the rib strip, you will need to remove one side of the upper sash rib strips. Getting the nails out is easier once the parting bead is out. I hope this helps. If you have additional questions, as I said in the video, please contact me by phone (no text, see the number on the side of the truck in the video) and I can see if I can talk you through any of the myriad variations of problems that might crop up. Sincerely, Martin Muller, Owner.

A nail set. It focuses the force of the hammer solely on the nail (rather then denting the metal or wood).

Mary Mathieu. I am sorry to hear you run in to "restorers" who wish to scrap the interlocking metal weather-stripping. Not sure I would call them restorers in that case. I have not run into windows like you describe in 23 years of doing this work in Western Washington. So alas, I can not produce a video for you. In my experience the main reason people want to scrap the zinc metal weather-stripping is because they don't know how to dismantle it without destroying some of the weather-stripping and they aren't aware of the companies that make the stuff. You will find sources for the material in the RESOURCES / METAL INTERLOCKING WEATHERSTRIPPING section on my website: www.doublehungwindowrestoration.com/interlocking-weather-stripping.html I hope this helps.

@@MartinJMuller Thank you for you quick response and information on supplies. The fact you haven't run into my windows in your long career, is even more motivation for me to preserve them the way they were first designed. I believe they were only around for a few years prior to WW II and then the zinc was probably used in the war effort. I'm so glad there are companies willing to supply this weatherstripping--previous owners have painted my weatherstripping and although I'll do my best to preserve the original zinc, I'll probably need to replace some of it. I must say, my windows are 82 years old and are amazing--I'm pretty sure they'll last another 82 years once I'm finished with them. Cheers.

Randy Sibley, Both work great. Stay with what you had originally. The pulleys differ so switching from say sash cord to chain involves more than simply the chain and the springs to attach it to the sashes. You'd have to switch the pulleys too. Sash cord lasts 65 years or more (unless it gets painted), so while chain can last much longer, doing the maintenance (taking the window apart and taking care of any issues) every time the cords break is not necessarily a bad thing.

Mr. Hilton, I will give you some quick and dirty answers here. If you want a more complete reply, I suggest we talk on the phone. Forgive my rather blunt replies. What can I say? I'm Dutch. My wife regularly tells me "you can't say that!" to which I give the standard Dutch reply: "but it's true, isn't it?" Apologies up front if I offend you in any way. Regarding A: Insulated glass units for the residential market typically come with a ten year warranty (on the seal between the layers of glass). There's a reason for that. By adding insulated glass units (IGUs) you roughly double the weight of the sash. Original sashes typically are not built for that kind of weight. You also need to upgrade the counter weights inside the wall (but see C). When the weights become as tall as the sash (there usually is not enough room to make the weights "fatter" so increasing their height/length is your only option) you start losing throw of the sashes (how far you can open them). And this is just the tip of the iceberg of issues you may be creating. I usually get involved when people have discovered all these drawbacks and want to return to the original single pane. After wasting a good deal of money and resources. B: As long as you don't get paint on the friction surfaces. I highly recommend starting with an oil-based primer. Adheres to wood so much better than any water-based product. I don't care what they say about oil-based paint technology not having received the benefit of as much research as the water-based products have in recent years. Until we have a couple of centuries experience with these new products, the oil-based products has the new stuff beat. You can finish with any product you want (but avoid "elastomeric" you nick that stuff and the whole layer peels of in one big sheet...). Just make sure the primer sticks to the wood. Yes, oil-based is less environmentally friendly but consider that the oil-based product is likely to last four times longer than the water-based product (roughly in our Pacific Northwest climate; I don't know if this holds true for NJ). C: How much energy are you hoping to save? Ten cents per year (per window)? If you have cold air coming in through the pulley the best thing you can do is inspect the caulking between the exterior trim and siding/sill. I do not see getting rid of the tried-and-true sash cord, pulley, and counter weight system listed in your plans (and I don't recommend it because the new systems with springs are all, again, built to last an average of ten years). Sash cord typically (if it's not painted) will last 50 years or more (chain, if your windows were originally designed with it, indefinitely). So adding insulation will interfere with the counter weight operation. I've encountered counter weights protected from interfering with small amounts of insulating material inside weight pockets by placing a tube inside the pocket that the weights travel up and down in. If the cord breaks you have to take everything apart to fish the weight out of the b bottom of that tube... And all for tiny savings. Caulking gaps and getting better insulating drapes/blinds will do more than any insulation of weight pockets. D: Keeping what you have, if you can live with its aesthetics, is the greenest option. And if you have storms, why bother with IGUs? How much more energy will you save by going for a third layer of glass? For a great primer on whether Low-E coatings are appropriate for your situation (if you decide to have it applied to your storm window for instance), please see "Are Low-E windows suitable for all climates?" in The Balance, by engineer Juan Rodriguez: www.thebalancesmb.com/enhanced-energy-efficiency-844401 I hope you find at least some of this helpful.

