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Removing caulk?

1808 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Bob Mariani
I moved into a new place, an the jalousie windows are all caulked shut.

Caulking along all the seams where the glass blades lap, and all the hardware along the sides. Sealed up nice and tight.

Because of the design of the hardware, simply slicing the caulk does not work.

Only effective means i found so far is break glass, remove and clean hardware, reinstall hardware, add new glass.

I have plenty of glass that I got from a salvage. I've done two windows (11 blades each) so far, and have eight more to go. I'd like to save the glass, if possible, but am more than OK with breaking and replacing. It's about an hour per window using that method.

I was wondering if there is some chemical that will work on the caulk-but if so, I imagine the cleanup factor is going to be terrible.
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Yes, there is a caulk-softening/releasing type of stuff that works well
I can't remember the name of it, sorry
It's sort of like an "over-caulk" type deal
You squeeze it out over the existing caulk, you wait a little, then removal should be much easier
It may be helpful in this type of situation

I'm sure you'll need to go to a local Paint Store where contractors shop to find it
Certainly it would be worth a few phone calls to some near you to see if any carry it

"Contractor's Solvent" also may work
http://www.orange-sol.com/contractors/index.html

The stuff works great on old mastic and other cured stuff like that
But I've not tried it on caulk myself (though they say it works)
It's more of a liquid, so not quite an "over-caulk"
If the other stuff is not available, it might be worth a try

Regardless of the product used, there will be some decent glass clean-up after
I'd still go for a "caulk remover helper" and the ensuing clean-up, rather than "glass replacement"...unless the removers prove ineffective
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Acetone will soften caulking for easier removal.
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