Strange window lock thingies

Welly · Strange window lock thingies

Hi all,

Not sure if this is a Garage question, but lets pretend that I'm not talking about replacing the windows in my house, but in my Garage instead. That, perhaps, fits a bit more comfortably here...

I have 11 windows in my house, err, garage, that will need replacing, and I'm thinking of making the frames myself and fitting them.

After some discussion in the household, the prevailing opinion is that I should replace them with something very similar to what we have already, which are wooden frames, each with an opener, and some of the longer ones have an opener and a fixed panel.

The openers open from the centre on friction/pivot hinges, not like the ones that you see on uPVC windows (these are also called pivot hinges in some cases), but that travel in a circular motion around a fixed point.

I have found 2 companies that can supply pivot hinges of differing design, one that charges £70 a pair, and another that charges £18 a pair. If anyone is familiar with these hinges and either has a stash of them lying about unused (the dream scenario) or knows where I can get them, I would appreciate it

Apparently they were quite common in council buildings a time ago.

The second issue is the locking mechanism.

At the bottom of each opener on each side, there is a catch that you rotate in or out by handle to engage/disengage a lock (it's really just a tab that slots into a groove in the main window frame, not a lock at all).

That basic style of security you can get just about anywhere, BUT, internally to the frame of the opener, there is long narrow bar that gets pushed upwards when you engage the lock, and this slots into a hole in the main frame to stop the top of the window being prised open.

Does anyone know what that mechanism is called, and better still, where I can get them? I'm gessing they are still available, but without knowing what they are called, I'm a bit stuck.

I have considered using all of the furniture from the existing windows to make the new ones, since it fits the purpose so beautifully, but this means ripping out a window before building the replacement, thus adding more pressure to what will already be a very exciting activity indeed

Any help would be appreciated.

Welly

Julie

Pardon the intrusion, it's not my sphere of expertise, but have you thought of trying the reclaimed building materials places, there must be some up here?
If you can only get one set of fittings it would enable you to do the first window and then cannibalise the others for the other fittings one at a time. Or, you could just board up the hole while you do them one at a time. It wouldn't be too draughty at this time of year.

Welly

Good suggestions Julie.

I visited a local reclaimation yard on Friday, but unfortunatley they didn't have any, and to be honest I think they would probably remove the whole window if they could

which would make the whole thing more expensive than the constituent parts.

As for boarding up the hole (current windy conditions notwithstanding), that is certainly an option. The danger is that it would put quite a lot of pressure on me to complete the window. Overnight or for a day or two would probably be OK, but as I'm not a chippy, I don't actually know how long it would take to make one.

Another option would be to replace one opening window with a non-opening one, and simply reclaim those parts as you suggest. Every single window does open, and maybe not all of them need to. The danger is that I'm not sure how easy it would be to dismantle each window to get to the parts. Some of them may not work at all and I already know that one of the pivot hinges is broken. It could be a risky strategy.

I s'pose the truth is, all the time I'm building the frame before removing the window, I'm not committed! Once I start hacking about, however carefully, I run the risk of not being able to go back.

Thanks all the same though. I appreciate any and all input.

Welly