I have been having difficulty removing the upper sashes of my windows. Working on second story windows, I can't reach the top outside areas to break the paint seal between the sash and frame.

Even after removing the sash weights and parting beads, I could not get the upper sashes to drop. Trying to muscle them out resulted in my rocking them in and out, which damaged the side rails because the pulley mechanisms got in the way.

I read - somewhere - about a guy who attached a paint can as a weight to the sash to help break the paint seal and pull down the window. I adapted that trick using what was handy - sash weights and sash cord.

I drilled a pilot hole in the upper rail and then put in a screw. I knotted one end of the sash cord around the screw and the other end to two sash weights, and then I went to bed.

The next morning it looked as if nothing had happened, but the weight was apparently just enough to break the paint seal. A light tug on the sash pulled it down below the pulleys and it came out without damage.

I should have snapped a photo, but I didn't expect it to work.