by Harriot Smith & Ben Collings
When we moved into our house at the top end of Ethelburt Avenue, we found the steel sash-windows would no longer open because of numerous layers of paint. We set about trying to make them as they were when new. It took a little while to decide how they were constructed. The windows are mounted in a heavy steel frame fixed into the brickwork. The sashes are carried in aluminium runners. When the paint had been scraped away to allow the windows to open, a row of screws was revealed which fixes a runner to the frame. On removing all these screws, the whole window comes out, inwards. When a bolt at the end of the runners is removed, the sashes may be taken out. We found that scraping was the best way to remove the old paint. The galvanising was still in good condition and we painted with Dulux Trade Metal Shield zinc phosphate primer. The weight of the sashes is counterbalanced by springs fitted inside the runners. We cleaned and regreased these.
Our work was a great success, but of course the windows are only single glazed and somewhat draughty, so we have also fitted secondary glazing. These are vertical sliding aluminium windows, made to measure by Duration Windows. We designed them so that the horizontal glazing bars line up with those of the outside windows.
Please email HCERA, if you would like further details of this work from us.