@@MartinJMuller Thanks so much for your VERY HELPFUL insights and candor. I like to think I know what I don't know, but you've corrected more than a few blind spots. I'm glad I asked and glad I found you to ask. The counterweight question is a great case in point. For what it's worth, I've already paid for one unit's worth of the replacement glass for the wooden sashes as a test case, but haven't tackled the install yet. I expect I'll call this a sunk cost and go directly to ... Plan B -- have the wood sashes restored leaving the original glass intact. This mostly amounts to adding interlocking weatherstripping -- there is none at all now -- and insulation. I also plan to focus on the old storm windows. That may only mean maintaining the existing storm sashes. I suspect that outright replacement might be the better choice. I have more research to do now. Insulating the weight pockets -- If and only if there's sufficient space, my current plan is to line the exterior face of the pocket with rigid foam and caulk it into place IF ANYTHING. The idea of removing the side casings on twenty windows (many of which are triple unit bay windows where imperfections after reinstallation will be obvious) is daunting. I'm inclined to take your advice and leave well enough alone. The time to have insulated these pockets was 130 years ago. Low-E glass -- I'm now planning to use low-E glass only on the south & west facing storms. I'll use Juan Rodriguez' article in that quest.

Georgia Mohr, Good luck with the project. I hope the windows haven't been painted over too much.

You are most welcome. And god luck.

Ratplague707 do you mean an arched top window or do you in fact mean a curved (bent out in the center) window? And is it a double-hung or a casement?

@@MartinJMuller It is an arched double-hung window, not bent out in the center, and not a casement window. My plan is to cut a series of triangular notches in the flanged rib of the weatherstripping to allow it to flex and conform to the shape of the arch, but if you have a better method for dealing with unique shapes, I'm all ears.

@@Ratplague707 I do not have a better way. Your suggestion is what I would have suggested. Good luck.

Kris Baker I use a "digiscoping" setup. A Swarovski ATX scope with a Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S, which is designed for video.

youbettie, I would order the standart 36" length. The vertical rib strips for the lower sash need to match the lower sash height and the angle at the sill. The upper sash verticals need to protrude enough below the lower sash that even when you fully lower the upper sash the sash doesn't "run off" the rib. Better to determine the appropriate length yourself and adjust if needed. This thin zinc can easily be cut with a chop saw.

@@MartinJMuller Thank you! I have one of those nifty zinc came saws that I used for stain glass (kinda like a tiny miter saw with a grinder blade) I'm sure that will work fine. I appreciate the help.

Lee Stebbins, the rib of the weather-strip has its own groove. If the rib and the sash cord shared the groove, they would interfere. As a matter of fact, in order to avoid having the knot at the end of the sash cord interfere with the rib, I fasten the cord with a few nails, after cutting the knot off (and I tuck the end of the cord deep inside the knot hole, to further ensure there is no chance of interference). Regarding your concern of a blow-out. Since the sash has a stop on both inside and outside, there is almost no force on that thin strip of wood created when you cut the groove. The only time you get blow-outs is when someone who doesn't know how to remove the weather-strip (remove or cut the nails that hold it) uses brute force instead and yanks the sash to the interior when they feel resistance. I hope this helps.

Just didn’t have enough meat for the wax strip groove as the sash cord groove was too wide. Filled the sash cord groove with WoodEpox and reroofed with a router. Thanks for the tips and the lesson.

Sorry, no. This is Green Lake, Seattle, WA. I should have been more precise.

Martin Muller Even better, I live just south of Portland!!

In Seattle, WA (where I shot this video) nest building starts in late-February to early-March. April egg laying. May hatching. Young fledge in July. Typically older, more experienced pairs are earlier than new pairs. You can find a lot of information about the Seattle Cooper's Hawks we've been studying on the Urban Raptor Conservancy website: www.urbanraptorconservancy.org Sincerely, Martin Muller

TamaraKnits, Unfortunately I am not familiar with the Athey system. Consequently I do not know how the channel strips are attached. I checked Steve Jordan's Window Sash Bible. On page 93 he mentions the Athey system, but unfortunately does not provide the information you seek. It might be worth contacting Steve and asking him. He can be reached at: [email protected] Martin Muller

David, Yes, sadly Accurate Metal Weatherstrip has closed last year. However, you can still get this material from Dorbin Metal Weatherstrip Manufacturing in Chicago. You will find their contact information on this page of my website: www.doublehungwindowrestoration.com/interlocking-weather-stripping.html My thoughts on zinc versus bronze are that if you want to pay twice as much for the bronze weather-stripping, which will only show when you open the window, then by all means do so. Functionally it doesn't make any difference.

Kilian Hardware also sells interlocking weatherstripping. I purchased the materials from them to redo a couple of windows in my house. kilianhardware.com/sprinbronwea.html

@@bibendum253 did you just buy the standard 36" pieces and then cut to size or order custom? Getting ready to do 36 windows!

youbettie I bought the 36” and cut it down to fit. Zinc is very soft and easy to cut with tin snips.