Reddit mentions: The best paint scrapers

As an old house lover (and fellow old house owner), I'm begging you to please restore those windows! It can be done!

I'm making this response extra long and detailed since this question comes up from time to time. Hopefully it can be a resource for others.

But I say this as a guy who bought a real wreck of a house where the previous owner had let everything go. We needed to fix all 45 openings at once as part of a major rehab, and after 6 weeks of effort, about $3000 of experimentation (including taking a week off work and hiring two people to help me), I finally gave up and put in vinyl windows. It completely broke my heart, and my house is uglier because of it. But sometimes, an old window is just too far gone to save. But in that process I learned a lot and I'd like to share a few things.

1. Old windows were designed to be maintained. That's why after almost 150 years your windows are still in pretty good shape. Modern vinyl windows are designed to be disposable. Once the seals break, they start to stick in their channels, etc., your only option is to put them in a landfill.
   
   
2. Properly maintained old windows with properly installed weather stripping and properly installed/maintained storm windows are every bit as energy efficient as modern vinyl windows. This article goes into detail and has a huge list of references including links to primary research on the topic for the people who don't believe me.
   
   
3. If you are at all handy, you can figure out how to maintain your old windows.
   
   
4. If you live in a place where old houses are common, there may well be a local shop that specializes in this kind of thing. Here in Boston, we have two great resources. The nonprofit Boston Building Resources does classes on window restoration and sells all the stuff you'll need. And Olde Bostonian will do it all for you if you have the cash. This isn't Home Depot level stuff, so look for specialists.
   
   
5. Old windows are a big source of lead paint dust, especially from the two sashes (the two actual window parts that move up and down) rubbing in the frames. If you have kids or are planning on having them, removing the lead paint from the windows is the biggest lead paint improvement you can make in your home. Even if you aren't planning on having kids, work safely. Grownups can get lead poisoning, too. Or, like us, you might have an unplanned pregnancy. Or you might have friends who have kids. Or want to sell it to a nice family someday. Get a lead-safe respirator (not cheap dust masks), do as little dry sanding as possible, and take the windows to a spot outside of your house (garage, shed, outside on a nice day) to do work on them so you don't spread lead dust all over your house. If you can set up a little containment zone with some plastic sheeting on the ground, that's good practice. EPA would have you go nuts with plastic and tyvek suits and so on. That may be overkill, but common sense tells you to minimize spreading lead dust around your house and keep it out of your body. Also, if it's possible to pull off the old trim and the old window sills and replace that with new trim while you've got the sashes out, that will get rid of another huge source of lead paint. If not, consider repainting those pieces with encapsulating paint after you put it all back together.
   
   
6. The biggest lesson I learned is DON'T DO THEM ALL AT ONCE! We had to because we needed to renovate the whole house. But it sounds like you don't have to. Pick a room where you can live without a window for a little while, like the attic or a rarely used guest bedroom. Pull ONE window apart and figure out how it works. Repair and replace that one window. Then do a second window in that room, and so on. As you get better at it, you might move up to pulling all of the windows in a single room out at the same time.
   
   
7. Steam is your friend. Buy a steamer. The size and type depend on how much work you will be doing. I tried a couple and found this one to be the most ideal. Steam will soften up paint and putty so that you can easily scrape it right off.
   
   
8. You'll want some good specialty tools. I really like these scrapers. One. Two. Three. I also found this set of small prybars (especially the very smallest one) to be invaluable in getting old windows apart.
   
   
9. If you're going to be doing a bunch of windows, set yourself up with a really comfortable work zone including a big flat work surface (plywood over sawhorses) and a place to put all your scrapers, glazing tools, etc. Hopefully you have a garage or shed where you can leave stuff for a while.
   
   
10. And last but not least...don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. These windows are 150 years old. You can go insane building steam stripping boxes and trying to make the paint perfect and trying to get everything functioning the way it did the day the house was built. But you don't have to. Just get them to the point where they open and close, the glass is not broken or rattling, and they are reasonably weatherstripped. Let the exterior storms do more of the work on energy efficiency. I would definitely NOT recommend putting each sash into a steam box and stripping all of the glazing and paint and starting from scratch. That way lies madness.
    
    OK, on to your questions.
    
    

• Here's a great video about disassembling a window. I found all sorts of amazing things done to the windows in my house that made them hard to disassemble. Generally speaking, first cut the paint between the sash and the frame with a utility knife and see if that works. If not, look for nails and screws that might be holding the window sash in place. Often these are painted over and are hard to find.
  
  
• It seems you might have single sash windows. That's unusual for an 1870s house but not completely unheard of. I had some of those in my house. After you've taken all the trim off and removed the lower sash, you will be able to pull the top sash out. There will be something holding it in place. Figure out what that thing is and remove it. As for the lower sashes, previous owners might have gotten frustrated with broken sash cords and covered up the pocket holes. When you disassemble the window you will hopefully be able to figure out what they did and undo it.
  
