Removing glass in door

[Longdogs]

My next project will be to replace the cracked glass in the old door (see pic). Although not obvious in the pic, the crack has got worse since and is due to be renewed. It looks like one side is putty which is rock hard. I have read that using a steamer on putty will soften it enough to remove with a knife.
has anyone tried that? I'm a bit worried about cracking the coloured panels in the process.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Penners]

I have heard that oven cleaner will soften putty. However, I'm not sure whether it will also etch glass, so if you try it be sure to keep it on the putty only. It might also be an idea to try it on a small area of unimportant glass first, to see whether it has a deleterious effect.

Heat will also soften old putty, but the trick is to avoid too much direct heat on the glass, otherwise you risk cracking it. Try this (at your own risk!):

Tape some old cloth (maybe a tea towel) followed by a couple of layers of aluminium foil across the glass, leaving only the putty exposed. Now carefully use a hair dryer to heat the putty. This may be enough to soften it, sufficient for it to be raked out.

If the hair dryer isn't effective, try a heat gun. As a last resort, try a blowlamp (held some distance away for the putty... and specially the glass).

Although I have no empirical proof of this, it would seem logical to me that if you can warm up the glass carefully before you try applying heat to the putty, you will reduce the risk of its cracking.

Once again, I must emphasise that the above suggestions are offered on the basis of "at your own risk"!!

 

[livias]

I would be wary of using any hitting/banging technique. OK if you can soften the putty but if you can't ...
I would lay the door down flat, break out and remove the glass then to remove the hard putty use a fine grinder. I would probably use a diamond disk on a dremel because that is what I have to hand. Wear goggles.

 

[DJH]

A chipping knife Longdogs.... :shock: There's a tool that fits a Fein Multitool or we used to use linseed oil painted over the putty with some bleach in it. Longwinded but it works...

Doug

 

[Feltwell]

The ultimate tool for this is a putty lamp, which I'm lucky enough to own - it's designed for the job, it heats and softens the putty but doesn't affect the glass. Still needs to be used with care, mind. Makes it much easier to then (VERY!) carefully use a hacking knife and a hammer to take the old putty out.

One approach I've not tried but may be worthwhile is to use an ordinary blade in an oscillating multitool, set at a slow speed, to cut the putty out enough to remove the glass.

Whereabouts are you Longdogs?

 

[DJH]

Never heard or seen one of those yokes before Feltwell until I Googled it just now...it just goes to show that you learn something on here every time you visit...

Doug

 

[Penners]

Never heard or seen one of those yokes before

No, it's not a yoke, Doug - Feltwell is quite serious.

 

[Feltwell]

Feltwell is quite serious.

Absolutely - I'm noted for my sobriety. Just ask any of my bottles of whisky.

Putty lamp came courtesy of someone on this very site, who had used it to restore all their windows. It's now with me to do the same, so in 20 years or so it'll be back on Ebay! It's an infra-red lamp basically - so it doesn't really heat the glass at all, just the putty and any surrounding paint.

 

[Longdogs]

The ultimate tool for this is a putty lamp, which I'm lucky enough to own - it's designed for the job, it heats and softens the putty but doesn't affect the glass. Still needs to be used with care, mind. Makes it much easier to then (VERY!) carefully use a hacking knife and a hammer to take the old putty out.

One approach I've not tried but may be worthwhile is to use an ordinary blade in an oscillating multitool, set at a slow speed, to cut the putty out enough to remove the glass.

Whereabouts are you Longdogs?

hi feltwell

I am a few miles outside Exeter.

Apologies: I think I reported your post by mistake - meant to quote you.

I have told mods

 

[Keith Bowman]

Is this the sort of thing? http://www.linoljeprodukter.se/international/putty-lamp

It doesn't say infra-red but it does say we sell the putty lamp 800K then further down calls it a 1000. I do love this Swedish attention to detail

 

[Feltwell]

Yep, that sort of thing, but mine's a different model, same as the one shown on this page:-

http://www.heritage-house.org/windows.html

Mine is the one that Allback used to sell, but it was stupidly expensive. Looks like their current one is cheaper - but still, unless you were a trade user with a regular requirement, far too expensive to justify buying new.

http://www.oldhousestore.co.uk/allback-linseed-putty-lamp-2821-p.asp

I just hit lucky finding one secondhand at a much more reasonable price. I dread the tube ever going though, I'm told they are very pricey to replace.

I am a few miles outside Exeter

Far too far away for me to pop round with the lamp then

 

[Longdogs]

That was a nice thought feltwell, thank you. I have a few options to think about then. I do have a heat gun with a glass deflector nozzle so could practice between the two main panels. If I replace the top broken one, I would probably want to replace the bottom one to match. It's a shame because the top one is lovely etched glass but I'm guessing the door has slammed too many times in the past.

Then there's the multi-tool option. Something I really must invest in.

 

[Penners]

A putty lamp is certainly a very effective way of doing the job, but its cost means that you need to have a lot of windows to refurbish, to justify it.

 

[Feltwell]

Then there's the multi-tool option. Something I really must invest in.

Well worth doing. Mine is firmly at the top of the list of "tools I didn't previously have that I'd now never be without".

If you can stretch to it, I'd heartily recommend going for a cordless one, and going for a system where the batteries are interchangeable between tools, so you can add more tools without paying out for the batteries and charger every time. Some, like Makita LXT, are so popular with the trade that the batteries should be available for many years to come, even if Makita themselves stop making them - plenty of pattern copies available.

I had a corded multi tool at first, as I wasn't sure how much I'd use it - the answer ended up being a lot, so when it died I replaced it with a cordless one.

 

[Feltwell]

A putty lamp is certainly a very effective way of doing the job, but its cost means that you need to have a lot of windows to refurbish, to justify it.

I couldn't agree more. I only bought mine because I have got a lot of windows to do, and as it was secondhand I can probably sell it on for what I paid for it when I'm finally done. I wouldn't have bought one new, just too expensive.

Unfortunately they are about as common as hen's teeth on the secondhand market.

Edit - I just put "putty lamp" into Ebay, and it comes back with lots of "lovely" table lamps. Cherubs never were my thing!

 

[88v8]

Ooh, a sash door with margins. Lovely. Had one in the bathroom of our previous house, and indeed I have one under the bed in the west bedroom, which I might put in the bathroom here.

The glass is likely to be very thin, the glazing bars very thin, I nearly said flimsy. I would not go near it with a heat gun, the spread is excessive and one can't see the 'flame'. When I had to deglass mine, I used an electric soldering iron to soften the putty, it took a long time but I didn't break the glass.

Ivor

 

[Penners]

they are about as common as hen's teeth on the secondhand market.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/feb/23/research.highereducation

 

[Feltwell]

they are about as common as hen's teeth on the secondhand market.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/feb/23/research.highereducation

From this, I conclude that some scientists have far too much time on their hands!

 

[Feltwell]

Edit - I just put "putty lamp" into Ebay, and it comes back with lots of "lovely" table lamps. Cherubs never were my thing!

Coincidentally - Fred Drift would be proud - I put "floor lamp" into Ebay and came up with this beauty locally, and at only £999.99 as well, reduced...... :shock:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REDUCED-G...047202?hash=item1a0bcbad22:g:S4YAAOSw8d9U19TH

 

[Penners]

From this, I conclude that some scientists have far too much time on their hands!

... not to mention some elderly PPUK contributors!