Putty alternative for window glass?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Putty alternative for window glass?

geekIT

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#226220 26-Dec-2017 11:58

Anyone tried glazing with something other than regular linseed oil putty?

A neighbor reckoned he'd used a tube of putty in a gun, but I think he must've been talking about 'No More Gaps' or some similar 'runny' material. That stuff skins and sets too fast to be useful.

I've used a Bostick product; white gunk that sets within a coupla days. Good for quick painting but it's fairly firm and not that easy to bed a pane of glass into.

Suggestions?

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#1925565 27-Dec-2017 06:52

Why don't you want to use the regular kind?

networkn

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#1925590 27-Dec-2017 09:46

The geek in me was going to suggest the Fork of Putty called Kitty, which we have found works better in Windows :)

If you don't work in IT this likely won't mean anything to you :)

geekIT

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#1925606 27-Dec-2017 10:24

JayADee: Why don't you want to use the regular kind?

I've never managed to get regular putty to work for me. Bedding in the glass is fairly easy but getting a nice, neatly angled exterior face is beyond me. I guess I was hoping that there really was a tube\gun product that worked.

networkn: The geek in me was going to suggest the Fork of Putty called Kitty, which we have found works better in Windows :) If you don't work in IT this likely won't mean anything to you :)

Actually, I've worked in IT pretty much ever since I gave up building. But you lost me there. Is that a LAN\WAN in-joke?

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Technofreak

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#1925670 27-Dec-2017 11:52

I was wondering the same just a day or so ago. The problem with the old linseed oil putty is that it hardens with age and after a decent rainfall, water will seep around the window pane.

I figure in this day and age there must be a more modern product with a good working time that retains it's elasticity and water proofing qualities.

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chevrolux

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#1925674 27-Dec-2017 12:01

Hahaha... also wondering what Putty was doing in the home workshop forum!

tdgeek

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#1925690 27-Dec-2017 13:02

Are windows tacked in these days? I recall from very few occasions that they were before being puttied.

I reinstalled windows into a front door, I used the flexi indoor/outdoor fillers, easy as. Easy to work with, easy to fiinsh smooth, can paint etc. The last one Ive been using is Gorilla, as it has a yellow screw cap so you dont waste the rest of it. Its flexible, and from memory it doesn't take 2 days to set, more like a few hours. Putty will dry, crack, and ingress moisture.

If it was me, I'd prefit window, remove it, run a small amount in the inner part against the frame, fit the window, and tack it in, even temporarily. Small nail a little into the top and bottom frame, with a piece of soft something in between. When its starting to set, remove nails, run the goop around the edge using a grease gun, dip finger in water, and run your finger around the frame, or something that gives the profile you want. Curved or straight.

This stuff wont shrink or crack. If you have a bit underneath the glass, the glass is well protected from shock.

Aredwood

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#1925694 27-Dec-2017 13:10

chevrolux:
Hahaha... also wondering what Putty was doing in the home workshop forum!

The thread title could also have been "putty alternative for windows"

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geekIT

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#1925702 27-Dec-2017 13:36

The thread title could also have been "putty alternative for windows"

Um, yeah. That was my first thought. Then figured I'd get all sorts of Windows jokes. Which happened anyway :-)

tdgeek: What's the full name of the Gorilla product? You said 'grease gun' so it sounds like it'd go in an old style cartridge gun like the ones that used to take cellophane sausages of 'mastic'.

BTW, my project is not your average glazing job. I've ripped the two top wooden panels (9mm oregon) out of an old 4-panel exterior door and will be replacing them with two obscure glass panels. Except each glass panel is made up of three squares, separated by two pieces of lead channel.

So it's a kinda leadlight job, but not the full monty. Like, there's no lead frame around the outside of each panel of three squares and no soldered joints

Probably shoulda done it that way, but I was trying to do it DIY and on the cheap - $120 for the six squares of colored and plain obscures, plus the lead.

The glass panels will be held in by wooden beads and some kind of filler.

Actually, the more I think about it, the better the regular putty option sounds.

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

tdgeek

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#1925726 27-Dec-2017 14:28

geekIT:

The thread title could also have been "putty alternative for windows"

Um, yeah. That was my first thought. Then figured I'd get all sorts of Windows jokes. Which happened anyway :-)

tdgeek: What's the full name of the Gorilla product? You said 'grease gun' so it sounds like it'd go in an old style cartridge gun like the ones that used to take cellophane sausages of 'mastic'.

BTW, my project is not your average glazing job. I've ripped the two top wooden panels (9mm oregon) out of an old 4-panel exterior door and will be replacing them with two obscure glass panels. Except each glass panel is made up of three squares, separated by two pieces of lead channel.

