Thread: Solutions for installing glass into a door frame

use a cross pein hammer

protect the glass with a piece of thin ply or MDF

or if you want to go all out, get something similar to this Upholsterer's Hammer - Lee Valley Tools
or this Picture Framing/Glazier's Hammer - Lee Valley Tools

Originally Posted by Ross Lambert

Hi all. I have built a door that is going to to have glass inserted into it. It is a pretty standard frame a panel construction with the glass inserted into a rebate in the stiles and rails and then secured with timber strips (6mm wide x 15mm high). With hindsight I realise that this is the incorrect orientation. So whilst experimenting with using a brad gun to secure the timber strips I discovered that with the glass in place the angle of the gun didn't allow the brads to fire through the strip and into the frame without hitting the glass and pretty much missing the fame altogether. Any suggestions as to how to the secure the strips in this scenario. I'm pretty keen to hide the securing method but I'm open to all ideas.

Use glazing silicon to set the glass then (if you haven't already done it) pre cut all your glazing beads, apply some glazing silicon to bead, fit beads and use springing strips (small offcuts of timber) about 5mm longer than the distance between the beads, to hold the beads in place until the glazing silicon cures (24 hrs) keep the silicon closer to the glass side of the bead so you dont get squeeze out where you have to paint / stain

Originally Posted by rwbuild

Use glazing silicon to set the glass then (if you haven't already done it) pre cut all your glazing beads, apply some glazing silicon to bead, fit beads and use springing strips (small offcuts of timber) about 5mm longer than the distance between the beads, to hold the beads in place until the glazing silicon cures (24 hrs) keep the silicon closer to the glass side of the bead so you dont get squeeze out where you have to paint / stain

If you do this how do you replace a broken pane?

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Looks like the old school hammer and nail is going to resolve it best for me. Would you suggest pre drilling the timber strip just smaller than the pin to aid the hammering process?

The trick to not smashing the glass when you go to hammer the nail in, is to let the hammer slide against it.
You let your hammer slide against the glass down onto the nail head. No trouble if you do it this way.

Originally Posted by ian

If you do this how do you replace a broken pane?

Simple, use a snap off blade knife in the joint

Thanks for all the assistance. Reckon I have it under control now.

Ross:
Since then, how did it go?
I suggest solutions of shot glasses of dark rum followed by
solutions of ale.. . . . face that table saw with confidence!

Yep okay it didn't go well and I managed to crack the glass by driving a pin into the edge of it. As a result I resorted to silicone for the other sections. This worked well. On reflection I reckon with such narrow wooden strips pre drilling the strips and pre driving the pins into the strips would have ensured that they didn't skew through the strips into the glass. By doing this i'm sure it would have been more successful. Mind you the pin blowing through the face of the timber was also a problem but this was easy to resolve by clamping a piece of timber onto the area being nailed as support. Oh well live and learn.

Besides busting a few things, were there many liters of solutions needed?