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1940s Spring loaded window tracks?

6 years ago

I'm hoping to learn more about a window style ... We live in a ~1940 house and we're looking into window replacement. We currently have wood windows, seemingly original. The wood and glass are in ok shape but they have been painted (with lead paint of course) so they stick and don't slide well. I miss being able to open windows in a home.

Anyway, salesman who gave us a quote was explaining a bit about our current window track mechanism. Basically it was designed so you can press on the left side of the track and slide out the sash for cleaning. Meant to make life a little easier for the "woman of the house" in the 1940s when cleaning windows. I honestly thought the sliders were just weird and out of whack, but now it kind of makes sense.

Wondering if anyone else has these kinds of original windows? What are your thoughts about them?

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Comments (4)

User
6 years ago
If you have wood windows from that era they are much more valuable than anything you can buy today. Wood windows are so easy to repair and should last as long as the house stands. If you get replacements they have a short life (lots of money for the window manufacturer) and will need replacement plus it's rare that they look right. John Leeke's book "Save America's Windows" is the place to start learning to repair old windows, http://historichomeworks.com/publications/
User
Original Author
6 years ago
Raye, I'm definitely inclined to agree. I just don't know I have the time to restore the windows and can't find anyone to do the work for me.
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So just to follow up, (so many posters never post the final answer) I figured out how to get the windows out! And now I feel like an idiot... Turns out that all you need to do is push all three panels up to the top. At that point, the bottom half of the track comes right out. A good scrubbing with Bar Keeper's Friend took off most of the oxidation on the frame and the hard water scale on the window panes. Tonight I'm going to rub the whole thing down with Mother's mag polish and add a few drops of penetrating oil to the tracks to allow for a smoother slide. I figure if I can knock out 1 or more window a night for the grand price of free, that'll keep my busy for the next week or so.
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User
Original Author
6 years ago
Bump. Anyone have experience with these windows?
PRO
Anglophilia
6 years ago
I live in a 1948 house that had lovely wood windows - lots of detail on the muntins. But in order to have storm windows and screens, they had to be triple tracks and I hated them - they were terrible to use and they looked awful on the house. The original storms and screens were the wood kind one had to remove seasonally and store. Well, that's not happening!

It took me a long time to decide to replace my windows with Marvin's wood interior/aluminum clad exterior windows. I have never looked back. They are SO easy to put up and down, as are the screens, if I need to do so. They have saved me a ton on my AC and heating bills and I didn't think my old ones were drafty. And the UV coating on the windows has helped prevent fading of fabric and wood.

Now, it this were a historic home, it would be another story. But 1948, even a very well-built 1948 house), just ain't the same. I have no regrets.

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