So it's a kinda leadlight job, but not the full monty. Like, there's no lead frame around the outside of each panel of three squares and no soldered joints

Probably shoulda done it that way, but I was trying to do it DIY and on the cheap - $120 for the six squares of colored and plain obscures, plus the lead.

The glass panels will be held in by wooden beads and some kind of filler.

Actually, the more I think about it, the better the regular putty option sounds.

Gorilla Pro Gaps ex Mitre 10

Its a bit hard to picture the door now, a pic would be good, where the putty need is to go. IMO the new white stuff these days is far stronger than putty, easier to work, no shrink or cracks, and it dries like rubber. Perfect. Paintable too. You mentioined runny, it isn't runny, but its not as thick as putty. But it wont head south when its put on a vertical edge, even if it was pretty thick

JayADee

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#1925731 27-Dec-2017 14:50

https://www.familyhandyman.com/windows/window-repair/how-to-glaze-a-window-single-pane/view-all/https://www.familyhandyman.com/windows/window-repair/how-to-glaze-a-window-single-pane/view-all/

The times I puttied after priming the wood then bedding the glass in a bead of putty and inserting the fasteners I used a flexible bladed scraper (not stiff) like this one and beveled the corners of the scraper with sandpaper so as not to gouge anything. Lean the scraper firmly so it gives a little and so it touches the wood on one side and glass on the other at an angle to get your tidy look. The article suggests mineral spirits to help smooth, pretty sure I used a bit of welled up oil from the container. Then the container tells you when to paint over it.

Instead of scraping it on initially like the link does I made a slightly oversized but evenly widthed sausage and pressed it there which is probably not the right or best way.

It's easier if you can lay the object flat vs in place for, say, a partial fix.

You can buy a stapler like gun thing that shoots the triangles in perfectly, also works for picture framing. Art supply stores stock them. I am pretty sure my front door which has thick glass used panel pins. That one was a touch up job, I remember making the putty thick enough to go over them. You can tap the old triangles back in but it can be a pain.

The last time I let a glass place do a cabinet door for me the job was bad enough the glass rattled & I redid it anyway. Must have been an apprentice or a Friday.

The putty in the containers always hardens before I ever need it again or once a rat ate it. Might try the new stuff next time. Be neat if it is like caulking.

blakamin

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#1925805 27-Dec-2017 17:54

I bought a tube of goo just the other day. I can't remember what product the glaziers used to use when I drove a glass truck and when I painted splashbacks, but most of them weren't using putty anymore, unless it was heritage glass replacement (the second one also made leadlights).

I got "No More Gaps bathroom & kitchen"... +/-25% joint movement, paintable, water and mold resistant. Can be used on glass + wood, and mentions windows.

elpenguino

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#1926403 29-Dec-2017 04:35

Old fashioned putty works fine. Key points:

Buy some specialised tacks to hold the glass in position if needed. A gun is not needed if you only do 2 windows every years. Hand tacks are available.

Use fresh putty - it dries out after opening.

As mentioned, one the putty is in place smooth it down with something like linseed oil on your putty knife. You will be able to make a nice 4 degree angle with your putty knife.

Last but not least paint the putty after 2-4 weeks MAX. Keep a bead of paint over the top edge of the putty to protect it from the sun.

It's not a high tech system but it works.

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#1927015 30-Dec-2017 14:58

I usually use Putty simply out of force of habit, and never had any issues with Windows while using it. However, I've also used SmarTTY (also fine with Winodws) at one point when I was moving a lot of files around, it has a decent file navigator/management interface.

jamesrt

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#1927022 30-Dec-2017 15:15

geekIT:

networkn: The geek in me was going to suggest the Fork of Putty called Kitty, which we have found works better in Windows :) If you don't work in IT this likely won't mean anything to you :)

Actually, I've worked in IT pretty much ever since I gave up building. But you lost me there. Is that a LAN\WAN in-joke?

A "fork" in this instance means that someone has taken a copy of the full source code of an open-source project, and made a new project from it, which usually has different features and/or bits that the original author didn't want/like.

So, it heads off in a different direction - much like a fork in the road does, I guess....

Specifically, there is a "fork" (i.e. copy) of "PuTTY" called "KiTTY" which has additional features. See here.

geekIT

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#1927309 31-Dec-2017 11:34

jamesrt: Thank YOU for that revelation - I get the picture.

I know a little about open-source projects because I use quite a few open-source apps, but I wasn't aware of the 'fork' and 'putty' terminologies.

Computing technology has advanced so rapidly over the last 20 years that it's difficult for non-specialists (especially oldies ) to keep up.

Cheers

'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire

'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey

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