  
• There are plenty of good guides on how to weatherize old windows. The DOE has a great page on the topic with links to detailed instructions on a variety of methods. The video series linked below is also good.
  
  General resources and tools I found useful:
  
  
• The Save America's Windows forum, organized by topic, is a gem (if not always easy to find what you're looking for).
  
  
• This 4-part window rehab workshop youtube video series is pretty good.
  
  
• Book 1: Save America's Windows: Caring for older and historic wood windows.
  
  
• Book 2: The Window Sash Bible: a A Guide to Maintaining and Restoring Old Wood Windows

I went into my project with no experience but I read a bunch of info online and watched some videos. I’ve found I’m better at the paint stripping and my husband is better at the actual glazing.

I use a heat gun as well and usually put a large putty knife over the glass in the area I’m working then let it cool periodically. I try to be really careful so I can preserve the original glass.

Once I get the paint stripped I sand it down to bare wood then stain. I paint the exterior facing part of sash but use a water based finish on the inside. I also strip, stain and finish the interior trim. I’ve been pulling out the sash weights, adding new rope and putting them back together as well. To help with energy efficiency I’ve added bronze spring stripping to seal up some cracks. https://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-install-spring-bronze-weatherstripping/

The craftsman blog has a ton of awesome information all in one place but there is other info out there as well.

I’ve found the Hyde Contour tool to be incredibly helpful with the fine areas/detail work. You just lately scrape the paint off then use sand paper to gently smooth out the wood. It’s the best way I’ve found to get rid of the paint without losing the detail work. I believe that was also a recommendation from the craftsman blog.

Hyde Tools 10450 Contour Scraper with 6 Changeable Blades https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W65L7E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fBfcBbANDB3D3

It’s a tedious project and I didn’t mean for it to escalate to this level. I’m now obsessed with my heat gun and have been removing paint from doors, trim, etc. Just slowly making my way through the house!

Woo! I get to pass on some of my trial and error experience..

43 is....a lot. Hope you have fun.

I used the Sarco Multi M glaze. Since I was only working with wood windows. I was told to absolutely not use the Dap glazing compound and make sure I used a linseed oil compound if I wanted the glazing to last more than a decade. I think I went through a bit more than 2 gallons for 16 windows, including 2 really intricate diamond windows and the rest 2-, 3-, and 4-light uppers and single light lowers. Get some cellophane plastic wrap to put over the putty in the containers (completely cover so that the surface is only touching plastic and no air or else it can cure in the container after a week or two of working.

It was a pain to try and make sure the glazing points were covered by glaze (so they aren't exposed and able to rust). I used the smallest ones I could find: http://www.amazon.com/Fletcher-Terry-08-111-Diamond-Point/dp/B0002YX95W . These come in stacks like brad nails and I didn't have the little gun, so I had to use pliers to separate them to use them manually. Even so, I had to sometimes go back and do a local "touch-up" around the point to cover it still.

I used this tool to push in the points, but had to take wire snipper to cut off part of the tips because the points I used were a bit smaller than it was made for and the little metal tips would hit the wood before the point was fully in.

I used a glazing tool like this one but a bit more durable (that one looks pretty flimsy). The important part for me was the bent knife end (which is sold individually as well) for laying the glaze.

Sash cord, probably 15-20 feet per window.

A paint scraper like this one is really useful for making sure you get all the glazing out of the rabbit. Putty knife is also useful, but this was way more efficient.

I installed spring bronze weather stripping in all the windows. I bought it here but it's also available at a few other places online (they were the cheapest I found). I bought the 100ft coils and cut it to size with tin snips. I estimated ~10-12ft/window (2.5-3ft per sash per side since you want it longer than the actual sash so it doesn't get ripped. Don't forget to get special nails (coppered or bronze) nails (can't use steel or else the metal to metal contact can corrode. I ended up having to pre-drill the holes because the wood along the sash jams was super fibrous and hard. See here

The parting beads will probably break when you remove the windows. You can rip your own with a table saw. Just use a hard wood that is pretty weather resistant like mahogany or something similar (since they shouldn't be painted).

I gave all the windows a complete rub down with linseed oil because they were really old and dry. This is also important because if you don't rub down with oil or prime the window before glazing, the wood will suck the oil out of the compound and it will dry out and crack.

I think the only thing I did that isn't always done (but should be) is putting a bed of glazing under the glass, then putting the glass on, then the glazing points, clearing the glazing that was pushed out when the glass was installed, then the putty over the surface of the glass. This way, the glazing cushions the glass a bit and it also provides a complete seal with compound around the glass.

