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I need to get a ton of old windows stripped

zombies_kill | Posted in General Discussion on May 27, 2010 11:50am

I have about 23 windows on and old 1850 colonial that are in shockingly good condition except for their flaking paint. Once they are stripped they’ll be virtually mint. I am thinking about taking them out and getting them professionally chemically stripped. I don’t know the proper name of the process, but I’ve heard people call it “dipping and stripping” when they dunk the item in a giant tank of stripper. Does anyone know how I can find someone around here (the place is in Vernon CT)? What phrase do I google to try to find someone? Should I be talking to painting companies, or more industrial coating/removal type companies?

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  1. DanH | May 27, 2010 11:53pm | #1

    If you dip them there's no telling what it will do to the glazing compound.  Do you want the glazing removed?

    1. User avater
      zombies_kill | May 28, 2010 12:11am | #2

      Yeah, the glazing is super old and cracked and has to go. A bunch of the glass is cracked anyway and need to be replaced, but all of the wood is perfect. Basically they need to be completely stripped, repainted, and reglazed so they will be as nice as the day they were made. And does anyone have any clue how much it would run? They're 2 over 2, fairly large windows.

  2. davidmeiland | May 28, 2010 02:37pm | #3

    The folks with the dip tanks

    are usually doing antique furniture. Call some antique stores and ask who they know.

  3. jrrjrr | May 28, 2010 03:42pm | #4

    remove paint from old windows try the silent paint remover

    i have been restoring old windows for a while    try http://www.silentpaintremover.com    the more paint the easer it comes off and it removes the putty     john

  4. DianeA | May 31, 2010 12:03pm | #5

    Try a steam box

    An Alternative to dipping and to the usually laborious hand stipiing is to build a temporary steam box setup.  I have not done it myself as I am usually only doing one or two windows at a time.  For 23 windows, it may make sense to build a temporary setup for processing all 23 windows.

    Here is one link as a reference: http://www.oldewindowrestorer.com/steamcabinet.html

    There's a short video on the site stipping and de-glazing the window after steaming the sash.

    Diane A

  5. andybuildz | Jun 01, 2010 09:45pm | #6

    Only 23? I did over 30 12

    Only 23?

    I did over 30 12 over 12 on the c:1680 I sold a month ago. I'd be afraid to dip it due to what it may do to the joints.

    I used a heat gun on the paint and on all the glazing. really wasn't that bad to do.

    You can see the house in my website below. The Goose Hill dump.

    http://www.cliffordrenovations.com

    1. calvin | Jun 01, 2010 10:06pm | #7

      Don't forget the new lead rules Andrew.

      Might preclude a person from using a higher than 1100 degree heat gun.

      Unless of course the person owns the house-then DIY trumps lead.

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