Windows - Smooth Putty Tooling?

[Mike]

Hey Jade and other window pros.

What am I doing wrong when I tool the putty to cause little small holes or divots in the surface of the putty? I'm using Type M Sarco putty and the knife below.

I'd take a picture but I haven't got to that stage yet this summer, but it kind of looks similar to this picture but maybe a little more cracks. Is this normal or should the surface be nice and smooth?

If not, what am I doing wrong? Is the putty to dry, should I add some more linseed oil? Does it need more kneading? Wrong angle when I tool?

[img=left]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6183666660_ec854f2dec_z.jpg[/img]

[img=left]https://www.hitechglazing.com/thumbnail/product/856743/200/200[/img]

[Texas_Ranger]

I think kneading is a good idea! What I also do is run my finger lightly over the putty line, that smooths out the last imperfections. Some people recommend oiling the putty knife but I think that gets too much oil into the putty and makes it skin over too fast (just a rough guess though).

[Casey]

Cold putty, cold hands, dry putty, or a poor knife can be to blame. The knife needs to be clean and polished, with no burrs or rounded-off corners. If the climate is cold, I make a box for warming the putty with a heat gun, perhaps add a bit more oil; but that slows the set-up time. The putty will also drag as pictured if you go back in the opposite direction. Who knew glazing has "grain"? One extra tip: you can come back in a day or two and address any ugly corners because the putty just beginning to skin over can still take some work and keep the shape better.
Personally I never tried one of those bent putty knives.
As strange as it may seem, when bench-glazing, I use a 2 1/2" wide flexible knife. I really like the balance better than narrow blades. But for working in situ, there are a few places that a wide one just cannot go. (you still must have a 1" knife)
Casey

[heartwood]

i use sarco type m and the same putty knife...i cannot see the photo as my dial-up is crap...

i always have a folded section of papertowel lightly saturated with turpentine....i wipe/clean my knife regularly--the knife should not be dripping with turps, but rather have a shiney wet surface...the speed of tooling the putty is important...it's gotta be in the goldilocks style--not too fast, not too slow but just right...drag can happen when you tool too slow or too quickly...of course it takes a while to get it just right...i can tool the putty going in either direction without issue...

with sarco, you won't be able to come back in a day or two to clean up the edges as it will have begun to skin over...i typically set the putty, do a once over tooling, clean off the extra, put the sash aside and begin another...when i'm done with the second sash, i do a final tooling of the first...

it's difficult to describe how the putty should look and feel...it should be thicker and less tacky than peanut butter but more pliable than play-doh...when we open a new 5 gallon bucket, there's plenty of oil on top which must be removed by patting with a paper towel...when we get past the halfway mark in the bucket, the putty become dryer...roll oily putty on cardboard to get the right consistency and add BOILED linseed oil to putty that appears dry...we have a heat box for our putty...it's approximately 12"x 16" and made of birch plywood that is screwed together...a 1/4" thick piece of glass rests a 1/4' down from the top...the heat source is a 60 watt bulb that sits inside at the bottom of the box...vent holes are drilled on all four sides...roll the putty out on the glass and in about 15 minutes, the bulb heats up the putty perfectly...heating the putty makes it easier to distribute the oil and set the glass...i don't think there would be an issue with microwaving the putty but you can't use my oven!

hope that helps.....
.......jade

[Mike]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice!