Help with rusted pivot pins

Question

Have a beach house. Most all pivot pins rusted/rotted out. Want to replace but holding screw and pins are rusted together. Don't want to replace all 16 windows. I am trying WD 40 but does not seem to work. Tried a screw extractor but that did not work.  I thought of pounding old rusted pin into window channel but not sure it will work and still have rusted holding screw. Any suggestions?

Tom · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your patience during the holiday season. We should be able to help, though it will be a bit tricky finding the right match since the original hardware is so corroded. The first thing we need to do is get the old pivot bar out. The usual method is to soak it in WD-40 for a few hours, then firmly pull it out with pliers. If that doesn't work, there is one other method that may, though we don't like using it. You would use a heat gun or even a hair dryer to soften up the vinyl, which might loosen the pivot bar enough to pull it out. However, there is a risk of permanently warping the window frame. I only suggest doing this as an absolute last resort, and even then you may want a professional to do it for you.