The purpose of a mechanical restoration is to make your windows work and lock easily. When all the impediments to motion have been removed a double-hung, rope and pulley window should move with the lightest pressure, almost fingertip effortless. When a good sweep lock is present and properly aligned, it pulls the middles together, and forces the top up and the bottom down, locking the whole assembly tightly. This, in combination with weatherstripping, gives a window that is reasonably airtight. When a good storm window is present, the total energy savings are the same as or better than a double-pane insulated glass "modern" window with strings, springs and plastic things!

• Complete disassembly and planing and sanding as necessary to relieve tightness due to excess paint.
• Replacement of ropes with new rope or chain.
• Reinforcing all loose joints in the sashes, and caulking as necessary to prevent further deterioration. For seriously rotted joints, epoxy restoration can be performed.
• Replacement of parting beads that are cracked, rotten or warped.
• Re-weighting as necessary. A sash should be suspended in space, with no falling down or floating up- these are symptoms of incorrect weighting, a problem we are expert at solving.
• Stapled "Spring-Bronze" weatherstripping to eliminate looseness, increase energy efficiency, and give the window that "silky" feeling.
• Complete lubrication of channels and pulleys. Pulleys should not squeal and windows should not stick. Lubrication solves these simple problems.
• Lock and stop re-alignment. Stops are the vertical strips of wood, often held in place by visible screws, that control the bottom sash. They should be precisely aligned to guide the sash in its travels with just enough clearance to allow free movement but not too much. When completely closed they should touch the top rail of the bottom sash to immobilize the assembly. This prevents rattling when it's windy outside.
• Replacement of loose putty with caulking. This does not mean complete re-puttying, as this falls under Structural restoration. But often there is just some putty falling out of the bottoms, leaving the joints vulnerable. If this is all that's needed, we'll include it.
• Replacing broken glass, with historical replica or salvaged float glass if desired.