Window in a Window !!!

Now you probably thought the Door in a Door is one of Airstreams coolest features but is this a first ?

A WINDOW IN A WINDOW !!!

 Yes I'd stripped off the old backframe gasket and got rid of most of the glue & always had a sneaky feeling there was something odd about window No 3 (I'm counting anti-clockwise round from the door)

 But I still hadn't clicked what exactly was odd about this frame

 until I looked up to the top of the frame... its obvious there are two backframes

 Once I'd realised, it was obvious. They'd just jammed an identical backframe into the original !

 In places a clear mess...

 ... but in others a little more subtle

The curled window hinge at the top had been drilled off & re-mounted on top of the second backframe.

 Quite when it was done, who knows

 But unlike the Door in a Door, this one has to go !

 Luckily the original backframe, apart from a few extra rivet holes, was in fairly good shape

 Out she came...

Window in a Window no more !

 Refit the window hinge (after a bit of gentle straightening)

Clecos hold it until its bucked in 

 Not the neatest rivet line but it seems pointless to drill even more holes 

 and all of these will be hidden by the drip cap when its refitted

And since these are just above an interior sheet line they're easy to buck single-handed

Now to polish the roof...

 I'd already refurb'd the awning rail - unbelievably they'd fitted another more modern awning rail on top of the original (I think there's a theme developing here !). Luckily, like the window, the only damage to the original was a few extra holes

 Unlike the vertical sides of the trailer the roof is rather more tricky

Slow & steady, gradually the shine appears

 A variable speed Makita polisher & Nuvite F9

A second pass of F7...

 ... and we're beginning to get there

The central panels are a bit trickier to reach especially as the vents are too small to get through

 But a rigid crawling board resting on the vents worked well as a solid platform, from which I could...

 ... lower my legs (just) through the vents and balance on some steps inside - sorry you'll have to imaging that one as even my photo skills couldn't manage to snap that one !

 Its grubby work and there's no short cut... but you get there gradually, and the first F9 cut is by far the hardest to do.

 Done -  F9 & F7

Now just the endcaps with their original patina...

... but soon they'll match the interior ones.

Catch caught !

 Many thanks for all your suggestions & rummaging - I think I've found a couple of replacement catches.

To our (well, mine at least) British eyes, this is an unusual design but Stateside it is obviously more common & whilst I can't find an exact Yale version

I have found this IVES version in aluminium (or nickel-plated aluminium)

IVES 066 with mortice striker plate from American Locksets for $3.78

Thanks again for all your help. Chris

Help - there's only one catch !

Help !  I'm after a duplicate screen door catch 

They mount on the main door and held the screen door shut & my Flying Cloud only came with one rusty one surviving. Its cleaned-up nicely but would like a friend !

Its a cast iron twist catch made by Yale.      Base measures 2" x 1" 

Nice aysmmetric look to it & I believe it pre-dates the bolts used on later 50s trailers 

I've tried googling & eBaying the Yale ref number but with no luck - 

so I thought I'd throw it out to all you Airstream experts out there !

I'd love to find one if at all possible. 

Thanks and Happy Easter to you all - Chris

Hehr Standard Window Restoration

Time to start on the Hehr Standard Windows

 Having taken out all the windows & brought them home to Devon

 with a little help from Arthur (our 18mth old Lab)

 it was time to make a start rejuvenating them

in my rather cluttered workshop

Luckily window restoration doesn't take up that much space

 just a bench... and quite a bit of time !

 Although they're broadly identical, I still tend to number every window as they come out (and have etched it onto the inside of the frame)

Dismantling isn't as easy

as it should be

 The big problem is the steel screws & bolts which have accelerated corrosion having spent 55yrs touching the alloy of the windows.

Surprisingly with some WD40 and brute force, a few come free

... and there's only one option for those that don't ! Its a bit tricky but a wafer thin cutting disc & steady hands see them off

 Once they're out the rust staining cleans off & the simple window construction is pretty clear

A few Airstream souvenirs I won't be keeping !

So the dismantled window is 7 pieces: The pressed & folded main frame, 4 x glass securing strips, a central strut and the Hehr catch.

 I know we resist any sort of abrasive other than Nuvite on the trailer skin but the windows are a bit different (& I'm not even sure they are Alclad). I found the finest grade of Scotchbrite works really well for cleaning off the oxidation & the rust staining.

Voila - its more mirror sheen than mirror shine but I'm fine with that for the inside parts of the window

 I tried some small felt heads for my drill

 They worked pretty well but left quite a few swirls, so I went back to hand polishing the outside face

 Ready to reassemble

 First wash your hands - the new Hehr Glass Seal  is very good at taking all that aluminium dust and grime off your hands !

It probably the easiest job - cut a square end and push it onto the edge all the way round.

 I haven't glued it but could always run bead of glue in at a later date.

Another square cut...

... and the job's done.

I avoid silicone where possible 

but here a small bead and dots in the corners helps hold the glass in firmly

 Glass in - now to fix

4mm x 8mm pop rivets do the job nicely

and pull it all together tightly

One side done 

 Looks rather better ?!

 In the corners I used small washers on the inside as the holes were rather larger than the 4mm rivets

 Neater than the rusty bolts

 Done

 It took about an hour-and-a-half for each !

 I found the Scotchbrite off eBay - 20 x 9inch pads for £11.

I found it easier to cut them into four smaller pads as its often that straight edge you need

 You get through them pretty fast but it brings the aluminium up to a nice sheen

 Knocking the dings & dents out of the sections takes a bit of time & need a bit of ingenuity for the slimmer sections

but its worth it when it all goes back together...

... and you'll never do it once the glass is back in.

 A pleasing stack - ready to refit.

I used 4mm float glass - I looked into using a thin laminate but they all end up too heavy

  

 The Bathroom window still had its original glass

 ... so I decided to keep it.

 Cleaned up its like new

Vintage privacy !

The two vertically-hung front windows

 One done

Clean & polish

 Glass seal

 Central strut

 Done