Anybody know how to remove old window putty from steel casement windows without breaking the glass? This is for a restoration job and the windows have to remain in good condition for repainting.
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Heat helps (hot air gun). It can break the glass if the glass is in too tight and you put too much heat on the glass and not enough on the putty.
But after a couple you will probably get most out without breaking.
what Bill said - I use various drywall knives to shield the glass from the heat - helps keep the glass cool while you heat up the putty -
heat turns the stuff to - well, Putty! and then you can scrape it right out. Keep the heat gun moving and at the right angle and the glass won't over heat.
There is laso a tool for this with resistance coils thgat heat up. They are laid out in an L shapeover an insulated base you can set right on the glass. Worth the investment if you have a lot of them to do
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i am in the process of restoring wooden windows from 1945, and my initial idea was to save as much of the good glass as i could. after spending half a day on the first set and breaking 9 out of 12 panes, i talked to my glass guy. he says he no longer wastes his time trying to salvage. following his suggestion, i cut a corner-to-corner X on the glazing compound side of the glass. then i tap on the other side to break the panes into 4 triangles. the triangles then lever the compound out pretty efficiently. even with a MAP torch, some of the compound never softens at all.
Your experience is interesting- I'm scraping out the putty on all my old wood windows (1915 and 1937), and I haven't broken any yet, I wonder if the putty or the glass is different. I warm the putty with a heat gun (haven't needed to shield anything yet), and once the paint on top of the putty starts to crack where the putty and wood meet, I cut the putty out with a utility knife. I try to cut right in between the wood and the putty. It usually goes pretty quick.
zak
I had to reputty some windows of that same era.It seems that the glass had from zero to 1/128" clearance. A couple of pains where already cracked and some more had lots of tension in them wait for me to look at them.The replacements had about 1/8"
Never ask a guy who sells glass how to save glass. ;-)
(Just kidding -- nothing special 'bout glass from 1945; might as well break it if that save a lot of time)
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I've always had broken glass problems with heat. You can buy an attachment for your drill called a Prazi putty chaser. Some of that old putty can be hard as a rock. Once you have cut out the biggest part, you can brush on some mineral spirits or turpentine to soften the little that remains. You need a high speed drill, most battery types won't work well.
http://www.praziusa.com/puttychaser.html
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I tried the putty chaser and thought it was total junk...sorry.
I did 30 large 12 over 12 windows on this house. Scraped out just about every pane....I had good luck not breaking any glass but my helper.....well he "was" another story.
Heat definatly helps a LOT!
In another cpl a weeks when it warms up a hair more outside I'll be pulling up from the archives that thread about glazing that I remember which seemed real helpful. I've reglazed a few panes so far and it definatly takes some practice and some helpful hints. I have a LOTTTTTTTT of windows to reglaze. I know you're supposed to paint the areas to be glazed with an oil primer first which in of itself is a lot of work...ugh. Few people realize all that goes into building/renovating a house....all most people see is the cover of the book.If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
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I hope I don't get hammered too hard for this, but I got fed up with the glazing putty and started using caulk. I'm using the highest quality acrylic I can find, but I would probably use polyurethane if I lived in a wetter area or didn't have such big roof overhangs. What do you guys think of caulk for glazing?
I'm not real impressed with the acryl/latex glazing compound sold in caulk tubes, but that's just from looking at the label. Seems to me like there is a lack of investment going into what is basically an obsolete product for most people, wheras caulk is still being advanced. my $0.02
zak
Let me be the first to hammer you...lol. One big problem using caulk is the same as filling nail holes instead of using wood putty to fill em'. It can't be shaped/worked at all. If theres any irregularity with it theres virtually no way to fix it and it then looks like a sloppy job. Getting the caulk on the glass is near impossible to straighten out even with a razor blade and I doubt you can do as perfect a job as you could with glazing. Once you get the hang of glazing it goes pretty fast. I've done quite a few windows already and have gotten much better at it. If you have the time to go slow you'll have no problem at all but I have over 700 panes to do give or take a cpl a dozen so I need to make some time up here. With caulk you pretty much have only one chance. With putty you can go over it several times till you're satisfied.
Its like using a saw zall instead of a circular saw. You can do it but why would you in the appropriate situations?If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
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Heat works. To prevent heating the glass I use a 6" taping knife as a heat shield, move it along with the heat gun.
Note, if you're stripping the paint, the paint stripper often softens the putty as well. -----------------------------------------------------------
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That's true, it is more difficult and messy to shape. I'm using some little putty shaping tool that I picked up some where, and it comes out ok- I end up with caulk all over my hands, though. It's actually ok with me if it's not entirely perfect looking, if it will stay flexible and seal well for a long time.
So that's what I'm more curious about- will it function right?
700 panes is a lot, I figure I've got more like 50 or 60. are you using oil base or acrylic glazing putty?
zak
I think I only have around 500 panes or so in my house but I've still had a fair amount of practice on removing putty and putting it back on. :-)
I've had good luck with a heat gun for removing old putty, I've only broken one or two panes that were probably too snug in the muntins anyway. When I put the glass back in, I like using regular old Dap 33 glazing compound. The trick is to take a ball of it in your hand and knead it until it's pliable (plus, doing this makes your hands nice and soft...)
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I'm using oil base....but you too still have a fair amt to do...why not do it the right way...its not really all that difficult at all! In a lot of ways its easier than messy caulking. Look at it this way...it'll be another notch on your tool belt in learning how to do things right.
Putty glazing is air and water tight...so is caulking but c'mon bro....If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
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