One of my winter projects is to refurbish six cloudy, leaking port lights.

Got them off the frozen boat after cutting through layers and layers of silicone sealant applied by several previous owners. The original bedding was still pliable in places, but crumbling in others.

Got them back to my warm shop and tried to extract the plastic but it was not as simple as I had hoped (usually isn't).
The problem is that the plastic is trapped by the shape of the frame, seems like the frames were bent around the plastic (there is only one joint in the extrusion).

I see three possible approches:

1/ Un-Bend the frames, then try to bend them back around the new plastic.

2/ Cut another joint in the frames so that the plastic is no longer trapped.

3/ Throw away the aluminum frames and bolt or bond plastic directly to the cabin.

So anybody have any experience to share ? Before I do something I might regret.

Also interested to hear what others have used for bedding the plastic in the frames and the frames to the fiberglass cabin.

Cheers,
John.