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Title of Question: window putty

 

Name: tony    City:

Question: the putty around my windows has gone hard like concrete & in some places has fallen out.some of it comes off easily.i have used a scraper & a chisel on the hardend putty, but cracked the pane trying to remove the concrete like putty.is there a way of rejovenating the hard putty to make it easier to remove?

 

Name: Bob De brey | Date: July 5, 2004, 15:03
Answer: Right on! I am restoring the paint and putty in the wood window frames of my 75 year old house. I have broken 3 for 3 so far. So I am going to try my router......very carefully in a free-hand mode, to see if that works better. There MUST be a better material than the old fashioned putty. I see that Dap has a new calk-like material in a tube. I will try it too. Seems like a silicone window and door calk should work too. It may be a problem removing the next time though. More later.

 

Name: Blake Crothers | Date: July 15, 2004, 17:52
Answer: I am having the same problems as Bob, I have an 95 year old house and we are repainting, I tried the Speedheater infra red heat system and it takes the putty off but I've cracked the glass scrapping, I also bought that Dap stuff too, let me know how you make out.

 

Name: pddawg | Date: July 22, 2004, 23:49
Answer: I've heard about using mineral spirits to soften the putty, but don't know how to applyor other techniques. Will try tomorrow and report successes and failures.

 

Name: DBradbury | Date: August 7, 2004, 16:56
Answer: Seem a few trade people do this: o Scrape out only the falling-out putty ---- ie, if you can easily remove it, replace it o Refill in with fresh putty o Otherwise just use sealant on older putty ---- force to remove WILL break the pane Had a window where a rose-bush had pulled the paint/putty away on the bottom. Sure enough it had created a 3" vertical-slot-channel for rot to set in. New window only £25 so did it. The joiner matched both the inside & outside dimensions of the window, I got the old glass out but only after trashing the old frame. It took about 1hr, no joke, with a tiny screw driver to lever the putty out via the wood. If you go in via the glass you will crack it. Some was soft, still "linseed grainy", some was quite literally like concrete and took a slow scraping with a screwdriver to abrade. That was 55yr old putty, and some was stuck to the glass like glass-superglue, some was inseparable from the wood - particularly around knot-like areas. Very often the glass is worth more than the old frame (espec if rotted or hinges are old-style, seized, dropped or it is a leaded-glass pane). I re-used the pane just to see if I could, so a relative didn't have a board in it as it's a weekend. By the time you've bought a good overpaintable woodprimer, decent 2 part epoxy filler, and styrene wood hardener, you have probably paid for a new window frame :-)

 

Name: Allan | Date: August 8, 2004, 19:03
Answer: Try Menco's Putty Chaser ... $20. Attaches to 2000-3000 rpm drill. Has guides and cushioning to save pane.

 

Name: matt | Date: August 18, 2004, 15:17
Answer: I've removed the putty from my windows and used a heat gun to soften the putty. Still need to be careful but that has worked the best for me. I was successful removing the putty on four panes without breaking but then broke a pane putting in an extra push point. Now I need to find out the best way to put the new putty on. Any tips?

 

Name: Paul Marshall | Date: September 24, 2004, 9:50
Answer: I use a heat gun, works fine. Never had any problems. Paul Marshall http://www.thishandman.com

 

Name: Gene | Date: October 24, 2004, 20:50
Answer: Is there any tape that can be used instead of putty, can be painted and will last for 15 years.

 

Name: Jay | Date: January 3, 2005, 6:48
Answer: Use a heat gun but watch so you don't get the glass to hot you can get a scrap of tin to keep near the glass as you're doing this

 

Name: petrina | Date: September 7, 2005, 18:12
Answer: i have put the polyfilla putty on a interior mirror with a wooden frame. it has been 4 days and still is soft how long till it will go hard so i can rehang the mirror and paint over the putty?