DIY Network

I have some cranking swing-out aluminum windows from the '70's. The caulking is falling out and I have to replace one pane. Could anyone tell me how to go about glazing them? All I can find are how-to's on wooden windows.

The basic procedures may be the same as for wood sashes. Both the wood and the aluminum sashes require some kind of clip or other retainer for the glass before the glazing compound is used. The actual glazing compound techniques should be the same. Clean out the old glazing compound. Replace the broken glass. Put in new glazing compound. After the surface of the glazing compound has cured and gotten solid you'll want to paint the compound with an oil based paint. This will seal the volatiles in the coumpound and help it last a lot longer. Water based paint allows the volatiles to escape to the air. That makes the glazing compound dry out and crack and come loose.

Thank you so much for your reply, HOWEVER, almost all of the caulk has fallen away from the windows, showing NOTHING to hold the glass in like in wooden windows. Are there things available like the little "points" for the wooden ones?

If there that bad then now wold be a good time to remove them and replace with new energy effient vinyl ones.
They make what looks like the letter S clips to hold in this type window in a frame. But you may have to go to a glass shop and have them order them for you. Window points will do nothing for you.

Hey, Joe, thanks for your input. Since I have to replace one of the panes, that information will definitely help. So far as getting new windows, it's WAY out of my budget and, besides, I like the idea that I can crank them out and get fresh screened air. Worked great post Ike without electricity.

crank-out windows are called casements, they're made in all materials.

if one has a broken window, you can examine it a little more than the others, shall we say, to see how it works. I've seen two variants of all aluminum framing. in buses, a newer version is the window is held in a vinyl surround like a car windshield, and it fits into a formed bend in the frame... and then an aluminum lock rail that goes all the way around is pressed in to compress the vinyl and hold the glass in. these lock rails are installed in sections around the inside of the window.

the other plan is typically like a screen door... there are 90-degree braces that slide inside the sections of the frame, and the frame is staked down to them to hold the material together. the glass rides in a butyl or vinyl channel inside a groove inside the frame.

an older window might well have clipped glass like Joe suggests, in which case a plastic-like caulk would be used, instead of the old linseed oil glazing. we had one window like that in an old camper.

so you'll need glass cut to fit, and channel compatible with your windows. take the broken one off its hinge pins, unbolt the crank mechanism, and visit a couple glass shops or hardware stores. betcha somebody will say "we can fix that, how about Tuesday?"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

Thanks for your reply and for your vision - "we can fix that, how about Tuesday?" I talked to a guy at Lowe's and a glass company today and I don't think I'd have the patience to do it myself. So, if he doesn't charge and arm and a leg, I'll just let them do it. The only trouble now is that I'm 25 miles north of Galveston and there's more work than workers to do it. But, Thanks again!

sig: if this is a new economy, how come they still want my old-fashioned money? Could you please tell me what that means? AHHHHHH, Cute! It took a couple of minutes to catch on to what you're saying. After looking at the vinyl at the glass company today and remembering how difficult it was to caulk the old wooden windows, I've decided to save my "pennies" and get a professional to do it. I helped my Dad caulk all our windows when I was a kid - I was Daddy's "first boy". Thanks for your cute come-back! I needed that!