glass removal

[bigbill]

i am getting ready to refinish my aft salon doors on my 58 yf..the glass is de-laminating, and has sand scratches around the edges from previous owners sanding efforts. i need to remove the 1/4 round moulding to replace the glass...... does anybody have a fool proof method of removing the 1/4 round without damaging it? i know, tear it out and replace it. ... but the moulding that i looked at (at west marine) isn't even close to matching the 40 year old stuff that is on the door now. also what is the best sealer for the glass to wood seal when i put the new glass in? thanks, bigbill

[SKYCHENEY]

Mine had small brass finish nails holding it in. They are driven in from the glass side towards the edge of the door. You should be able to get a thin sharp putty knife into the joint to get it started. Find the joints and see which sides were put in last as those need to come out first (I think it is the top and bottom that need to come out first).

[sandspur1966]

Also suggest you remove the old finish befor removig the moulding... it tends to act as an adhesive.

Once the finish is off, before starting to work the fasteners using a putty knife, I would run a blade slowly and carefully around the seams.

[lumina]

Hi All,

We did exactly what Sandspur described and removed all of the moldings on both wing doors relatively easily without any damage.

Just take it slow.

[bigbill]

thanks sky and sandspur, that is what i was thinking, but wanted to see if anybody had a foolproof method. i plugged all of the holes made by P Os, and will sand the plugs and start the glass project next week. have to go out of town over the weekend.

[kwerges]

We have the same project coming up on our 58YF. Thanks so much for the timely question and advice. We also have to remove the salon's fixed rear port window due to a crack.

[Vincentc]

Bill,
Regarding the wood to glass seal, I would use butyl tape.

[bigbill]

kwerges, i have the same problem with the cracked window, but with only about 6 hours a week for boat work, i break my jobs up and do them at different times. the side windows will get started when the doors are about finished. i'm going to have the frames powder coated to match the boat color also.
thanks vincent, where do you think the best place to get the butyl tape is?

[lumina]

Hi All,

Bill,

We purchased the black appx 1/2 wide by 1/8 thick butyl tape from Sam’s. We did unfortunately underestimate how much we needed but were able to find some at the last minute at our local glazer.

Powder coating is the only way to go, especially given all the time and work you're going to be investing in preparation. Completely remove all the old adhesive, aluminum oxidation, dirt etc etc.

When we replaced most of the windows on the boat (appx 5 yrs ago) we were real nubies and didn't understand about aluminum preparation.

The outer surface of the frames on the inside and outside of the windows were fine and didn't need restoration. The inner side of the frames obviously had to have all of the adhesive removed and oxidation cleaned away etc. We didn't realize that the inside should be powder coated before re-install, we simply sprayed it with a generic primer.

So far so good.

The other thing to consider is the type of glass you replace the old stuff with. Our local glazer (who has a great reputation and does a lot of fishing boats and yachts up here in New England) recommended using 1/4 inch laminated tinted Solex PPG to ensure a match to any windows not being replaced.

I haven't been totally happy with it. If you have any windows that narrow to a small triangle, which most Hatts do, the glass can "crack" right at the very very tip, maybe 3/8th or less. Really pi$$ed me off. The glazer told me subsequently that maybe we should have used a different type of glass, but given there is no leak, and that it's in an unseen location and I couldn't imagine removing 5 windows I just let it go.

This type of glass is also problematic on windows that open via a linear actuator such as the center helm window on our YF. Because it flexes, the edges can crack. It begins with a small crack that grows. We have replaced this window twice.

[bigbill]

gene, i am going to go with the laminated 1/4 inch glass. the windows and glass in the doors that i am replacing are stationary, so i should be o k with cracking.