How to put tilt sash back into pivot shoes

Question

I've determined what spiral balances I need, thanks to your site, and will be ordering these for at least three windows, along with your charging tool. However, is there now an easy way to get my darn sash back into my frame? The 15-046 pivot shoes lock in place, obviously, when I rotate the sockets to receive the pins, and the pins don't retract. I've been trying to position the pivot shoes offset just right so I can tilt the sash into place, but this isn't easy. Also, I guess I have three options on the pivots for receiving the spring balances. Do I start with the middle?

Thanks - I really appreciate your site!

Paul · Accepted Answer

Hello! I'm so happy our site has been helpful to you. Regarding your question, this is a common hangup with this type of window. Putting the sash back into this type of "closed" cam style pivot shoe can be tricky. The trick is to try to put the pins in one at a time, with one pivot shoe adjusted higher than its partner on the opposite side. Then, when you tilt the sash up, you apply a little pressure to the side with the higher shoe so that it evens out.

For a visual example, I suggest that you watch the video below. You can see how we remove and replace a sash that uses this same type of pivot shoe.