Manship port rebuild

[alaskanviking]

I have Manship opening ports. The manship website has info to replace the seal but not to rebuild the port.

I pulled the seal out as it's not correct and have an alternative to test. It did give me a good chance to inspect the frame holding the glass in place. There are no skrews holding it down.

There is a small gap between the inner frame and outer. I scraped most of the sealant out of the gap. There was some flex of the bronze when I applied a slight bit of pressure. Definitely an inner frame sandwiching the glass between the outer frame. There is sealant between both frames and the glass.

How do I separate these pieces without busting the glass?

Can I use some Debond or something to loosen it up?

Any suggestions?

I need to take all my ports off the boat to fixed some cracks in the cabin surface. It's old enough it's a good idea to rebed things. I'd like to fully rebuild the ports, and have them chromed.

Thanks

[tkeithlu]

Manship uses silicone sealant, and as near as I can tell from the drawings does not use screws to clamp the frames around the glass.

Silicone sealant can be dissolved with acetone (most aggressive) as well as alcohol and vinegar. I'd be inclined to soak the frames overnight, and then do another round of scraping sealant out of the crack. Cut everything you can with a flat blade such as a razor or putty knife. Pry with the same thin blade.

Ultimately, if you fail and break one, a glass shop can supply you a tempered glass replacement based on a cut out piece of cardboard.

[alaskanviking]

thank you, i will try that.
regarding the seals, the previous owner replaced with 3/8x3/8 square rubber seal, but they don't seal well. looks like it doesnt stick out far enough to get a good seal. original seal is supposed to be 3/8"wide and 5/8" tall. most of the ports leak now that i am somewhere where it rains. im having trouble finding the correct size seal. i may have to get a custom order in from a rubber manufacturer.

currently doing an experiment and trying to use some 3/8" round rubber seal. that seems to stick out more to work and is readily available but I'm not quite satisfied with the rubber quality.

[alaskanviking]

what is the best sealant to use when putting these back together? the same skyscraper glass sealant that is used to rebuild hatches?

[alaskanviking]

Where can i find custom sizes of that red rubber seal used in comercial marine/Navy hatches? is that polyurethane?