Best Putty Knife For Window Glazing

To complete the job smooth out the new glazing compound.

Best putty knife for window glazing.

Wet the knife again and run over the compound as many times as it takes to create a smooth surface. The putty is also fast to skin over which means it is ready for paint in most conditions in as quick as 3 4 days. This is the most common glazing putty that professional window restorers use and it s what my shop uses about 90 of the time. Oil based putty is easier to work with when it s warm.

A specialized tool called the window zipper also is great for loosening painted joints. It is stiffer than your average knife it has almost no flex to it. They will fix the glass while you apply glazing putty to the outside. They should be spaced about 6 inches apart and lightly tapped into place with the putty knife.

One pass down the rabbet with the handle held parallel to the glass as opposed to holding the knife perpendicular to the glass yielded an impressively clean and smooth cut. It is relatively easy to use not too oily or too dry and tools to a nice smooth finish. This so far has been great for applying and smoothing out window glazing putty. I rely on a very stiff 1 5 putty knife to tool putty and a soft thick paintbrush to dust off the glass with dry powder whiting.

I seem to prefer it over a regular putty knife that s straight and somewhat flexible. The angle is helpful especially at awkward positions when you have to leave the sash installed. The traditional putty knife has a stiff blade but as young explained those are for removing window glazing as well as putting glazing in but you can do that with a flexible blade too. When the glass is fully in place insert the glass points on the outside of the glass.

I use a combo of two 3 stiff putty knifes and a thin pry bar to wedge out stops beads and sash. Dip a putty knife in mineral spirits to lubricate it and smooth out the compound.