OBRM update for April 7, 2018
HI Folks,
so in the wake of another called storm, only 3 daring individuals made the trek up to Oyster Bay yesterday.
That's OK! If I could have stayed home, I would have too. No worries.
It was actually a very nice day, weather wise as the sun came out and I was indoors.
BUT-We did divide and conquer.
George stayed at the Ping Pong Coach to clean up and get it ready for its Pre-Wash next week.
We are planning on having the volunteer firefighters from the Atlantic Steamer company on Main Street come over to power wash the interior.
I know what you are all thinking. DOG! Aren't you getting the car sandblasted?
Yes, we are. However, During the process that we undertook, a lot of dust and dirt has accumulated over every part and if we can get it removed for free, the blasting should take less time to accomplish. Less time=less money!
While George stayed busy, Bernard and I went over to the Historic Train Station to begin the window restoration.
Previously, we removed all 34 windows and 2 of them were coming apart.
During the removal, we notice that some windows weighed considerably less than others and we found out why. REPLACEMENTS!
most of the windows are heavier and they do not have FRA safety glass. The lighter ones have FRA safety glass and weigh quite a bit less.
Thankfully, the 2 bad windows were made of safety glass which made them easier to repair.
The first thing we did was remove the operating mechanisms at the bottom for cleaning and lubrication. After ??? years of opening and closing and banging and whatnot, these mechanisms were all gunked up and the interior tongues that moved in and out in the frames didn't all worked freely and some were bent. These parts are made of brass and will need to be heated and straightened out. You can clearly see this piece on the bottom left.
Bernard and I took the window frames apart and sanded them down. They are aluminum and the exterior was painted, while the interior had a general grime to them.
We also took off the upper window frame seal which we will need to procure and replace as well as the molded rubber seal on the bottom of the windows.
I have identified 3 manufacturers who I will send a sample to see if they have anything that will work as a stock replacement before giving up and having custom rubber molded just for this job.
In this photo you can see Bernard has laid out the actual glass pane so we could add the weather stripping around it
Here is the weather stripping that goes around the glass. Due to its thickness compare to the non-safety glass, there is an interior piece of rubber coated metal that has to be place into the groove before it goes around the glass.
As I mentioned before, the frame is aluminum that has had the exterior painted. There are 3 layers of paint to be removed. This car was sandblasted prior to getting to the Knox and Kane RR.
The two vertical pieces of the frames are wrapped in a thin, soft, felt material to help it slide better.
We also removed this felt material and polished up the vertical pieces which appear to be stainless steel.
I am hoping, that we can finish up all 34 windows in about 6 weeks or less. My plan has been to get at least 6 windows done per day.
With just the 2 of us and taking at least 1+1/2 hours each to repair the 2 bad windows, we still were able to complete 5 windows
Next Saturday, I will re-install the 3 operating mechanisms that we took off and plan on getting at least 6 more windows done.
The more people who show up, the better the assembly line.
MADDOG