Restorations and Repairs

Stained Glass Restorations and Repairs

Timely repairs play a huge part in preserving our earlier works. A stained glass panel can last anywhere from 75 to 100 years or more, depending on how well it's protected from the sun's heat and foul weather.

It is often necessary to restore a project with a completely new network of lead came to ensure another 100 years of life. Here, a simple window is missing glass and has suffered some cracks and breaks. The window is taken apart, and the glass is carefully matched and replaced.
After adding new glass, giving the rest of the panel a thorough cleaning, and applying new lead border, the repaired window is restored to it's former beauty. It will last many more years.
The restoration project to the right was even more intricate, with the flat center panels, and the four side panels being curved. The two main side panels required some lesser repairs, but the rest of the window required full restoration. You can see that several pieces were missing and others were broken (especially in the top left panel). The medallion in the center window had also been lost earlier and replaced with a clear pane.
For each curved window, I made a form to shape and reconstruct its exact curve. There was no room for error here -- once a window is cemented, it becomes stiff and weatherproof: it must be exact!
The restoration process is intricate and involved. Over time, a window can buckle, the lead deteriorates, and pieces of glass may break or be lost. The buckled window must be flattened, and a rubbing taken to make a "cartoon." The window is then disassembled. Each piece is cleaned, then the entire piece is reassembled with a new maze of lead came networking. Each jewel and piece of glass is hand wrapped with lead came, and soldered together over the cartoon to assure an exact replica of the original window.
Here you can see the new center panel I designed and incorporated into this curved, window seating area. It It makes a fine, focal point in a local law office.