How To Repair Leaded Stained Glass Within The Window

Rare in today'due south new construction, built-in art drinking glass was a regular feature of bungalow-era homes. Leaded doors in a pillar chiffonier or a built-in buffet, colored glass sidelights in a window, unusual glass in the front-door sidelights, glass textures and hues in a transom—all of these are relatively mutual for the catamenia. Alas, sunlight, pollutants (indoors and out), weather, and gravity all take their price. Windows and drinking glass panels show signs of age subsequently lx or lxxx years. The leading weakens, cracks appear, and the whole structure may sag and bulge.

Consider the age of the window. If y'all alive in a particularly older home, in that location'due south a chance your stained glass window is over 100-years-old. Once a window gets to be over 100, it'south probably time for some much needed attention to make clean and/or restore it. In response to recent reader questions, we asked a few experts for their recommendations on assessment and repair of old leaded windows.

Bill Campbell of Century Studios keeps a stock of fine American-made, hand-rolled opalescent glass, the same glass Tiffany used. Photo by William Wright. — Bill Campbell of Century Studios keeps a stock of fine American-fabricated, hand-rolled opalescent glass, the same drinking glass Tiffany used. Photo by William Wright.

What are the most common problems homeowners encounter in their stained- and leaded-drinking glass windows?
"Deterioration of lead" is what our experts say is the most common problem for older windows. The drinking glass in windows is joined together with strips of atomic number 82 soldered at the joints, and the window and then is grouted with putty to glaze and seal information technology. Over fourth dimension, the putty dries and falls out and the pb then has room to stretch, and weaken. Left unchecked, the window starts to sag and buckle every bit support deteriorates. Some windows as well have metal support bars that may corrode or disassemble from the window, farther weakening the drinking glass. Keep in heed, too, the woods frame around the window. If it rots or separates, the window will become loose and unsupported.

One like shooting fish in a barrel way to guess the window's integrity, say Lyn Hovey, is simply to tap on information technology with your fingers. If it moves or rattles, the lead and putty are compromised. If you lot can become close enough to examine the lead lines and solder joints with a magnifying glass, any cracks will be readily apparent.

What defects tin be left alone, usually?
Cracks are common in windows, especially in the lower tertiary, due to the weight of the glass higher up. If the crack is small or in a section of the perimeter, the structural integrity of the window is usually not compromised, and the scissure tin can be left alone. Glass creative person Brian McNally suggests clear, UV epoxy to stabilize a crack and prevent it from spreading (make sure to make clean the glass thoroughly beforehand). Sometimes a pocket-size slice of lead—called a "Dutchman," equally in wood repairs—can be soldered over the crack without removing the window.

When should y'all repair, and when is information technology time to supercede?
If you have painted glass or piece of work by a significant artist, or yours is a museum-quality business firm, you'll go the extra mile for restoration. But much old colored and leaded glass was production work.

Look at the lead lines and the putty that holds them in place, advises Jo Kobler of White Iris Glass. If the lead is peeling, has become soft and tin no longer hold solder or is missing in spots, or if in that location are open spaces between the lead and the drinking glass, the window should be repaired as soon as possible. Pleating (when the glass panes begin to fold over on top of each other like an accordion) is serious and also requires immediate intervention.

The window should exist removed and laid flat for whatsoever repair piece of work to exist performed. While lead and putty can be rebuilt, it's e'er a take chances to find an exact match to supplant old glass. Neumann Studios makes exquisite, hand-painted, kiln-fired glass that can exactly lucifer any style...but if there are a large number of broken panes and pregnant deterioration, replacement of the unabridged window may be the better pick, economically and aesthetically.

So, how practise you begin an assessment?
Take clear photos of the window, inside and out, is the advice from Century Studios. Study them and ship them to a restorer. If the window is hard to remove (to be shipped), most restorers will desire to come view information technology on site. Exist sure to get references and call up that the lowest bid is non e'er the most qualified; don't be afraid to ask to encounter examples of their work. Competent glass artisans are at work around the country.

BEFORE: Hamm Glass Studios rebuilt ceiling-light panels at Greene & Greene's Thorsen house.

John Hamm of Hamm Glass Studios, Whittier, Calif., undertook the rebuilding of six ceiling-low-cal panels from Greene and Greene'south Thorsen Business firm. Cracked pieces are exposed when the panel is taken apart. (The crack was glued with HXTAL epoxy.) "If this console had been built properly in 1910," says John, "the caste of sagging 100 years later would accept been minimal."