I just realized I may have made a big mistake.
I cleaned my extremely dirty storm windows with window cleaner and then reglazed them with Sarco type M.
I laid them flat and there drying prior to painting now.
That's been a couple of days ago. I was just thinking that in a couple of days they should be ready to paint and it just now occurred to me I may have made a mistake.
This past Summer I reglazed a couple of uppers and lowers. But, I used new glass to replace all the glass that was either cracked or broken while the house had been abandoned before I bought it. So the idea of clean glass wasn't an issue.
How serious is this? I remember reading something somewhere that there is a special procedure to clean glass before glazing but, I can't remember how or what it was.
I would appreciate any advice or information.
Thanks, Sipi
Storm window glazing.
Re: Storm window glazing.
Really? I've never heard of any special procedure, mind you im no expert. However I always wiped my glass clean with denatured alcohol.
Re: Storm window glazing.
you haven't made a mistake sipi....if the glass is in place when you clean it, you want to make sure that you wipe the cleaner off well and make sure there are no drips or puddles...after you glaze, you will have yourself a multitude of oily finger marks from the putty...remove the heavy stuff with a NEW SHARP razor....spray denatured alcohol ON paper towel and clean as close to the edge of the putty as possible...after you paint you can do further cleaning of the oily residue...
curious, did you use points to hold the glass in? it's always a good idea...if you have large and/or heavy glass, it's a good idea to place a wood shim between the glass and the rabbet...heavy glass will move when turned causing the putty to wrinkle and move...use a shingle or the wood shims available at hardware stores (not big box stores!!)...
...jade
curious, did you use points to hold the glass in? it's always a good idea...if you have large and/or heavy glass, it's a good idea to place a wood shim between the glass and the rabbet...heavy glass will move when turned causing the putty to wrinkle and move...use a shingle or the wood shims available at hardware stores (not big box stores!!)...
...jade
Re: Storm window glazing.
Absolutely what the above said. I like to use ammonia + water to clean prior to glazing (like, 10:1 water to ammonia, not too strong). This gets the finger prints off.
Then, after glazing, I use a UTILITY KNIFE blade to clean up putty oils a few days later...I find them to be much flatter and better than the new cheap single-edged blades, which USED to be good. First, I may sprinkle some powdered joint compound on the glass for 1/2 hour to soak up some of the oil (used to be called "whiting"), but not required. Give 'em a quick razor hit, then let them sit, and clean the rest of the residue a few days later. Ready to paint in oh, a week to a month, depending on the temp. they are sitting in.
Don't wait too long to paint, it's not good for the glazing...you can safely paint (gently) once a skin has formed.
Jade, good tip with the shingle!
Then, after glazing, I use a UTILITY KNIFE blade to clean up putty oils a few days later...I find them to be much flatter and better than the new cheap single-edged blades, which USED to be good. First, I may sprinkle some powdered joint compound on the glass for 1/2 hour to soak up some of the oil (used to be called "whiting"), but not required. Give 'em a quick razor hit, then let them sit, and clean the rest of the residue a few days later. Ready to paint in oh, a week to a month, depending on the temp. they are sitting in.
Don't wait too long to paint, it's not good for the glazing...you can safely paint (gently) once a skin has formed.
Jade, good tip with the shingle!
Re: Storm window glazing.
sarco type m can be frozen without issue when in the container...it should be allowed to thaw thoroughly before use...some people store their bag of putty in the freezer...
best practice is to allow type m to skin over for 5-10 days then paint with an oil or water based (latex/acrylic) finish paint...temperature and humidity affect skin over time...DO NOT PRIME OVER SARCO PUTTY...
we just had a discussion on a window restoration group about leaving puttied sash unpainted when there is a storm in place...the consensus was that the putty would survive the winter to be painted when the weather warmed...I agree...I would compare it to letting an oil change in your car go 3,500 miles instead of 3,000...best to do it at 3,000 but 3,500 will not render your car a mess...
