"I'm Rocky Jr., and my putty is #1 with repair people and artists."
What Is DURHAM’S Water Putty®?
Finding DURHAM’S ROCK HARD Water Putty.
For Best Results … (Usage Precautions)
What is DURHAM’S Water Putty?
DURHAM’S ROCK HARD Water Putty® is a gypsum-based filler – a powder – that becomes very hard when mixed with water. It never shrinks and has great bonding strength. That’s why so many people use DURHAM’S to fill holes and cracks in wood, plaster, furniture, stone, and concrete. Once DURHAM’S is set in place … it stays in place. Return to top.
Who uses it?
Painters, decorators, woodworkers, electricians, carpenters, cabinet makers, handymen, housewives, pattern makers, electronics repairmen, manufacturers, plumbers, and practically everyone who has a repair job. Artists, modelers, and hobbyists use it, too.
How long will it last?
Well, of course, that will depend upon what kind of repair is made, and what kind of use the repaired area gets. Here are some samples that have been “kicking around” our offices for quite a long time:
This doorstop is embedded in Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty. This was a sample piece that was made nearly fifty years ago to show what can be done with Durham’s. The doorstop is still tightly held in the water putty, and cannot be moved – the surrounding water putty is just as hard as when originally done – there’s been no cracking or shrinkage at all!
In 1962, we received a letter from Mr. Don Kinnaman, a manual arts teacher at Camelback High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He and his students had been making wooden “mosaic” pictures, using various varieties of wood scraps. He wrote an article about his process and specified Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty as the best material for grouting between the wooden tiles.
He would cut scraps to the correct shape and thickness, attach them to a piece of plywood using white glue, sand it even and then grout with Durham’s and sand once again. The resulting mosaic scenes were finished with several coats of “Deft Polyester Finish” and waxed with a carnauba wax.
Rocky’s hair and eyebrows are walnut, the mouth is red cedar. The face, neck, arms and legs are mahogany, and the shirt is white ash. His whiskers, facial and body lines were carved and filled with tinted Water Putty. The entire work is framed in Sassafras. As partial payment for the mosaic, the Camelback Industrial Arts Program received a 100 pound drum of Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty!
This likeness of Rocky Rockhard is well-traveled and attended many trade shows throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Rocky’s at home now, hanging in the Donald Durham Company offices! He’s aged very gracefully, and is in excellent shape, considering his age and treatment!
This screw was set in water putty over 50 years ago. It’s still tight and the repaired area around it shows no signs of shrinkage or deterioration.
.
Page 1 of 3 | Next page