Conference 7.286::home_work

I  have  used coarse steel wool and I have used the old wire_brush_in_the_drill
method.    After cleaning them up, prime and paint with a flat (semi gloss,  if
you can't  stand  flat) white latex.  The windows will look better and whatever
pits did not  get  filled  with the prime and paint don't show up until you get
very close.

Luck,

Dave
    

    You may also need to slightly score the metal to keep the
    paint from pealing. You can do this by etching the metal with
    a vinegar and water solution. I can't remember the ratio, but it's
    the vinegar that does the trick ... then rinse.

    How about using some sort of CLEAR treatment on the aluminum after
    the oxidation has been removed (using your favorite method)?  The clear
    finish would have the benefit of not needing to mask the screen to
    prevent paint from getting on the screen.  Would save a lot of time
    if you are doing a sizable number of screens.  Just make sure that
    what ever treatment you use on the aluminum that it is compatible
    and designed to be used on aluminum with outdoor exposure.
    
    Maybe there is a way to anodize the aluminum.  That would be the
    best treatment.  It prevents oxidation and doesn't peel!
    
    Randy

    Well, so far there are some fine suggestions for finishing them,
    but my problem is cleaning up what I have.  
    
    I was hoping there was some "magic" solution/gel/powder/whatever
    that I could apply then remove.  Since the frames are down, this
    would have been the perfect time for such a treatment, if one existed.
    
    Oh well, back to the wire brush and steel wool.
    
    Thanks,  Lee

    Try Aluminum Jelly (brand name)

    Hmm, never heard of Aluminum Jelly.  I tried Naval Jelly, but it
    didn't touch it.  I'll look for this new item.
    
    What I did try that worked okay was a 3M abrasive wheel.  I can't
    remember the actual name, but it works sooooooo much better than
    a wire wheel.  However, this is still quite time consuming, about
    1 hour per frame.  Messy, too, and I'm not sure I want all that
    aluminum oxide around me while I'm working.
    
    So, aluminum Jelly is my next step.  In any case, I've decided to
    apply my trim finish to the frames once they are cleaned.  I won't
    be doing this cleaning again, if I can help it. 
    
    Lee

    Bought some Aluminum Jelly last night.  Got a pair of cheap brushes
    for it's application.
    
    The instructions call for laying it on and leaving it for 5 minutes,
    then rinsing off.
    
    I tried two applications, but it didn't take off anything for me.
    Apparently, it's for that fine oxide layer that occurs in a few
    years, rather than my heavy layer.
    
    A word of caution to anyone that uses this product, it contains
    an acid (can't remember which one).  It ATE my brush!  Honest, it
    actually dissolved the bristles.  
                                       
    Lee

    I had moderate success spray painting the screens for our old
    windows with aluminum finish paint.  They brightened up considerably.
    Don't expect perfection - but it was an improvement compared to
    the 25+ year old finish.
    
    ep

I'm about to replace all the screens on our screen porch
(should cost less than $50.00) and would like to clean
all the framing as well.  This seemed to be the closest
topic.  Any other hints?

Thanks

Collis

    
    
    Does anyone know were i could buy new Aluminum storm windows, at a
    reasonable price, and quickly. I'm in the Wilmington Mass. area.
    
    The previous owner of my house left 4 basement windows unstormed. I
    want to finish the room and tighten it up with White aluminum storm
    windows to match the existing ones.
    
    Home Depot and such don't stock my  size 35"H X 28"W. (pretty small).
    Somerville Lum. and others will make 'em if i'm willing to wait a 
    couple months!!, and pay $75 -$100 a window!
    
    Any good ideas appreciated.
    
    DC
    
    

    Call Jack at Guaranteed Aluminum on Bridge St. in Lowell (452-2392).
    Bridge St. is Rt38 on the north side of Lowell, an easy drive for you.
    The quality of his windows is better than what you would normally see
    at a place like Grossmans and will cost somewhere in the area of $30-
    $35 for your size window.
     
    signed
    a many times satisfied customer
    

    I'm having a new problem with my front storm door.  The latch works
    fine from the inside but the button on the outside pretends the door
    is locked but when I check the inside it's fine....
    
    No indication that it is frozen.
    
    Anyone got any suggestions?
    
    Thanks
    
    adriane

    I don't have any solutions to the problem, but the same thing happened
    to my parents last week. They went outside to throw out the Christmas
    tree and could not open the storm door to get back in. This was during
    the sub zero temps of last week. They finally got the "button"  to work
    by breathing on it. Maybe the warm air unfroze the mechanism.   
     
    Kathy

    I think the button is frozen - mine do that sometimes.  If you can't
    get it to thaw out and work properly, you can buy a replacement latch
    for most common sorts of storm doors at the hardware store.
    
    /Charlotte

	My wood storm door lost the battle to this past weekend's
	high winds.  I came home to find the piston (?) thing
	bent and the top and middle hinges tearing away from the 
        wood frame.  
        
	The hinges were attached to the 15/16" thick outside
        fluted molding.  The top hinge and screws were so badly
	ripped, that the molding is split vertically around the
        hinge area.  The screw holes are all chewed up.  

	Getting a new piston (?) thing should be easy, but I am
        more concerned with putting the hinged door back on the
        frame (trim). Even if I could get the broken piece of trim 
        nicely glued back in, I can't see how new screws will 
        resecure.  There's not much there.

	Another recent thread in this conference was talking about
	fillers.  Are there fillers strong enough to hold a
        hinge to a heavy wood door?   Would I be better off trying
        to find (or have made up) replacement trim ?        

        
	

    
         Definitely replace the wood.  I went the filler route before, and
    it just didn't have the strength to hold the door over time.  In my
    case, the main door needed replacement anyway, so I got the new trim
    and jamb with it.  I did use longer screws the second time (to go all
    the way into the stud), and a second (heavy duty) piston unit at the 
    bottom of the door to assist the top piston.  Also, I bought a much
    heavier storm door.
    
                                          Greg

        After my wood storm doors were re-mounted(they came off for
        a house painting), one of the hinges was too rusted to be re-used.
        I found an exact replacement hinge, but am thinking of upgrading
        to a real storm door hinge.

        The existing hinges are actually cabinet door or "utility"
        (Stanley) hinges (3" narrow).  They are brass plated and inside
        mounted.  As .18 showed, they weren't strong enough anyhow.
        I couldn't find solid brass or any better inside mount hinges.

        It seems that a *real* storm door hinge is surface mounted,
        bulky and ugly, but I'm sure it does the job real well.
        They have a spring inside as well.  I guess I can paint it
        (half door color; half trim color; barrell ??? ), but it will
        probably still not look great.  (which only matters now when
        the house is freshly painted and looking great. over time,
        these details seem to get less important :-)

        Any recommendations or experiences in the storm door hinge
        department?

        p.s. part of the reason the hinges didn't hold in .18 is
        because the door swells with moisture and doesn't close
        tightly at times.  I will be correcting that problem as well.