Window sash craft project

[Cal]

I came up with this craft project a couple years ago when I was visiting one of my best buds.  He collects motorcycles like some of us collect tools.  Maybe collect is the wrong term cause he does tag, insure and ride 'em all.  Road bikes, big bikes... last I knew he had a Harley, a Kawasaki and two Victories - or maybe it's two Kawasaki's and one Victory.

Most of you have seen some of my glass & mirror work.  I thought if I could get those various logos into my computer, I could make him a heck of a gift

I did start the logo process and began a search for what I thought would be easy enough, a window sash with multiple panes.  Not so easy!  Either of those tasks.  But about a month ago I was going through an on line auction and there were three window sashes.  I looked them over and they were a bit rough, but they had large 10 x 14 panes, perfect for my project.  $17.50 and tax later I got them home.

 

 

 

[Grandpadave52]

Cool. You "stole" those Cal. At least here in the Hoosier State, I've seen them at $20-$25/ea at flea markets, antique shops etc.

Looking forward to following along especially seeing your etching expertise.

 

BTW, going to request @John Morrismove this to General Woodworking. Hate to see it get lost in FREE for All.

[John Morris]

1 hour ago, Grandpadave52 said:

BTW, going to request @John Morrismove this to General Woodworking. Hate to see it get lost in FREE for All.

Done

[Gene Howe]

Added tags.

[Cal]

Thanks for the move, I reckon.  Not much woodworking to be going on with it though.

 

In my mind I hope to have these sashes come out looking pretty old.  The normal wear & tear done to distress furniture doesn't really apply (in my mind) as the only w&t on a window sash would be the edges, nothing in the center.  So, I hope to just make it appear the paint is old.  Our good friend @Larry Buskirk quite by accident has provided me with a couple pics from the Cool School Antique Mall that I would like to end up with.

 

 

 

I've been watching some YouTube videos and will be doing some practice over the next few days with some chalk paint that I picked up.

[Gene Howe]

That sounds like a fun project, Cal.

[HandyDan]

I've seen items being beaten with chains and various objects to make them look old.  Not a good solution with all that glass.

[John Morris]

3 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Added tags.

Thank you Gene!

[Gene Howe]

49 minutes ago, John Morris said:

Thank you Gene!

Yer welcome....now, about that raise??

[Cal]

Let's see, I know where I want to go with this - just got to get there.

All the glass needed removing for etching and some of it will be replaced by mirror.  I attempted removal of one pane, it came out in pieces

YouTube to the rescue.  The answer is to use heat/steam to loosen and soften up the glazing compound.  I went to Goodwill and bought a pot & lid and attempted to "make steam" for this operation.  That was a fail.  Without a sealed lid the steam just escaped from around the lid instead of out my hose.  Asked the Mrs. to pick me up an old tea kettle the next time she went and she, instead, found a NIB steamer.  That worked perfect!  It took me about 30-45 min. to do each sash.  I broke one pane in each sash doing it with this setup.  A few seconds of steam and I could use the putty knife to get the old glazing out in a jiffy.  I then washed the sashes down and carried one to the glass shop to have a few mirrors cut.

 

 

 

[Grandpadave52]

Good start Cal. I've had success removing old glaze spritzing the glaze with water from a 1qt spray bottle and using a heat gun too. Sometimes the glazier points were imbedded so deep hard to see or remove. That can lead to cracked glass too.

 

I'm better with wood and steel. Much harder to break and easier to fix. I'm still working on a glass welder.

[Cal]

The narrative is just about caught up to where I am in the project...

 

Up to this point I had only been thinking about the first project and how it would lay out.  I want the panes to be horizontal for the best display of the logos.  It might look a bit "different", but I hope when completed that's not a big deal.  What I did need to get it looking symmetrical in that layout was to add a bit of width to what was otherwise the top rail as that will become a stile once rotated.

Thickness of the rails & stiles are 1 1/8".  I had a piece of scrap 2x4 that I planed down to make the necessary add-on.  While I was at it I set a couple dowels in each corner to add a bit of strength.

The existing edges were all eased, maybe a roundover?  Hard to tell, anyhow that was removed with the router and straight bit, to give me a good glue up.

 

 

 

Fortunately, while I was in the midst of the milling I thought that I ought not do the extra width of sash #2 & #3 until I have a plan for those sashes.  If they end up in a vertical orientation there wouldn't be a need for that add on.  So, that's where I stopped Friday evening.

