Replies

1. 
   RichMast | Oct 20, 2008 12:48am | #1

   Resource Conservation Technology, Inc., http://www.conservationtechnology.com is what you are thinking of, I think.

   Hope this helps.  Rich
2. 
   DanH | Oct 20, 2008 01:23am | #2

   I purchased some at Menards maybe 5 years back.

   Corporation: n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. --Ambrose Bierce
3. 
   DonCanDo | Oct 20, 2008 01:40am | #3

   I found some at the big box.  So check there as well as your local lumber/hardware stores.

4. 
   BillBrennen | Oct 20, 2008 04:39am | #4

   What RichMast said. Their stuff is great quality.

   Bill

5. 
   AitchKay | Oct 20, 2008 05:16am | #5

   RichMast has it pegged.

   RCT has some amazing stuff, including their retrofit router system. I've got their router, and it will do things that no other system will do.

   Their materials are superior, too: their silicone bulbs are very flexible, and have minimal problems with memory set.

   AitchKay

1. 
   silver77 | Oct 22, 2008 06:20am | #6

   AitchKay
   You piqued my curiosity when you mentioned the router.I just placed an order with RCT and was looking at their catalog.I thought the router would be great for retrofit work and a good gig in a tightening economy...you're solving a tough weatherstrip problem and saving the customer precious heating $.How does it fit into what you do?silver

1. 
   AitchKay | Oct 23, 2008 12:59am | #7

   Hey, silver,I’ll paste in what I wrote in another post where I was looking for better closers now that the doors were so airtight: 87786.1 I just weatherstripped some wood storm doors for a client using RCT's weatherstrippng router system. I'd never used this system before, but it's very user-friendly for retrofits. I highly recommend it..... 87786.10 in reply to 87786.7 Hey, jrnbj,You got that right about the warp! One of the doors is 1/2" open at the bottom, but even with one closer only, mounted at the bottom, it closes tight at the top.As for that RCT system, yeah, it's great. I told the customers that all the off-the-shelf weatherstripping was junk (which they could see just by looking at their front door). I had gotten some RCT samples a few years ago, so I knew their silicone tubes were super thin-walled, super compressible, etc. I proposed that the customer pay for half the tool, about $150, and I'd cover the rest. Since they were spreading the cost over 4 doors, I was able to talk them into it, and now that it's done they have no regrets.The tool looks sort of like a angle-head finish nailer. A router motor sits where the piston head would be, and you rest the base, which looks like a nail magazine, in the corner of the jamb (where the Q-lon seal would be if it was a modern door). You depress a spring-loaded button which pushes a locating pin out of the base up by the router bit. This lets you center the bit right in the corner of the jamb angle. Let up on the button, and the bit plunges in to cut a 1/8" by 1/4" groove. Unlike factory weatherstrip grooves, this groove angles in at 45 degrees to both the stop and the jamb. Start in the middle, run it up to the top, and the bit angles right up into the corner. Flip the tool around, and finish the cut from the middle down to the threshold.Overlap the cuts as little as possible to avoid widening the cut. With that narrow base, it's hard not to wobble. You end up with a wavy groove, but don't worry. Once you roll the weatherstrip tube in, it rests against the jamb and stop and lies straight. The cross section of the tube looks like the symbol for male: a circle with a little arrow sticking out. You can snip off an inch of that arrow and slip the end of the tube into the next larger size tube, so uneven gaps are no problem. Way cool!The base of the tool is hollow, and has a 1" vacuum hose coming out of it that picks up most of the dust. 1/8" X 1/4" isn't that much dust, but use a vacuum anyway, or you'll spend a lot of time cleaning out the groove with the tip of a nail or something.They also make a slick automatic door bottom which drops down when the door is closed. You rout a slot in the bottom of the door, 5/8" X 1 1/8" I think it was. A button sticking out of the hinge edge against the jamb activates it. Great for this job, where they had added hardwood flooring as a remodel, and didn't have enough clearance for a doormat before. The sweeps are RCT's silicone. Everything else out there is vinyl junk, no comparison. For a screw-on, wood strip type sweep, kerf a 1/2" X 2" piece of wood. A little more hassle than off-the shelf, but you get the silicone, so it's worth it.AitchKay Silver, the only thing I don’t like about it is spraying lead dust all around. So far, I’ve only used it on newer houses. It would be perfect for tightening up hundred-year-old houses except for the lead problem. When it comes up, I’ll probably brush some chemical stripper into the corner. It wouldn’t be that much extra work. Anyway, the tool is great, and their catalog is great reading, too, isn’t it?AitchKay

1. 
   silver77 | Oct 23, 2008 03:49am | #11

   Thanks for the info AitchKay...very good review of their router. The home I'm working on is circa 1932 and I'm adding wood stops to match the jambs with a RCT silicone insert. I priced them out at 225. per door, 50. for the custom bottom sill with insert and 375. for a curved
   jamb. I might consider the router on my next project-thanks to you- and I think it's a great thing to offer in yer bag of tricks these days.I'm actually rethinking the job and considering routing the jambs-but as you pointed out-there would be lead issues.Their catalog is great reading!cheers,silver

6. 
   joeh | Oct 23, 2008 01:09am | #8

   HD carries it, comes in about 7' lengths, couple of colors.

   Joe H

7. 
   BryanSayer | Oct 23, 2008 01:42am | #9

   BBMC and Accurate Metal:

   http://www.bbmc.com/bbmc/weatherization/weatherstripping.html

   http://www.accurateweatherstrip.com/

8. 
   AitchKay | Oct 23, 2008 02:11am | #10

   Hey, Ted,

   Just to clarify -- are you using some sort of stock, pre-kerfed jamb, or can you do whatever you want?

