Linseed oil putty, lovely stuff.
Before double glazing, plastic windows and clip in beads came along one of my skills as a carpenter and joiner was glazing.
Watching you tube videos certainly helps the novice get by but it is very much like Blue Peter with “heres one I did earlier”.
Linseed oil putty was supplied in enormous drums and was ladled out by the handful. The top of the drum was always too wet and the bottom too dry as the oil would work it’s way to the top. It was the apprentices job to roll up their sleeves and start mixing, very much like kneading doe. There were 2 methods of getting the stuff to the right consistency either wrap it in newspaper for a while which soaked up the oil or plenty of spit.
I watched in amazement when I first saw a glacier running putty with a lump of the stuff in each hand. Running is the term used when feeding the putty into the window rebate or around the edge of the glass when glazed.
With practice I mastered the technique and could glaze a window in no time. The other art that had to be mastered was pinning in the glass with hammer and tacks.
Working outside in the winter months was cruel when the temperatures were sub zero but if you were glazing the oil prevented chapped skin.
If the putty was too dry to work with we would leave it by a fire and the heat drew out the oil and it was good to go.
Those were the days before power tools et al, just a tool box of hand tools and a big dose of job satisfaction .
I might have not answered the questions asked of how to do it, practice makes perfect, but have enjoyed my trip down memory lane.
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