Flagstaff's preeminent outdoor chef, Lamar Haines, not to mention educator, coach and guide, used to say, "when serving pancakes, make sure to keep the butter soft and the syrup hot." Who could not agree after trying to spread some half-frozen pat of restaurant butter over one's rapidly cooling pancakes? When my work serves me up a bunch of nail holes to fill I take inspiration from Lamar and keep my putty soft and easy, not by rolling a little ball of it in my palms thereby making a mess of myself and any tools I'm using, but by warming the entire container of putty by whatever means is handy. A warm container will keep the putty soft and pliable for any reasonable amount of nail hole fillings. Most often I use a dedicated flat blade screwdriver, with it's square corners rounded, for pressing in the putty more precisely than a putty knife and with less excess. For removing what excess is left I use a tack cloth which picks up putty well and polishes off the filling nicely with the wood's surface.