I think one of the most difficult parts was getting the windows out because the screws had been painted over so many times. It's worth mentioning that this was all somewhat dirty. I did this while other work was being done at the house and while we weren't living there (there's always a lead paint concern with old houses).

If you're in the Boston area, I found a guy who stripped the paint for all of them at an incredibly reasonable rate. He did a really nice job and removed most of the putty for me as well.

Learn from my mistake: be careful when your windows are all glazed, painted, and you're rehanging them. I was using a drill to speed up installing the inner stops. It kicked up, slipped a little, and the handle shattered one of the panes. My neighbors must have heard me cursing...

I referenced:
-this post from TOH: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,640019,00.html
-this post as well: http://thecraftsmanblog.com/how-to-reglaze-old-windows/ The video there is really excellent as well.
-John Leeke really cares about old wood windows: http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/index.htm
and a couple blog posts from a series I can't find now

Happy to answer other questions if you have any (worth noting that I'm not an expert). I did bounce a lot of what I did above off the contractors who were working on my house, though, so there was some expert knowledge going into it.

I would consider using a cabinet scraper (just sand a little after you remove the bulk of the finish) and a scratch stock. This will be AGES faster than sanding or stripping and a lot easier to clean up. It may take a while to get the profile perfect on the scratch stock, but it will save you hours of nasty chemicals or lots of dust and gummed-up sandpaper. Chances are, even if you do end up changing the profile of the handrail slightly in your efforts to remove the finish with a scraper, no one will know or care.

If you do decide to sand, a toothpick or sharpened dowel with sandpaper wrapped around it tightly might help you get into the grooves.

As for the gaps...You can do a total repair by cutting the sides clean with a dovetail saw and then gluing in a shim, which you would then sand to match the profile. Or you could go the lazy route and fix it with a filler paste; I would recommend mixing up some sawdust and glue, rather than using a store-bought product (they tend to be chalky and don"t last long).

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

I'm not an expert, but if it were me, the first thing I would try is using a card scraper.

They are cheap no matter what (whether you make one or buy one), you can buy them in all kinds of different shapes from places like woodcraft or online.

I've also used putty knives (like the kind you use for dry wall) to make card scrapers. I can't personally tell a difference in the effectiveness doing it this way vs buying them (and at this point I've done it both ways).

here is an example of a set you can buy on amazon... https://www.amazon.com/Crown-376-Cabinet-Scraper-Gooseneck/dp/B001C06BLE

the curvy one would probably make the most sense for the fine work here.

basically you sharpen them with a file and a screw driver (make sure it's hard metal going all the way up the shaft like an old craftsman screwdriver or the like, also it should be round and not some weird hexagonal shape.

there are lots of videos on how to sharpen a card scraper, so you should watch them, but basically you file the edge flat across, then use the screwdriver (which should be made of harder steel than the scraper which is why this works), to turn a hook onto the edge of the steel.

It's actually called a (bent) pole scraper. A floor scraper is usually much wider, like 8+ inches, this thing is more like 3" wide and it has a female threaded butt to accept an extension pole. It looks like this one.

sorry about your finger, thankfully my glass bed of amazon was already rounded. I find a scraper blade is not the best a windows scraper/ razor bladed scraper is absolutly the best, takes much less force.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-60933-Window-Scraper/dp/B00D2W5TJ0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1517943899&sr=8-4&keywords=razor+blade+scraper

Something like this blades for it are basically universal and cheap.

That bowl of dough is after the first rise (then you shape it, 2nd rise in it's baking form or banneton and then bake it). If you use flour and then shape your breads, you will get a white swirly line inside your bread.
After the shaping you can use flour to cover it and then it will also look nice with some dusted flour left after baking.

Oil or keeping your hands wet with water works x10 better than covering it with flour before shaping though. Using flour also dries your dough and the dough in the gif looks at least a 70% so they want it to be wet. If you go for a 55% for instance you won't need anything to handle the dough but you'll also get boring bread.

It looks like something between a 1.5kg and 2kg batch so it'll be split up. For working the dough on the surface and splitting it you want a pastry scraper. The plastic rounded ones are better for cleaning the bowl but I prefer a metal one on the surface.

welcome! if you want a regular set, i have this one and i'm very happy with the quality and performance of them.

Get a belt sander and some low grit for the flat surfaces. Have one of these for the detail work: Triangle Scraper

And sometimes good old fashioned NaOH for the older paints AKA Lye worked the best on our base layers of paint, which we thought might be milk paint.

God speed.

Yes. It will look fine, esp with a clean / sharp paint line cut in where wall meets molding. I also wouldn't bother scraping out any old paint or caulk. Waste of time and would make zero diff. in finished job. Might also want to clean up and paint that bb heat sheet metal while your at it.

Where I'm coming from - 18 ys experience doing this kind of work.

