My son and I installed zinc weather stripping to a 100 year old door using this video. SO VERY helpful all the hints and tips. I got the zinc striping off Ebay in the UK for 25 pounds.. but the package read 7s 6d.. 7 shillings and sixpence. It was a fantastic find and is now keeping drafts out in Ottawa Ontario Canada! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this! I'm working on a 1908 arts & crafts home in Pasadena. I like this because you can open or close gap where it's needed. These old homes often have inconsistent gaps as you demonstrated which I think makes this an excellent choice!
Wow, so glad I found your tutorial - I've got early sixties wood casement windows that leak - this is a *lot* better than routing a channel for silicon tubing. Thanks!
I love everything about this video, from the craftsmanship to the handy template for making the holes to the shininess of the bronze. And the music. Inspiring!
Excellent work! I found this because I was considering installing interlocking metal weatherstripping but now I’m probably going to go with spring bronze instead as it doesn’t require routing the window edges. Interlocking probably is tighter against a wind but I’m in California, not North Dakota. I’ll probably address the ‘drainage at the bottom’ issue by stapling (stainless steel staples) a narrow double layer of bronze window screen on the ledge and covering it with the spring bronze. That would give any water or condensation a path to drain.
Jim...you're my hero! That spring bronze weatherstripping job is beautiful! I'm contemplating a purchase of a 1905 home that still has its orignal windows.....I jumped for joy when I found it!
Dear sir . Extreme quality craftsmanship. Thank you very much . I am trying to start as a business in my Country since no want is doing this type of work anymore . I am by trade a stained glass restorer.
This was an extremely helpful video! I'm definitely going to use a template like this. Also, I'm going to use your brilliant flaring method. Have you tried using a Spring Tool Center Punch to drive the nails instead of using a nail set? You said in the video that this is always nailed to the outside but I think you meant to say that it is always nailed on the side that the window swings. I'm up north and all my casements and doors swing in thus, all the weatherstrip is nailed on the inside. I have a 96 year old house with 5 pairs of exterior french doors. The original bronze weatherstrip is still in excellent condition except I think where people have been catching on the weatherstrip where it overlaps the lock strips on the upper and lower throw bolts and the mortise latches. I have tried to curve the bronze strip there to eliminate the sharp corners and it is a little better but it still gets bent out and causes the doors to stick. I think I'm going to replace it with a wider (1 3/8" vs 1 1/8") and a thicker spring bronze strip and nail the sharp corners down after creating a little "bubble" in the bronze at those 6 points in each door. Any other suggestions or method to prevent catching on doors?
Here's a tool update: since making this video, I found this nail punch that works like a charm: www.srshardware.com/product/nail-set/ Using this eliminates the possibility of mis-hitting the nail head and damaging the spring bronze.
Happy to find your video! I have double/French casement windows. There is a huge gap where they meet (however there is an overhang on one of them to hold the other closed). Would you recommend add stripping to the window that closes first or both? If so which type/shape of stripping? Thanks!
Jim, can I follow this same technique for an exterior DOOR? You mentioned that in the video, I think? So, on all sides, including top and bottom, the mail side goes to the exterior, correct? Second, would you tell me the name of the product you used for the hinges? The video soundtrack was a bit unclear on that. Finally, our old house has SINGLE-hung windows: use the same width spring bronze for those? Nail side to the interior? Just on the jam surfaces covered by the lower sash? Thanks for a patient, patient thorough presentation.
Actually...the two exterior doors swing INWARD. So...I think the nail side of the strip would also have to be on the interior side of the door? So the open side of the V faces the exterior?
Can you please help me out, I'm trying to spring bronze french style casements where they meet. I put a half strip along the lip on the "first closed" casement but I have daylight at the top and bottom where all the spring bronze meets.
Too many positive remarks to write here, so I'll just say a few things. I couldn't nag anything in this video if I tried. I have a couple unsolicited recommendations , possibly some that you've considered, but they address some of the issues you noted. It looks like your bottleneck has nothing to do with your abilities, but is a consequence of the sheer number of Fasteners you have to drive, the rigidity of your nails, and the hardness of that awesome old growth pine construction. Broken bits: Only buy HSS bits, and the ones you do, break off about two-thirds of the flute oh, and regrind your remaining third with the shank, effectively turning it into a stub blank bit. You almost have to try to break it if you're already aways of the sensitivity of the bit. Use a depth stop with a non-marring face. The remaining two-thirds of the drill bit, if you have oxy-acetylene and can hard solder or can be resourceful, can be braised to a 1/16 blank, making another drill bit. You could even epoxy fill the broken side of the remaining 2/3 of the broken flutes and sand it round. Broken bits (2): Even if you don't like or find this comment useful, other parts may be useful. I see you have a template for your center punch, I would propose making a a jig that registers against the edge of your weatherstrip. You could start the weather strip like you've demonstrated, but to avoid having to manually center punch each location, and pre-drill all the holes as separate operations, you could use this jig which has precisely spaced pre-drilled holes at say, an 1/8" diameter, and make a 1/8 transfer punch of sorts. Instead of it having a conical tip like a normal transfer punch, you would have a slightly tapered 1/16" stub that steps off the 1/8 shoulder, supported by the jig bore that pierces the bronze AND displaces the wood, providing a bore wide and deep enough to start and sink the nail. Since this will probably deform the bronze, a simple 1/16 diameter hols could be drilled in something harder to increase longevity, to guide your stubby 1/16 bit to your evenly spaced locations. But this will require you to remove the jig before you can start nailing since the nails won't fit. Realistically, piloting and removing the wood to accommodate the nails for this application doesn't reduce holding integrity in any meaningful capacity, but by driving a punch like I noted will result in a hole capable of a stronger hold. Again, nothing wrong with pre-drilling in this application, I'd do the same if I didn't make a jig. Driving home: Similar to a centering spring loaded door hinge installation drill bit, if you had a nail set with a straight anvil, and a guide sleeve that you can get a good grip on, you'd be able to support the nail like a barbarian via the support sleeve, and drive the punch with any old hammer as the punch is guided by the sleeve, which is centered on the nail head and over the hole. Or, that 8 inch pilot hole in the jig I mentioned above could accommodate a 1/8 in drift punch with a 1/16 nipple at the business end, perhaps that could be the tool used to drive the nail, and would be supported by The Jig? Maybe these things would save you time, and maybe you don't do this specific job enough to justify building or sourcing the tools, but based on your demonstration, it seems this ain't your first rodeo 😎 From a fellow floridian, thanks for sharing quality content like this! Keep up the awesome work maintaining beautiful, old homes, guy. -James
James Wilson since this video was made, I discovered THE best weatherstrip setting tool on the planet! It’s from www.srshardware.com/product/nail-set/.
Really great video, thanks for sharing. One question though: where corners meet, do you miter both pieces or just one? It looked like you may have left the top piece straight and only mitered the sides, but I couldn’t quite tell.
Hi. I only miter the top, or head pc of weatherstripping. This allows the weatherstrip to fold properly against the side pieces when the sash is closed.
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