Removing Slider Window Frames

[egaito]

As promised, progress photos. No give at the top yet, which surprises me a bit considering where we're finding sealant, but the bottom has moved nearly along it's full length already.

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[egaito]

A couple of other angles....

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[Angela]

The purpose of the lines tied to the clamps is because they don't float all that well if they fall in.

[Bob Bradley]

On projects like this, you're expected to throw a tool in as a sacrificial offering. I usually offer up my last square head power screwdriver insert.

[egaito]

More progress today. Tightened down the clamps a bit this AM and was rewarded with some creeking and an increase in the gap around the outside. Time to re-position the wood and put pressure insome different areas. I'm convinced this will work eventually....

[fissioneng]

If it's held with 5200 or the like, if you spray some AntiBond in between the frame and the fiberglass, it will release much faster. It will take several coats and turns the 5200 into paste.

[Angela]

Ed just went out for the Antibond and we will be applying that. We're headed out to meet up with Mario ("MarioG" on the forum), with clamps in place, for NYE pig roast. No need to sit in the slip while this process is working - we can keep pulling the frame either here or there.

Oh...just learned fuel is down to $2.57 delivered by tanker here in Miami. I haven't seen that price in many years, if ever. Time to fill 'er up!

[34Hatt]

Some folks have used a Fein type multi tool to work around the frame flange.

Bobk

Wasting lots of time if you don't have one did my front window with one ,and would never even start the job with out one.

[Angela]

At last, the frame is out, and the spot of the leak is EXACTLY where I predicted it would be due to the flooding tests I did before deciding to remove the frame. (And thank God it was - Ed would never have let me forget this had I been wrong, after all the effort it took to remove.) It appears to be an erroneous saw cut made during production. The frame is in fantastic shape - too bad we don't really want to reinstall it and put glass back in. I'll keep it for a while until we decide whether we like our aft deck open (and MUCH cooler) or not. At least we know how to get the other one out if we decide to keep the aft deck more open. RobertM, thank you so much for taking the time to come down and show us your technique. It was spot on.

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[egaito]

So the technique Robert shared with us was indeed the key to success, with minimal collateral damage. I'm not convinced that de-bond is useful for this. We ended up using "anti-bond 2015" as that's what was available, but while it did indeed soften the caulk, it also made it more "sticky" which I believe made it more difficult to break the seal. it was definitely harder to pull out of the gap once sprayed with the magic juice. I think it has use in different situations, such as removing deck fittings that have been secured with the devils glue, but for this application, I think I'll skip it. on the next frame I remove.

So, yea, it's been 34 years, but it's still disappointing that our leak was caused by poor craftsmanship. The frame overall was capped and finished with glass. There were a couple of areas where someone went nuts with a saw after the fact, and that's where the leak is. That the factory took the time to finish it right, and hack into it later is where the "face palm" comes in. I'll cut into it further and replace what's rotted, and all will be well again.

Meanwhile, the idea of leaving the frame out, building a teak decorative frame and building a canvas panel with a "smile" window is growing on me. Twice the airflow, no fuzz and glides to maintain.

Here are a couple of photos to add to the mix. You can see the bad cuts on the vertical edge, and the rounded blade penetrations through the "finished" edge that exposed the core to the leak in the frame.


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