Replacing windows - how to remove silicon

[trswem]

For those of you that have done the window job on a D/S, any tips on getting the silicon removed? I’m gently scraping, but this is looking like two days of slow progress.

[NiceAft]

This thread gives information about window replacement, but it does not approach the topic of silicon removal,

viewtopic.php?p=337607#p337607

Maybe this can help?

https://waterproofcaulking.com/how-to-r ... ofessional.

[Stevenhigbee]

You will want one of these with a scraper blade (or the brand-name tool if you can afford it).
https://www.harborfreight.com/power-too ... dless.html

"Makes difficult jobs easy, and impossible jobs possible."
Plunge-cutting through fiberglass is another of its tricks.

[kmclemore]

I’m not sure I’d take power tools to the job, having done it myself in the past. It’s a delicate affair, and a mistake is not easily rectified. I replaced windows on my Mac, and I’ve done this same job to fiberglass Lotus sports cars a great many times, so hopefully I can give some tips.

I used a wooden scraper to remove the big bits, then followed up with single-edge razor blades to remove most of it, then followed with acetone on rags to scrub off the remainder. It was tedious, but it left the aperture undamaged and smooth. I then used alcohol to do a final cleaning before applying the adhesive.

My replacement was detailed in this thread:

viewtopic.php?p=74566#p74566

And I contributed more info into this thread:

viewtopic.php?p=83813#p83813

Also, there is now a product for removing 3M 5200 and other adhesives that *may* be of use. I’ve not used it yet, so I can’t vouch for it, but it sounds promising.

https://store.marinebeam.com/un-hesive- ... e-remover/

[trswem]

I used a wooden scraper to remove the big bits, then followed up with single-edge razor blades to remove most of it, then followed with acetone on rags to scrub off the remainder. It was tedious, but it left the aperture undamaged and smooth. I then used alcohol to do a final cleaning before applying the adhesive.

Thanks kmclemore! This is almost exactly what we ended up doing. We used a razor to cut off the bulk of the material. I then used both mineral spirits and acetone to soften the silicon and scrape with a plastic razor blade. It was incredibly slow work, but the results were pretty great. I can’t believe how impactful new windows are on the look of these old boats. No more rose colored views from the cabin!