TIL why that old leaded glass transom took me a full day to get out

I was replacing a big transom window in a 1920s house, and the old putty was basically rock hard and fused to the wood. I thought it would be a couple hours, but I ended up carefully chiseling for six hours straight to avoid cracking the original glass. What's your go-to method for getting out that super old, hard glazing compound without damaging the frame?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_rivera6326d ago

My buddy Steve had a transom like that in his Philly row house. He used a heat gun on low and a super thin, flexible putty knife he got from an old timer. Said he went through about a half pint of linseed oil to soften the edges first, took him all afternoon but the glass came out clean.

nina_hall25d ago

Half a pint of linseed oil is a serious commitment. That old timer putty knife trick @xena_rivera63 mentioned is the real key, you can't get that flex from a hardware store. Steve had the right patience, most people rush and crack the glass. I tried a similar method on a window in my old place and the linseed oil smell stuck around for a week.

fisher.paige11d ago

That linseed oil smell is no joke! My uncle used it on his boat's wood trim once and we could smell it from the driveway. It did make the wood look amazing though, like dark honey.