Back in the day window panes were puttied into their sashes and muntons when the windows were manufactured. Does anyone know if all that puttying was done by hand did they have some kind of machinery to do it? I’m reinstalling some window panes and it takes a lot of time and patience to get the putty to look even and perfect. It’s gotten easier with practice. But still – it’s amazing to think that people in a factory building windows puttied in all those panes by hand?
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I like to lay the window down if i can. you can do a much better dob that way.
Imagine how good you would be at doing it after hundreds or thousands of them.
Lowe's sells a cheap plastic "glazing knife" that lays a perfect 45 degree bead. It works really well when you lube it up with mineral spirits or anything else that wont affect paint.
I use triangles of azek, caulked and pinned in place.
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It can heated and bent, and can be painted , and removed and reused..whats not to like about that! I did hundreds this way, putty is so yesterday.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
http://www.advancedrepair.com/glazing/glazing.htm
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Edited 12/21/2008 8:41 am ET by Jeff_Clarke
I saw a woman on TV once do a sash in about a minute. Had it leaning in a rack and sqeezed the putty out of her hand like it was a caulk gun.
Did she use a putty knife at all or just use her fingers? The caulking style product mentioned above looks promising. I like the 2 hour set time and paintability. I'm interested in giving it a try. I've got 4 sashes sitting now, waiting for the putty to set so I can paint them. I like the reusability of the AZEK but I'm doubtful of my ability to get it to look like well done putty?
I think the azek looks better than putty, perfectly miterd corners, consistant bevel ( I rip it at 27 or 30 degrees, depending on the sash) and speed is way faster. Then the life span is forever.
I had a pane break, and a total R&R took just a putty knife and a caulk gun, five mins tops.
But to each his own.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
In the picture you posted it looks like you end up with a bead of caulk visible in the corners, no? I tried zooming in the picture but it's actually kind of hard for me to tell, actually. Do you have another pic or two? How good of a seal with the glass and muntins do you think you get? Do you do back and front beads of caulk, and then set the AZEK into the front bead? I hope I didn't sound like I was eschewing your method!A couple of other questions - how do you pin the AZEK into place? Brads? Do you have to drill holes for the pins or do you drive brads or whatever through it like wood? Does it accept primer and paint just like wood? I have never worked with AZEK and have only recently become aware of it's existence. Thanks for your help :)
I prime the rabbet, lay a bead of Big Stretch caulk, lay in the glass. I apply a SLIGHT bead of caulk to the back ( wood side) of the stop, and press it in tight..some spooge out is good. I PIN them in with stainless steel 23 ga pins that are actually called "Slight headed brads" , but 18 ga SS would work as well.
Yep, I had to "adjust" the miter on the curved work..Azek grows when it gets hot, used as a fascia, but in a heat tube ( made a pipe/heat gun "Oven" to bend the curves) it SHRINKS..so I fixed the corner vs. making a new hunk, time was of the essence on those archtops, I had 6 to do.
When painting, I slobber paint onto the glass, and cut it before scraping leaving a seal at the join of the stop and the glass, good paint like SW Duration or Permanizer, seals it perfectly.
This is the second winter season for some of my first trials, and all is well, they survived the heat and cold, better than putty that was done about the same time.
Oh. lacking a brad nailer, a simple BRAD PUSHER available at most woodworkers supply, will keep the hammer away from the glass.
I've puttied hundereds of panes, both curved and straight, and used almost every available type of glazing compound..still wasn't happy, so I did this instead. BTW, I rip the pcs in multiple lengths of my longest..say a pane is 20", I make my rough cuts about 42...I get two stops per rip that way. I rip on the bandsaw, and get a LOT of stops from one 8' 1x6 azek.
Here is a trimmer that fine tunes.
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And a hand held miter trimmer.
View ImageSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
That's an impressive solution to some old work. I like it.
I've also been lusting for a pin nailer that will do the slight heads...
Yes she used a putty knife after it was all spread
Not sure what type of putty your using, but glazing compound works the best. Just roll it in your hands to form a rope about 3/8" diameter.
After you put the glazing points in with a putty knife, push the rope in the void with your fingers. Then trim the excess g.c. off with a putty knife held at 45 degree angle. Once you get the hang of it, it doesnt take long at all.
The worst part is trying to remove the old wood putty, if that is what was used.
I used to putty windows for a window manufacturer. We had a pneumatic gun for bedding the glass but the glazing putty was done by hand. Once you learn how to hold and load the knife, it's pretty much one stroke. One key is to warm up the putty. We would just knead it in our hands, working it until it was pliable and you could roll a stretchy rope shape. Then it's a matter of feeding the putty with one hand and tooling it in place with the knife, in the other hand. You don't use the end of the knife, you hold it sideways and use the edge with a strong thumb behind. Your thumb can get real sore since it takes a lot of pressure to push the putty. Most beginners lay down too much putty. The bead should only be as wide as the rabbet in the muntin. The excess putty cuts off neatly at the muntin and the glass if you have it right. The type of windows we made were usually replacements for historical buildings. State houses, churches, etc. I remember doing some for Faneuil Hall.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match