Rollyson parts and refurbish

A handy person from Bel Air, MD says:
Hello! In the past I searched for Rollyson parts and had given up hope and figured replacement windows will just need to be in my near-future plans anyway, so I would just live with the problem windows for the time being. After a long spell of living with malfunctioning and drafty windows I decided to make a search again just to see what is new on the internet, and luckily found your website. I have to say I am very impressed with your website and your friendly and knowledgeable approach.

I see I can finally get the parts I will need from you (and I already found the 'what and how' to do so without figuring it out myself.)

Beyond just repairing the broken parts, I am contemplating a refurbishing of 20 of my 24 windows (i.e. the windows designed to open) and hopefully further postpone the tremendous cost of replacement windows. My house was built in 1994 with Rollyson windows. Over the years, the elements have degraded the plastic parts and made them brittle and cracking. Many balance retainers have broken and the windows sometimes have thereby been misaligned and are drafty. Beyond the basic repairs, I am evaluating the cost and weighing the benefits of the idea of refurbishing all of the balances, wool pile seals, bubble seals, edge glides, and snap-in glazings with the idea that the sealing features and operating mechanisms would then be as good as the day the windows were installed in the house, and buy me another decade plus of good functioning windows. I would like your opinion of the effectiveness and value of my refurbishing idea, since you have a lot more practical experience than I do.

Second question: I cannot seem to find on your website the edge-glide plastic extrusion used on my windows. I saw another poster was recommended 55-034 / 55-034 extrusions, but those part numbers are not quite what I have. I have attached pictures and my own measurements of the edge glide on my windows to see if you might have the part, and I cannot find it. Or, do you think the aforementioned parts would work for this application?

Thanks,
Bill
User submitted photos of window hardware.
Profile picture of Paul
Paul from SWISCO responded:
Hey, Bill, thanks for posting. First of all, you're definitely on the right track. Replacing the little bits and pieces in a window can boost its lifespan exponentially. A lot of people waste a lot of money replacing the whole window when all they would need is a few minor repairs here and there. I think refurbishing the balances, weatherstripping, glides, etc. is the best way to go.

As for the glazing, I'm not sure if we have an exact replacement for this. I looked around, but like you said the closest thing is our 55-034. I think it might still work, but I can't be sure without having your window in front of me.
A handy person from Bel Air MD says:
Thank you for looking into my questions. I Have concluded it will be worthwhile to start a project refurbishing my windows. I have made a spreadsheet of the entire project, but decided to break it into sub-tasks that I can do a few windows at a time because I won't have the time to do as one big project. I am making a plan of action and will be ordering soon for the first task. This will also give me a chance to use what I learn from the first tasks to build upon for successive tasks until the entire set of house windows are all as good as they were on day one. Thank you for the help!
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Tom from SWISCO responded:
Awesome! Sounds like you have everything under control. If you need any assistance, though, please feel free to ask us. We would be happy to be of any help.
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