I hear you. I learned glazing the hard way about a year ago trying to bring a property I own up to code.
Do you have a glazing knife? If you're trying to do it with a standard putty knife, you may find your knife is too flexible. The proper knife really does help, especially on corners.
Make sure your rabbets are absolutely spotlessly clean. Rough them up to give "tooth".
Warm the putty by rolling it in your hands until it's about the consistency of bread dough. Keep mineral spirits and soap and water handy for when your hands get all gooky, but don't get any on the glass, frames, or in the putty itself.
Plan on breaking a pane or two while learning.
At the end of my exercise I wasn't a glazing expert either, but I did acquire enough skill to press a line of putty from corner to corner without having it peel away from the glass or the rabbet, or look like it was done by a monkey.
Yes, there's a reason we don't do a lot of house windows that way anymore.
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm debating whether or not to rip off the ones that I've already done and start over. They sorta look like crap, but they're at least "done" for now.
In the future I'll definitely go with glazing in a tube, a real glazier's tool, mineral spirits out the ying-yang and a good dose of patience on tap for the inevitable frustrations.
It's odd - I don't mind a lot of the tasks involved with restoration, but painting trim and glazing windows really bug me. I can sit and heat strip or sand or paint with a 4 incher all day long and be quite content. And the repair work and refitting is the bomb - it's the detail finishing that I'm not so keen on.
Who knows - it's probably just lack of experience.
No....just mind set more than anything else. You knew going in that you didn't know how to do this "easily" and it was down hill from there. Now you know ........ and now you can really hate it!
the last time I tried the "putty in a tube" thing wasprolly 4-5 years ago. at first it seemed like a good idea, but after a while I gave it up. the stuff in the tube definitely wasn't putty. it seemed to me more like latex caulking with chalk filler. the consistency was way "wetter" than I wanted. it skinned over quickly but took a while to dry. I had terrible luck trying to get a decent surface on it. the skin would drag and tear and there was nothing to do but scoop it out and start over. I didn't try anything with mineral spirits onna account of the latex base. Bridger
This was my experience too. I threw the remaining portion of the tube out. It appeared to me to be nothing more than latex caulk. It didnt even retain its nice edge when it dried. It shrunk and the fillet took on a concave sunken look.
Unless I used a different product than described, I'd stay away from the "putty in a tube" product. I've had best luck with the ACE Hardware housebrand as described previously. I also have used DAP33 but I add a small amount of Penetrol to it to soften it up and make it stick better.
In addition to all the other comments, look at the Home Desperado for a Hyde Glazing Knife; it has a flat blad at one end, and an angled blad at the other. Where the angles of the blade meet is a gap, which lets the excess putty come out as you slide it along the putty bead.
Also, (if possible) look at your window from the other side to make sure you aren't covering up too much of the glass. Also a good way to see if your putty line is really even.
Jay Pique wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Yup it's the detail stuff that takes about 90% of the time and seems to be about 10% of the show, but if you screw it up, everybody sees it. I do a lot of restoration work so I know where you're coming from. Glazing is more pracxtice than art. 33 sucks, so have good advice there. Roll a rope that is about 1/2 proud of the rabbet and lay it in. Wet the knife with mineral spirits or blo and press it in one fell swoop (or is it swope). I prefer blo to mineral spirits, but both work. Useta ski at JP a bit. How's the snow now. Been skiing for a week or so here. Regards, Hank (in the Catskills)
I've just finished making a set of 4 casement windows for a local farm-house. 300-yo Georgian house, and the planners like replacement windows to match the old ones. These buggers had 2 x 6-pane lights apiece, one opening and one fixed. Thing about Georgian window, is that they have very fine glazing bars (to let in as much light as possible and give that delicate tracery feeling). These ones were lamb's-tongue profile, just over
5/8ths at their widest point, which only allows for a 1/4" rebate for the glass.
The jerk of a builder who fitted and glazed them must have applied the putty with his brickying trowel. I'll concede that it must be difficult to make such a fine putty bead that it doesn't stand over the rebate, but this guy's work, while neat enough, makes the glazing bars appear about 1" thick, which completely ruins the look and negates all that searching for a suitable router cutter to make the slim sash bars and the fiddly work M&T-ing such fine moulding.
When I remonstrated with him, he at least had the grace to look somewhat sheepish and has promised to trim the overhang when he removes the lights to paint up the putty. Why remove the lights? Well, the windows are on the
3rd storey and he's afraid of ladder work and too cheap to hire a scaffold tower. Bit of a handicap for a builder, I'd have thought....
If it helps... I'll add my .02 worth. The last 3 times I glazed windows, I smoothed the first application out with olive oil. I tried this once up at the cottage because I really had nothing much else to use. The next time I did the same thing because it worked so well the first time. Now I will do the same thing every time because it has worked 3 times in a row. The last time I glazed a window was after a New Year's 'accident'. Bearing this is mind, the ole' Olive oil trick worked perfectly even in January!
That's EXACTLY the way to do it, Andrew. Most any type of oil will work.
I guess a lot of folks use mineral spirits. I've never heard of that before! To me, it doesn't make sense. Minerals spirits, among other things, is a cleaner...used to REMOVE oil. Why would someone want to put any of that on glazing compound that CONTAINS oil?
snip thread about using glazing compound to set glass...
mineral spirits works fine. it works as a cleaner to keep the putty knife clean, and the slick surface it leaves on the putty is easy to get a nice finish with. really, not much thinner gets on the putty...
Lay a very small, thin bead of glazing compound down first. Lay the glass on top of that.
Put in your points.
Take a wad of glazing compound...roll it into a thin, cigar shape. Lay it along the side of the window. Start at one corner and push the glazing into the window frame. DON'T run your knife in the same direction as the window runs. PUSH the gc INTO the wood...move the putty knife over...do it again...move it...do it, etc. You want each push to overlap just a little...so every part of the gc gets pushed into the wood.
As you do this, try to push it with the same angle...or near the same angle...that you want for the finished look.
The FINAL run...going from one corner to the other...is only the FINISHING touch. You need to push the gc into the wood FIRST. THAT'S what keeps the glass in and sealed.
You should use a stiff putty knife and make sure its very smooth. I usually polish it with some 000 steel wool or hone it before I start.
You don't hafta be fussy at this point...nor can you be. Just make sure all the putty is pushed into the fame.
When done with pushing in all the gc, finish it off. Take the putty knife and dip it in a little bit of linseed oil. Then start at the top corner...set the angle that you want...and simply pull the knife to the other corner. If you get too much excess...or if the knife starts to grab the gc, stop...get rid of the extra...dip the knife again...and start from that point.
The first part is what you do to PUSH the gc into the wood. The second part is simply the TRIM, ESTHETIC part. They are NOT the same!
Wait a few weeks...then paint.
More things...out of order...
Clean the glass with Windex before you start if needed. But cleaning the glass is not critical...since the gc adheres to the FRAME...not especially the glass.
Use a stiff putty knife.
As I mentioned, I can't imagine dipping the putty knife in mineral spirits. I've never done it...but I would think it would have a detrimental effect on the oil in the gc.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.