Monday, October 1, 2012

Stained Glass Tulip Lamp - Repairs done

In the prior post, I showed how to remove and replace a cracked or broken piece of glass in a stained glass lamp.  Well, since that post, most of what I've done is repeat that process over and over until each broken piece was replaced with a new one.  Here is how it looked in the final stages:  (Click on any photo to enlarge)

At this point, only 3 pieces of glass are missing, two brown pieces from the design which wraps around the border, and one pale amber opal piece from the body of the dome.  Using the steps outlined previously, I made a pattern, cut and ground the glass, added copper foil and soldered the missing pieces in place.

Eric was able to flatten out the bent canopy which is the medallion in the top center of the dome which sits atop the light fixture.  It sits nicely on the fixture now.

Below I'm cleaning the dome (inside and out) using powdered cleanser and an old dish brush.  This removes beads of solder which have accumulated, and more importantly, it removes the caustic liquid flux which is used prior to soldering.  I'm wearing rubber gloves to protect my hands.
 After the dome is rinsed and dried, I applied Novacan black patina to the silver solder.  It immediately turns black.  After all the silver has been patina-ed, I rinse the dome again, this time in cold water.
After the dome is dry, I applied Stained Glass Finishing Compound to the inside and outside.  I allow it to dry and then I buff it out.  This is a light, protective wax which coats the glass and solder and gives them both a nice shine.
And here's the repaired lamp!

Next up:  Two (possibly three) more lamp repairs, all different!  Stay tuned.

To see more of my work, please visit my website (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Thanks!

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