I suppose, if you really want to put a ton more time in to this you could get a set of contour scrapers and scrape the top molding down but honestly that won't make a huge diff in finished project.

https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-10450-Contour-Changeable/dp/B000W65L7E

if you need to clean up flat top surfaces try a small cabinet scraper like this
https://www.amazon.com/Crown-376-Cabinet-Scraper-Gooseneck/dp/B001C06BLE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524097457&sr=8-2&keywords=small+cabinet+scraper

Razer blade on a handle (scraper) and reshape the joints.

FYI mapei ultracolour plus is chemically hardening, and soft biscuit tiles pull the moisture from the grout rather fast.

Don't use chemicals or wire brush, don't use a dremel unless you're extremely accurate.

Something like
https://www.amazon.com/Warner-590-5-Inch-Heavy-Scraper/dp/B000GAX7OU and 18mm snap off blades.

Card scrappers are good for getting glue off. They even work well in corners.

You should try Buildtak. Its a really good surface for printing on PLA. Its all I've used for the past year. Just stick it to your metal surface, then use a paint spatula to remove the raft prints and your set!

https://www.amazon.com/BuildTak-Printing-Build-Surface-Square/dp/B00MN5X304/ref=sr_1_4/146-2708301-0023953?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1505948161&sr=1-4

https://www.amazon.com/Paint-spatula-Glazing-Windows-Painters/dp/B01GKWCNEW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1505948232&sr=8-6&keywords=paint+spatula

I’ve found this set incredibly useful when scraping off paint which has been softened by stripper.

https://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-Available-10450-Changeable/dp/B000W65L7E/

I can't say anything about the Silent Paint Remover, but it basically looks like a gigantic heat gun. Heat guns are fantastic for removing paint from trim, especially with a profile/contour scraper set. As long as you're not stripping the entire side of a house, you should be able to get away with a cheaper hairdryer style heat gun that runs around $40.

I've long been curious about these scrapers that might have helped you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkBZHLJyD0

Here's a way to use the router to flatten a piece. I adapted this to smaller use by finding to boards I knew to be flat and making the sled ride on top of them.

If you still have some ridges after this, or just generally needs some smoothing, get a card scraper ( i got these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C06BLE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to knock them down and then follow up with some sanding up to 220 grit.

Get one of these Lil Chizler Scraping Tools and it will save you a lot of trouble! I've been using them for a few years now and it makes jobs so much easier.

Amazon sells these. Among other scrapers.

Any woodworking store will carry them, probably not Home Depot or Lowe's. Amazon has them at https://www.amazon.com/Crown-376-Cabinet-Scraper-Gooseneck/dp/B001C06BLE, I think I got mine from Busy Bee in Canada.

Best thing to do if it's been used for food and has absorbed any grease, wax, sealer, etc. is to use cabinet scrapers and try to get as much of the gunk off so that you can sand dry wood. I made the mistake of trying to sand a used BB cutting board and wasted a lot of time just gumming up the sandpaper. The cabinet scrapers would probably do a lot to minimize airborne bacteria as well.

Warner 5" Heavy Duty Floor Scraper, 48" Steel Handle, 591 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNTN28/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vzd-Bb1EBEE5C

> A shim?

https://diablohorn.com/2013/01/07/making-your-own-door-opening-shims/

putty/paint spatula

lil chizler

Paint scraper?

Ebay link for a vintage one.

Amazon link for a modern one.

They need one of these: scraper blade

Could it be used as a scraper for the concave surfaces of mouldings?

An adjustable version of https://www.amazon.com/Crown-376-Cabinet-Scraper-Gooseneck/dp/B001C06BLE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492648700&sr=8-1&keywords=cabinet+scraper+set

Hyde Tools 33250 Glass Scraper with Blade Storage, 4-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PSBB50/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_t9yBwbRZHMY0N

I mean if you're going to buy something like that, just get a cheap version that is intended for other uses.

You're better off with getting a dough scraper. While essentially the same thing, it is intended to separate dough or to do cutting on a low scale (I know your linked one claims to as well, but it appears to be a secondary use), and can also be used to scrape stuff off a chopping board. It could be used as a spreader instead of a spatula (e.g. icing on cakes).

This does all also apply to your item, but that sounds like it was intended to scrape chopped ingredients off a board, and it is a more 'premium' item, whereas a cheaper version will do the same thing (and maybe more) for less.

edit: hell, get an even cheaper plastic one if you want, it's the same thing essentially.

You can also use a paint scraper. I often find I can peel the worst of my PVA glue bed mess off using one.

I use these:

Nicpro 3 PCS Mini Plastic Scraper... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQN4C6S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Comes with enough plastic razors to never really have to worry again. One razor lasts a while too. And it’s plastic so you don’t need to worry about damaging stuff.