...jade
best practice is to allow type m to skin over for 5-10 days then paint with an oil or water based (latex/acrylic) finish paint...temperature and humidity affect skin over time...DO NOT PRIME OVER SARCO PUTTY...
we just had a discussion on a window restoration group about leaving puttied sash unpainted when there is a storm in place...the consensus was that the putty would survive the winter to be painted when the weather warmed...I agree...I would compare it to letting an oil change in your car go 3,500 miles instead of 3,000...best to do it at 3,000 but 3,500 will not render your car a mess...
...jade
Re: Storm window glazing.
I used points to hold in the glass. About every 2 inches or so on the storm windows. When I did the upper and lower sashes I used about 3 or 4 per side. I noticed that getting the putty consistency right is more difficult than it seems. My first one looks like "crinkle finish" paint. I noticed that dipping the putty knife in linseed oil and carefully smoothing the putty with it seems to improve the look of my later endeavors.
I've also noticed my putty seems to have tiny hard chunks of foreign material in it. I've been picking them out as much as possible but occaisionally they show up in the finished work. Is this normal?
I appreciate the advice and I like the idea of the wood shims or shingle material to keep the window from moving around. I'm going to do that on the rest of my sashes and storms. I very much enjoy this discussion. You definitely put my mind at ease about painting and the possibility of freezing weather.
Thank you, Sipi
I've also noticed my putty seems to have tiny hard chunks of foreign material in it. I've been picking them out as much as possible but occaisionally they show up in the finished work. Is this normal?
I appreciate the advice and I like the idea of the wood shims or shingle material to keep the window from moving around. I'm going to do that on the rest of my sashes and storms. I very much enjoy this discussion. You definitely put my mind at ease about painting and the possibility of freezing weather.
Thank you, Sipi
Re: Storm window glazing.
going forward, I would place points at every 8 inch intervals...glass often cracks by stress caused by points...
when glazing, I have a section of paper towel folded and saturated (but not soaking/dripping) with turpentine for wiping my knife...linseed oil will extend the skin over time of the putty...this may be why you are getting the crinkle look on your paint...the turps evaporate quickly and don't penetrate the putty...
the chunks are most likely dried putty...when glazing we remove excess putty and put it in a container for use as bedding only in case bits of paint/dirt contaminate it...we also use a heat box to heat the putty prior to use...this allows the oils to be mixed to a proper putty consistency...you can place the putty in a microwave for a bit then mix it in your hands...at that point, pick out any dried or foreign debris...
good luck!
...jade
when glazing, I have a section of paper towel folded and saturated (but not soaking/dripping) with turpentine for wiping my knife...linseed oil will extend the skin over time of the putty...this may be why you are getting the crinkle look on your paint...the turps evaporate quickly and don't penetrate the putty...
the chunks are most likely dried putty...when glazing we remove excess putty and put it in a container for use as bedding only in case bits of paint/dirt contaminate it...we also use a heat box to heat the putty prior to use...this allows the oils to be mixed to a proper putty consistency...you can place the putty in a microwave for a bit then mix it in your hands...at that point, pick out any dried or foreign debris...
good luck!
...jade
Re: Storm window glazing.
Thank you very much Jade for the microwave idea. It never occurred to me to heat the putty. Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense.
The putty seems a bit on the dry side. After heating would it be advisable to sparingly add a little linseed oil to the putty if it was needed to make the putty a little more workable?
I'm going to try heating the putty tomorrow when I work on my windows.
Thank you, Sipi
The putty seems a bit on the dry side. After heating would it be advisable to sparingly add a little linseed oil to the putty if it was needed to make the putty a little more workable?
I'm going to try heating the putty tomorrow when I work on my windows.
Thank you, Sipi
Re: Storm window glazing.
yes, indeed...we regularly add linseed oil to the putty...upon opening the container, the oil is sitting on top of the putty...we remove the putty we need and roll it around on cardboard to remove some of the oil until we get the right consistency...the putty at the bottom of the container tends to be dry and needs a bit of oil before use...you can turn the can on end every once in a while to keep the oil moving through the putty....our 5 gallon container weighs 86 pounds so we tend not to turn it on a regular basis!
...jade
...jade