Stained Glass Terrarium Repair

This unique and pretty terrarium was handmade by my customer's mother.  It had been sitting in water and the solder oxidized around the rim.  The supporting wire had also become detached.  Here's how I went about repairing it.  (Click on any image to enlarge).

Here's how the terrarium came to me, with a loose supporting wire and turquoise oxidation at the rim.

First, I carefully tugged off the old wire.  Most of the old solder and copper foil had already deteriorated.

I used this product to clean off the oxidation.

 For further cleaning, I used window cleaner and a generic orange cleaner.  Then I used my metal file to grind the edges of the glass.  This helps the copper foil adhere better.

Here, I'm "tinning" the wire, meaning that I'm brushing on liquid flux and then soldering on a thin coating of solder.  This will help the wire adhere to the rim.  In the white dish seen behind my hand is a collection of solder splatters which I use for this purpose.

I've taped the wire to the edge of the terrarium to hold it in place. Then I'm soldering it to the foil which I've previously put on the rim.  With enough solder, the wire sinks into the metal and becomes practically unseen.  

Here I'm applying black patina to the rim. After this process, I cleaned the whole terrarium, waxed and buffed it.

And here's the repaired terrarium, looking great again and ready to be enjoyed by my customer's daughter.  Thank you Gwen, for the pleasure of repairing your Mom's terrarium for you!

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (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.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!

Colorful Geometric Lamp Repair

This gorgeous lamp fell victim to my customer's little boy who accidentally bumped it over.  It sustained a few cracked pieces, three of which I was asked to replace.  This lamp is Chinese, though, and an exact match is not available here in the United States.  Fortunately, I had a piece in inventory which matched the transparency and the colors, so we decided to go ahead with the repair.  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Here's a close up of Chinese glass which is not carried by any U.S. manufacturers. 

A view of the three pieces needing replacement.  The blue rectangle on the right has a major crack.

 My first step is to pull off the old solder and copper foil using needle-nose pliers.  Then I melt off whatever is remaining, using a soldering iron as shown.

 Then I use a piece of manila folder, hold it behind the opening and create a pattern for the exact-size replacement glass.

I used the pattern to trace the glass and then cut it using a pistol grip glass cutter.

 

Here I've applied adhesive copper foil to the borders of the opening.  I'm applying copper foil to the replacement glass.  

Soldering the piece in place.  Notice the blue painter's tape behind it, to hold the glass in the correct position.

Here's the new piece of glass, soldered in place.

Here I'm applying liquid black patina which reacts instantly with the solder.  Following the application of the patina, the lamp gets cleaned and then waxed.

 And here's the lamp, repaired and ready for many more years of enjoyment by the family.

And here it is, in its full glory, illuminated from below by a large light box.  Thank you Dan and Cara for finding me!  It was a pleasure repairing this for you.

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (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.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!