February 21, 2017

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 21, 2016, four measuring spoon is enough.
Five years ago today: February 21, 2012, my first day at Kiss’s.
Nine years ago today: February 21, 2008, cat-breath, 2:52AM.
Random years ago today: February 21, 2004, I try to watch TV.

           A perfectly warm overcast day, I spent it working on the east window. Toward the end, my cumulative errors begin to show, such as the space between the windows being half again as wide as needed. I worked mostly on restoring the windows and did not find the task at all unpleasant. The paint is either peeling or stuck solid, so much so it will drive the impatient around the bend. Here’s part of the frame being primed, sorry I can’t make this any more exciting that it looks. This shows a normal part of the restoration process, the wood is sanded back to bright as much as possible. You can make out a small block in the lower left where I’m gluing wood that was flaking soft.

           I cut the entire window opening too wide, but my thinking was I needed enough space for two single windows. However, it turns out they can share a common channel only 4-1/2” wide between the casings, where the old pig iron weights fall. That’s fine, I’ll be covering those mistakes with fake shutters. And those shutters will be salvaged from the sun room location.

           Lumber shopping was fun, because I located an old-fashioned hardware store in the west end. And it’s a classic. You can still buy nails by the pound from one of those circular swiveling trays. I’ll take a big pound of 3-1/4s. It’s right out of the history books, including the sash rope (see below) that sells by the foot. The guy working the spools did not know that a yard was three feet; you have to tell him how many feet. I know, insert Millennial joke here. The point being Millennials have no excuse for not knowing this.
           And when I got the wrong size of sash rope, they took the old one back in trade. The place is a gem. It’s a bit of a run out there but worth the trip. I even found a t-bevel for six bucks. Caution: because I am enjoying the work, don’t mistake it for a delight. It remains gronk labor made tolerable because it is a ground level where I can work from both inside and outside. I keep the work even paced most of the time, so if my cardio guy asks, I’ll say it is just exercise. But he’d grimace if he saw me lifting the window into place. (Actually, I can’t lift it, I leverage it.)

Picture of the day.
Aswan Dam.
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           This is the sash cord and the pig iron weight. At least I call it a sash cord. It is the piece of rope that goes through the pulleys of a sliding window. There’s contingent of you who have never seen anything like this. I know, because this is my first time as well. In Texas, you could not open the window in the summer because of the heat and mosquitoes, and in the winter they would freeze shut anyway.

           Trivia, did you know there is only one natural lake in Texas. I’ve never seen it and don’t know what it is called. This window project has me tired by day’s end and I like it. The big work was not smashing out the old framing and putting in the new header and cripples. Instead, the chore was restoring those old windows. It has taken a day and a half so far, but will add thousands to the value of the house. They are in nice enough shape to be restored to practically new. It just takes time.

           I got to the stage where I fitted one window into the cavity. Lots of work, but the next windows will be a snap now that I’ve got experience. Not knowing even which tools were needed, I estimate this “east window” (as it has become known) got me walking back into the house and out again around 90 - 95 times since I started. That includes the framing, but that is still a chunk of walking for me.
           Planning ahead is futile, in the end each window has to be treated individually. At my age, all windows are heavy. Same with the priming, you open and close the paint can ten times, and I can see how the final painting is going to be that all over again. I don’t short on primer, the exposed horizontal surfaces get two layers of primer from me. It is labor-intensive and I would not want to be working against a clock. You think running that sash cord and knotting the ends is going to take ten minutes chore? Try an hour—and that’s only if you get it right the first time.

One-Liner of the Day:
“Chemistry lesson #1: never lick the spoon. ”
           Here’s a better view of the window repair process. The only easy way to restring weighted windows is to lay them on the side, like you see here. The weight is resting on the left, with the sash cord running along to the pulley, then through the frame. You can see how it is then fed along a channel cut into the side of the window. In a moment or so, I will cut off that piece hanging down. I’m checking it for the right length here. When cut, the whole piece fits down into a slot along the inside of the window frame so the assembly is mostly invisible when in operation. Yep, ask me anything about single hung windows now.

           How do I rate the experience? Not for beginners and not for the impatient. You get covered in gritty paint flecks and there is a lot of scraping that sounds like fingernails on the blackboard. Today was ideal, but I can see how annoying it would become if it was hot, cold, or windy. As a job, I would seek to do this kind of work indoors.

           You can almost count on the windows being painted shut. It may be, for all I know, impossible to paint a window a second time without sealing it up. Consider also that while the wood is intact, lots of insects and small vermin built nest and webs everywhere. Each window has so many angles and corners that I’m not even attempting to tell you what tools are needed. You will, however, require imagination. I was lucky in another way. All the windows on this house are identical (except the small ones) and no two were damaged in the same way. I could reconstruct the thinking of the build process.
           If you do have to make up parts, good luck. I had one window fall apart almost to pieces, consequently I had a lot of the pieces as templates. Get a good belt sander, even then it gets miserable trying to remove the worst of the old paint. And the oscillating sander does not work at all like the on-line demos. The blade will dig into the wood long before it will take off a stubborn strip of old paint right into the tight corners.

           And I will never again laugh when I hear someone ask if I do windows.

ADDENDUM
           I could not help thinking of Texas winter as I moved along with this window. Taking regular breaks, I sat down at the open cutout and looked out into the back yard. Before, with one window, you had to position yourself to see the view. Now, it is like the whole wall is bright scenery. This window was one smart idea. It looks directly into the yard, with the big old tree stump left in place, the one with the water tap. Behind that is the lizgarden, still overgrown with weeds, but destined for spuds. Several of the large logs from the tree lie where they fell, and you know, that does not look bad at all.
           More trivia, I just found this out. I must try this. I’ve never made those deviled eggs. I can’t figure out how they cut them in half so neatly. Anyway, if you want the yolks to remain in the center, you stir them for the first two minutes of boiling. Makes sense. Listen, this upcoming weekend I’ve got a mini-trip planned. It barely qualifies for my monthly out of town trip, which I missed in January since nothing was over 50 miles or overnight. This time, I’m seeking to take the back roads to visit a lady who says I can have her shed kit.
           She bought one of those plastic two-foot deep storage bins. For storing rakes and shovels, which I now have in abundance. Return for news, that’s the closest to travel you get until this place is in shape. What can I say, it’s a matter of priorities and I don’t know if I’ll ever get any help around here. And even if I do, we are 90 days behind schedule anyway.


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