   If it's pre-kerfed, with the kerf following the plane of the jamb and extending underneath the stop, the Q-Lon, or equivalent, is what you want.

   But if you will cut your own kerf, go with the RCT. The Q-Lon style kerf is hard to duplicate, and most other off-the-shelf weatherstripping is stiff, gets brittle, and cracks after just a few years.

   Sure, brass/bronze holds up better than vinyl, but it doesn't seal all that well. Save it for those times when period/preservation constraints dictate a compromise.

   AitchKay

1. 
   ted | Oct 23, 2008 04:42am | #12

   I'm building a new door pretty much like the one in FHB #196. It'll go into an existing jamb. Only because I don't want the hassle or expense of building a new frame. It's an exterior door so the stops are rabbeted in. I like the weatherseals that fit into the grooves but I'm wondering how I 'm going to cut the kerfs all the way around. My router (laminate trimmer type) will probably stop about 3" from the corners.

1. 
   AitchKay | Oct 23, 2008 04:49am | #13

   Because of the angle of the RCT router, you can actually get all the way into an inside corner. Picture shooting a finish nail into that same inside corner: no problem. And that's exactly how the RCT router is oriented.I've used it, and it was a piece of cake.AitchKay

2. 
   AitchKay | Oct 23, 2008 04:54am | #14

   ted,Go to:http://www.conservationtechnology.com/downloads/Weatherseals.pdfYou'll see a picture of that gun-like router.And browse through their catalog -- it's pretty amazing.AitchKay

3. 
   jrnbj | Oct 23, 2008 04:42pm | #15

   Ted, the typical Q-lon (what you see on all new pre-hung entry units, won't work on an existing one piece exterior jamb. the dado for the door has to be bigger to allow for the weatherstripping.3 choices
   build/buy a new jamb
   use the Resource conservation Tech. system
   get quality 1 3/4 spring bronze from Accurite

1. 
   ted | Oct 23, 2008 06:13pm | #16

   Well then I guess I'm resigned to a new jamb. Because I don't want to spring for a router I'll use maybe once or twice in my life and I hate the lock of the spring bronze.
   How wide of a rabbet should be cut for a 1 3/4" thick door in order to accommodate the
   Q-lon?

1. 
   jrnbj | Oct 24, 2008 04:47am | #17

   My recollection is nominal 2".
   It's not a critical dimension..the Q-lon has lots of slop.
   I sorta like spring bronze, when it's done right, with the good gauge stuff, but it isn't as positive a seal....

2. 
   Sphere | Oct 24, 2008 03:23pm | #18

   I have the RCT router and it is a sweet deal. But I had some circle head casements to rout and was concerned ( now I know, for no reason) if it would follow the curve.

   So, I started exp. with a rotozip and an 1/8" router bit. Believe it or not with a steady hand, you can do just as well (almost) as the dedicated tool. Remove the base guide and freehand it, but brace your hands into a locked position and move your body, I tend to have more control pulling towards me, vs pushing away, with an 1/8" spiral bit ( or straight even) it matters little if you are climb cutting or not being as the bit is buried for 3/16" deep.

   The vacuum attachment is a god send, the groove tends to stay jammed with swarf without suction.

   The circle heads were kinda tricky at first, but I got em ( all 6) done ..the worst problem was hitting jamb extension nails I didn't know were there..I started using a rare earth mag where I intended to rout, found the nails and finally just yanked the JE's off and pulled the nails. Carbide would have not been too bad, but the HSS bit that came with groover, wasn't happy at all after the second nail. (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4

    

3. 
   AitchKay | Oct 26, 2008 10:05pm | #19

   And I'll bet if you didn't have the RCT, you'd have gone ahead and modified your Roto-Zip all the way: The Roto-Zips do have collars to attach to, and the RCT base could be duplicated with an angle iron or a length of square tube.So let's send out a Tweaker Challenge: First guy to post pics of a successful R-Z to RCT adaptation wins the pot (I haven't looked but I'm sure by now it's pretty big).AitchKay

4. 
   Sphere | Oct 26, 2008 11:06pm | #20

   Yer on!

   Tho' I aint making a new base, I'll demo  freehand.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4

    

5. 
   Sphere | Oct 26, 2008 11:28pm | #21

   I made these windows from parts that were left in the basement, and used the RCT tool to get em sealed nicely.

    

   View Image

   Let ya sit down and hear me sometime,I had to rebuild them, and allow for a 100 yrs of abuse and shrinkage there are 3 more out back..all said and done over 100 hours getting them back in the hole.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4

    

   
6. 
   Sphere | Oct 26, 2008 11:47pm | #22

   Those are s/p true divided lite, wavy glass. On Baldwin 70 buck a pair hinges.

   I remodded the frames and used my Azek glass stops in lieu of putty, heat bent for the curves, and cussed...a lot.

   Once them walk boards are gone, it ain't gonna be easy to get to them for tweaks...Thems are the original to the house, from 1915, they were swapped out in the 50's with krappy D/Hungs and storms..all of which failed.

   The HO's had these old casements in the house, in nothing but parts..I rebuilt them using my best guess and lots of luck.

   The builder or some one used my favorite methods, they NUMBERED the work, in Roman Numerals (which I still do) and I could match the sash to the hole.

   HO alert, don' strip or sand away that V, I might need it.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_oEx4-Mc4

    

7. 
   AitchKay | Oct 27, 2008 02:28am | #24

   If I've got the math right, that's less than 17 hrs/hole.You Bad!AitchKay

9. 
   popawheelie | Oct 27, 2008 12:15am | #23

   The round bulb in the corner is the best imo. It's out of the way and compresses very easily. My brother bought the router a long time ago.