[Larry Buskirk]

@Cal

 

I guess you had to blame somebody. 

[Cal]

22 hours ago, Larry Buskirk said:

@Cal

 

I guess you had to blame somebody. 

 

It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, not blame

 

After getting them cleaned up from the glue ups I had a couple minor items to attend before paint.  Where I had glued on the extra width to the stile, there was no way I was going to end up with an unseen joint.  So I used a Vee bit in the router to accent that joint and matched it on the other stile.  I think once hanging up those vertical lines will add to the frame.  In looking at these pics, I think I need to get the router back out and cut a groove on the horizontal at the top and bottom of that added piece.  I think I can do that easy enough.   And I eased the edges on that added piece with a bit of 100 grit and the armstrong sander.

 

Taking a bit of inspiration from a YouTube video I then painted the whole thing with a medium-dark gray chalk paint.  From what I've read and heard on YT, this stuff is the shellac of paints!  No sanding or much of any prep necessary - it sticks to anything and everything

 

 

Yesterday I came over the top of the gray with some "dry" chalk paint in matte white.  While I'm not thrilled with the results of that, from across the room it don't look too awfully bad.  I'm hoping the next ones will come out a bit better.  And, after a bit of thought the next ones will be hung with the glass vertical so that eliminates the need for the added stile width on those frames.

 

 

It's a rather cool and damp day today.  I will likely spend the afternoon preparing the vinyl and glass.  Haven't heard from the glass shop yet, and that's ok - I'm not ready for the mirrors yet anyhow.  I've also been giving some thought to frames #2&3.  I think I've a plan for those that will be just a bit different from this first one.

 

 

[Gunny]

You spray or brush that?

[Grandpadave52]

38 minutes ago, Cal said:

Where I had glued on the extra width to the stile, there was no way I was going to end up with an unseen joint.  So I used a Vee bit in the router to accent that joint and matched it on the other stile.  I think once hanging up those vertical lines will add to the frame.  In looking at these pics, I think I need to get the router back out and cut a groove on the horizontal at the top and bottom of that added piece

Hope this doesn't discourage you, but as I was reading the first sentence I'd jumped ahead in my mind to the same solution you implemented. It's kinda my trademark for my mistakes However a great solution for your particular instance. I agree it will enhance a rustic look especially with the old windows.

 

Your milk paint finish looks pretty darn good too from where I sit. Enjoying hanging out in your shop. Much warmer than mine and no snow either.

[HandyDan]

You are quite the artiste Cal.  That paint job looks great.  You captured the look.

[Larry Buskirk]

 @Cal Need a few more?

Bruce has all kinds of them. 

BTW Looks Great! 

[Cal]

20 hours ago, Gunny said:

You spray or brush that?

 

Brushed on. 

Likely get the router out today and do that "correction". 

Mirrors are ready, if we get into the 60's tomorrow I will be doing a bit of sandblasting

[Cal]

Seems I left off on Tuesday AM.  I did do that minor correction and then hit the fresh cut with a toothpick dabbed in the gray paint.

It must have been Wednesday, then, when we had a mid 60's day and I applied two coats of wax to the frame.  The first coat was a clear, the second coat was a brown wax that I had in the shop.  Here is the "during process", clear done and brown applied to about 1/2 the frame.

 

 

And when I finished:

 

 

I was not too keen on it with the brown, but there was no turning back after I started.

 

Thursday AM I worked with the vinyl cutter.  I did blast the Victories, one in mirror, one in clear glass.  It was then that I realized that the H-D didn't really lend itself to painting.  The actual logo is two colors next to each other.  For my mirror work I can either separate those colors with a narrow strip of mirror, or I can substitute mirror for one of the colors.  I've done both, and for this project I would substitute - but which should be mirror, and which color?  I had some scrap mirror, so I cut two small H-D mirrors and after a trip to the blast cabinet painted each of them their separate ways and selected the one I liked best.  Artistic liberty...

 

 

The above pic is the Victory on clear glass.  Done in reverse so that the etching is on the backside of the glass when it is framed.  This will keep the rough etched surface clean and make cleaning of the front a breeze.

 

Friday I etched the rest of the panels.  Sprayed the mirrors with red or orange and brushed the black on later that evening.