Removing hard putty from wooden window frame

[Alt Beer]

The glass in an external wooden window frame is cracked and needs replacing.
The putty at the bottom of the frame is cracking and easy to remove but the putty
at the top and sides is rock solid. What is the best way to remove hard set putty
without damaging the wooden frame?

Thanks

[stuart noble]

> http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting+Decorating/Decorators+Tools/Hacking+Knife+115mm/d150/sd160/p12804

But IME it's a brutish implement, designed to butcher the frame. You
could use a Stanley knife to score a line where wood meets putty. Often
the putty will lift when the glass is removed.

[NT]

Heat softens it some.

[Tim Lamb]

In message <Uxgbr.24242$Kj6....@fx14.am4>, stuart noble
<stuart...@ntlworld.com> writes

*Hammer* and *use with care* don't go together well but I find the
hacking knife does the job. Bared wood can be re-primed before fitting
fresh glass.

regards

--
Tim Lamb

[Phil L]

Smash the glass out - seriously, try to do it in large pieces to make it
easier to handle, and once it's out, you've got an edge to work with.
An old wood chisel is about best for this job

[Phil L]

[harry]

On Mar 24, 8:27 am, "Alt Beer" <exam...@example.com> wrote:

Angle grinder with thin disk.

[Jules Richardson]

I used a straightedge with a knife to create a groove along the seam,
then a putty knife placed in the groove and gently tapped with a hammer
worked well to lift the old putty. Then take the glass out and clean up
the frame edges before priming.

cheers

Jules

[Cash]

Agreed - and to add to Phil L's advice, use gloves and googles [1] and put a
large dustsheet down to catch the broken shards, and empty this straight
into the wheelie bin when done.

As for preventing damage to the frame - almost impossible with hard putty
that's stuck well into the frame. When used to do the job, I simply took my
time and filled in any damage when applying and finishing the putty, and
then touched up the paintwork.

[1] I'm not a health and safety 'nut', but a splinter of glass in an eye
and cuts to the fingers are bloody painful - believe me!

Cash

[Brian Gaff]

And of course there is always a tiny nail or two there to grunge up the end
of the knife on as well!

Brian

--
Brian Gaff - bri...@blueyonder.co.uk
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
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"stuart noble" <stuart...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:Uxgbr.24242$Kj6....@fx14.am4...

[dresden]

responding to
http://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/removing-hard-putty-from-wooden-window-frame-797956-.htm
dresden wrote:

i have always used an old finger pointing trowel, using a blow lamp heat
up the trowel and hold the trowel on the putty for a few mins , then using
a putty knife pare the old putty out . this method has never failed me no
matter how old the putty was
-------------------------------------

[stuart noble]

Unless you need to replace the glass, I'd leave the hard stuff in place
and just reputty the bottom half

[RobertL]

You could you use the old burglar's trick: glue a sheet of cloth onto the window before you smash it.

Robert

[dochol...@gmail.com]

+1 on that - I found I could soften the putty and remove it neatly using a scraper and blowlamp or hot air gun.
Two caveats, though - if this isn't the only pane of glass in the window you need to be really careful when using heat, as you can end up cracking another pane, and you also need to be careful, especially with anything with a flame, if there's a chance there's some rot in the frame; dried out rotten wood catches really easily.
If you're doing other work and this is a sash window it can be a lot easier to repair and reglaze it you take the sash out.