Re-Glazing Old Metal Windows

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Moderator Post (s) for this thread: > Steel Casement windows........ by doug seibert on 08/04/2004 > Dap 33 by doug seibert on 08/04/2004

I have a job opportunity that I think I can handle, but have a couple of concerns before I actually take the job.

The customer wants some "French-Style" metal windows re-glazed, as the old glaze is severely cracked and this is showing through the paint.

These windows are (for lack of a better word) "compartmentalized" like the French windows we usually see in residential houses, only they are metal-framed (steel) and much larger; about 14" X 24" (H x L).

To save money, the customer wants to selectively pick out which windows get re-done and which ones do not (to include painting) which means that the new paint will have to match the old, but also (and more importantly) the shape of the new glazing will have to match the old. This is the point that concerns me.

The "recesses" (the distance from the outer edge of the window frame to the outer side of the glass) of these windows are quite deep, about 3/4" or maybe more, and the old glazing is very neatly "groomed" at a fairly precise angle and is also very, very smooth and even.

I don't know if I have the skills (and/or tools) to match the new glazing to the characteristics of the old glazing.

How do I know how much glazing to put in ? How do I get the proper depth & angle ? How do I make it nice & smooth ?

Does this work require someone with some specialized skill, or am I making more out of this than I need ?

I thought about making some kind of "jig", a wooden shaped tool with the proper angle that I could drag over (like a skreed) the excess glaze in order to sculpt it to match the old. And I thought perhaps a putty knife or a margin trowel and a little water might allow me to smoothen the surface of the glaze once the depth & angle are made properly.

Am I on track here ? Or can someone give me a better direction ?

Thanks in advance.

Billy