Re-glazing a Gent outdoor clock

[ianm]

Some time ago, I bought a large outdoor slave clock, made by Gent of Leicester. As can be seen in the picture, the glass is broken and I have recently set about replacing it. In fact, my local glass merchant cut a new piece inside just a couple of minutes while I waited.

After removing the broken glass, I had to chisel out the old putty and give the relevant area a general clean. My question now is whether I should be using normal linseed oil putty as a replacement. The original putty was so far gone, it was very difficult to determine its characteristics.

Any info gratefully received.

[Boater Sam]

Buy a cartridge of polyurethane adhesive such as used to fit windscreens into cars. No corrosion problems, thermal movement accommodated and will last for longer than you will need..Colours are available and black of course.

[Leon Crampin]

Black silicone rubber (bathroom sealer) is also flexible and weather resistant.

Either of these alternatives will be longer lasting than putty - think old window frames.

Leon.

[David G4EBT]

Screwfix sell glazing sealants in black, clear and white, which might be worth considering:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/nemesis-mi...ck-290ml/3534j

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsens...ar-310ml/81431

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsens...te-310ml/57735

[ianm]

Thank you, all, for this very useful information about modern glazing products.

One question though. What's this stuff like to work with? Imagine that I have just run a bead of it all around the inside of the clock case and pressed the glass into place. I now have to clean away the excess that will squeeze out, leaving the glass clean. With traditional putty, that would be pretty easy, but how would the modern products behave in this respect? Obviously I wouldn't want to end up with a sticky mess. Thanks.

[Boater Sam]

That metal case will rot in a year with silicone, it gives off acid fumes which attack most metals.
Very few do not, and certainly bath caulk is terrible, its made for impervious tile and porcelain!

Polyurethane sealer sets firm in a few hours and excess can be easily trimmed with a sharp blade without smearing. It really is easy to use. If windscreen guys can use it on the roadside it has to be simple.

[ms660]

Forget silicon or anything else in a tube or putty, use butyl glazing tape, it comes on a roll, easy to use, no mess...End of.

Can be "worked" around curves, normally it's about 12mm wide but you can cut it length wise to give 6mm wide strips if you have a narrow rebate.

Just apply to the rebate, pull of the protective tape and throw the glass in, light pressure for a few secs and the glass won't fall out, not even heavy double glazed units.

I did all the original double glazing in our house with it (13 four pane windows, two eight pane sets of French windows and two half glazed external doors including the bottom aluminium stops (16 of them) on the glass paneled walls of a conservatory I built....So quick.

Use it once and you won't want to use anything else.

Comes under various trade names such as Flexistrip etc.

Lawrence.

[Goldie99]

My vote is for PU based products..... but I was essentially a PU research chemist for 20+ years, so I may be a little biased.... if you use PU, try to avoid getting it on anything else as much as possible (I, and many PU chemists, used to sandpaper our fingers regularly..... to remove PU).

A lot of silicone based products will work with acetoxy type curing, that releases acetic acid during curing (= potential corrosion problems), but there are also neutral cure products, that are actually better for weatherproofing & external use. Just be sure to check which type you're looking at / considering.... all of them, including PU products, should have published MSDS (material safety data sheets) and/or instructions with detailed information.

Alan

[ms660]

Re: post#7: This is what it looks like (Flexistrip) and some prices:

https://www.reddiseals.com/product/b...FUY8Gwod92kG4w

Lawrence.

[emeritus]

Your glazier should stock metal casement putty for use with metal frames. I have to use it for the glazing of my 1930's Crittal steel-framed windows.

Personally I would use a non-corrosive silicone sealant, if only because I always have some to hand. I get mine from Farnell: not cheap. but good. Both the 744 and the 3145 are specifically recommended for electrical applications, in particular for encapsulating copper or brass. 3145 is a high shear strength type that is stiffer than the 744, useful for re-attaching car wing mirror glasses.

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by emeritus

Your glazier should stock metal casement putty for use with metal frames. I have to use it for the glazing of my 1930's Crittal steel-framed windows. that is stiffer than the 744, useful for re-attaching car wing mirror glasses.

That's what I would normally have recommended here too, and we have a houseful of Crittall windows to keep going as well.

But have you tried to get it in the last few years? The main manufacturer now tells me it's only made to order, with a minimum purchase of 50kg. PM me if you know otherwise, please!

N.

[ianm]

Thank you, all, for this valuable information. I am pleasantly surprised at the number of replies this thread has received!

I was particularly taken with the idea of Crittall window putty, but as Nick says, it's hard to get now. I see Hodgson Sealants still produce a 25kg tub, but that's of course way in excess of my needs. The same supplier also does multi-purpose putty in 0.5kg tubs, at a price of little more than a quid, so that could be well worth a look. That's unless I decide to use one of the more modern sealants above.

Haven't made my mind up yet, though.

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by ianm

I see Hodgson Sealants still produce a 25kg tub, but that's of course way in excess of my needs.

That's interesting. In May last year, it seemed NLA:

Hi Nick,

The Metal Casement Putty has been removed from our website. As we are low on stock. They come in a 25kg Tub how many were you after.

Many Thanks
Emily

Emily Stainforth
Customer Care
Hodgson Sealants (Holdings) Limited
Beverley, Yorkshire, HU17 0LN, United Kingdom.

[avocollector]

Look the problem with putty of whatever type is that you only ever use a small portion of it form the inevitably large tub it comes in - there are several solutions to this problem (leave it in a corner of the garage until it goes hard and unusable, gift it to the local op shop or toss it over the fence into the neighbour's garden - LOL) but not to the initial one of buying a large tub.

[unabridged]

I would second the use of a more flexible product. I can't see why some form of silicone or frame sealant can not be used. Glass has a big advantage of not really reacting badly with anything, so cannot see an issue here and cannot see a need for a high-cost specialist product.All we need to do is join metal and glass with room for (minor) expansion.

I personally used silicone sealant to reapply glass in a K6 phone box in town and its working a treat!

Naturally putty is best used with beading on the external side in traditional glazing. I know of some instances where putty was incorrectly used on the outside of a door or window. Savvy criminals would pick it out at night and remove the frame

[dseymo1]

Acrylic putty seems like a good compromise for this job - remains somewhat flexible, inert, inexpensive and easy to use. What more would you want?

Savvy criminals would pick it out at night and remove the frame

I know of one instance it was put back rather confounding the police. Back on topic, I would use silicone, expensive per unit volume but for a one off it will work very well (sticks to glass like a good'un).

[Bazz4CQJ]

Perhaps a bit "left field", but is there any chance that Blue Hylomar gasket sealer might work? That stuff is a wonderful sealant, non-corrosive and dries quickly but leaving just sufficient time to adjust final placement and remains flexible. I always have a tube of it to hand.

B