GAPCO windows

A quick learner from Lake in the Hills IL says:
December 17, 2012
Almost all of the vinyl glazing bead in my ancient (>20yr old) windows is cracking. It's almost impossible to get any out without breaking the face edge, and then there isn't enough left to pull the rest of it out. I have two questions.
1. How can I remove this old bead? Heat gun and patience?
2. Can I identify what type it is before I have to pull the entire window apart to get a big enough piece to recognize?

Thanks,
Paul
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Paul from SWISCO responded:
December 18, 2012
Thanks for posting! These are good questions. Age and ultra violet rays are the main reason why this kind of vinyl bead cracks and crumbles. Like you said, a heat gun and a lot of patience are the best way to go about it.

Unfortunately, the only way we can identify what you have is if we see a profile of your glazing. Before you remove all the bad vinyl, try to recover a small piece and take a picture of a cross section so that we can identify it for you.
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