Reclining Nude Art Nouveau Lamp Repair

This stunning lamp came to me recently in need of repair after a fall.  It is an early 20th century Art Nouveau Tiffany style lamp with a bronze base.  The base is in the shape of a tree trunk.  On top of the tree is a lovely reclining nude.  It is signed by E. Thomasson on the base.  Here is the process by which I repaired the many cracked pieces.

The lamp is 29" high and weighs well over 25 pounds.

This close up shows some of the cracked pieces which I marked with blue tape.

Here is the signature on the base.  I did some research on the lamp after it was picked up.  There are several of these lamps up for auction online, fetching rather high prices.  Well worth it .. Its a stunner.

Here I'm beginning the repairs by removing one of the cracked orange opal pieces.

I made a pattern for the piece and cut a new piece of glass .

 Here I'm applying copper foil around the edges of the replacement piece.

And here I'm grinding the edges of the glass to make it safe to handle and also to make the copper foil adhere better.

Here's another piece removed with a pattern traced for it.  I've also lined the border with new copper foil.

Here are a few pieces which I've replaced and soldered.  There are a few more to the left which are marked for replacement.

For a few pieces, I opted to use my electric ring saw to cut the deeper grooves.

Another view of a damaged section.  There were 4 areas of the lamp which sustained damage.  Because of the size and weight of this lamp, it took special handling to access every piece and to repair each one properly.

I've replaced three pieces of orange opal glass and now I'm applying the patina to darken the solder.  After each area is soldered, I clean it thoroughly.

Moving onto another area along the border which needs repair.  Notice all the cracked and missing pieces and the one that's marked with blue tape.  The colors of the glass are exceptional.  Fortunately, I had very close or exact matches to the glass in my inventory.

Here several pieces have been replaced and soldered.  There's one in the upper right which has been removed, awaiting replacement.

Pattern is traced for the piece.

And now its repaired.

Now all of the cracked pieces have been replaced and the lamp is ready to go back to its owner.  I took a few photos of it outdoors in natural light.

And here, a few more views with the light on.  The choice of glass colors and the design are just exquisite!

Sending my thanks to Kathy for entrusting me with this special memento.  It was a pleasure repairing it for you and being able to enjoy it for a short time until you came to bring her home.  May you enjoy it for many more years to come!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!

Stained Glass Mushroom Repair

This unusual stained glass panel was made by my customer's father-in-law many years ago.  It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland!  I love the design and the colors of glass he chose.  Here's how it came to me .. Notice that the three amber pieces above the large mushroom sustained several cracks.  What can't readily be seen is that the pale green leaf on the upper left is cracked, as is he dark green leaf on the right and two of the border panels.

When any lamp or panel sustains a fall, its very common for the concussion of the fall to travel through the piece.

To prepare for replacement, my first step is to score the cracked glass with the oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter, then tap repeatedly onto the cracked piece to dislodge all the glass.  Whatever is remaining I remove with needle nose pliers.  Then I tug out the old solder and foil around the border.  I do this with either the pliers, or by melting it out.

Many artists who created these older pieces did not grind the edges of the glass.  I believe it helps the copper foil to adhere more readily.  Here I've cleaned out all the old foil and solder and I'm using a hand file to grind the inside border.  I also scraped and cleaned off any remaining old adhesive from the foil.

With two pieces of amber have been removed, I made two patterns for the replacement glass.  They fit perfectly into their intended spaces.

After I trace the patterns onto matching glass I use the cutter to score the edges.

Then I use the blue "running pliers" to snap the score lines.  I often use the black-handled "groziers" to nip out smaller pieces as shown.

Next, each piece gets ground.

Then adhesive copper foil is applied and burnished with a "fid" or flexible plastic wand.  I chose a width of foil to closely match whatever project I'm doing.  

After the border of the opening and the border of the newly cut glass are foiled and placed into the panel, I apply liquid "flux" to the foil.  Then I solder it, front and back.

Now both the side pieces of cracked amber have been replaced.  I wanted to replace the cracked side piece next but first I wanted to remove the border.  The artist on this piece used "lead came" to border his piece.  Lead came is used in a different type of stained glass.  This "came" is very soft and pliable and could be dangerous to handle with bare hands.  Therefore I'm wearing gloves.  Later I'll show that I used a sturdy zinc "channel" to replace this "came".

 
 Now I'm tracing the pattern for the side piece.

And now its soldered in place.

Moving on now to replace the cracked amber piece above the mushroom.   I generally do not repair pieces that are adjacent to each other.  It can weaken the panel or make it more difficult to repair.

Holding the cutter at a 90 degree angle and pressing firmly onto the glass.

Onto another cracked side piece ..

Now I'm removing another piece of the soft lead "came" which was originally on this panel.

The original lead came is on the left .. On the right is the new, sturdy zinc "channel" which I'm replacing it with.  Its a safer and more secure option.

Here my husband Eric is taking measurements and preparing the custom-cut the new zinc frame.

Here one side of the panel has a new frame on it.

Eric, cutting the zinc.

Tacking the zinc frame to the corners and the lead lines on the panel, both sides.

My customer asked for hooks to be installed, so here I've made two, using 12 gauge wire.

For this panel, it was important to the family that the original patina be maintained.  Since it was never patina-ed, but had aged quite a lot, I diluted a small amount of black patina.  It was a great match to the existing patina.

Applying the custom-mix patina. The panel was thoroughly cleaned and dried and then waxed afterwards.

And here's the newly repaired panel, with a stronger and safer frame and two new hooks for hanging.  Thank you for finding me, Cheryl!  It was a pleasure repairing this for you and your family!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!

Repair Stained Glass Side Lights

This rose-themed sidelight was damaged by a moving company.  It was split in two pieces as shown.  Here's how I went about repairing it.

Measurements are appx 32" long by 5-1/2" wide.  Notice how it is split into two pieces.  Even the metal framing broke in two.

At this point, I've removed the thin metal frame that was around the panel.  Here I've cracked out some of the glass which needs to be replaced.

 I've taken off the old copper foil and solder, and now I'm tracing the opening onto a piece of Manila folder.  This will serve as my pattern to cut the replacement piece.

Here is the pattern piece and the glass I cut with it.  And a few of my tools: the purple oil-filed pistol grip glass cutter, the blue "running pliers" which snap glass in a straight line, and my "groziers" which I use to nip off smaller pieces of glass.

Now I'm doing the copper foil process.  I've added foil to the inner border and am burnishing the copper on the flower by using a "fid" or flat plastic wand.  The replacement piece has also been foiled.  

 I'm using the replacement piece of glass as a "place holder" while I smash out the cracked glass on the opposite side.

 I cut most glass by hand.  Here I've decided to use my electric ring saw to cut some particularly deep curves.

Now I've replaced and foiled three formerly-cracked pieces of glass.  I have one more to do, on the top side of the flower.

Now all the cracked pieces have been cut and foiled.  Here I've used push pins to secure the entire panel in place so that it doesn't shift as I work.  I'm in the process of brushing on liquid "flux" which is a catalyst which enables the solder to flow freely over the copper.

Here is this section, fully repaired.  After I soldered the foil, I cleaned it thoroughly, then brushed with black patina to make the solder turn black.

With my customer's OK, I upgraded her framing material from the kind on the left, which is very lightweight, to the heavier "channel" on the right which is beefier and will stand up to more abuse.  Both types of framing are made of zinc.

My husband Eric custom-cut the heavier zinc for the panel.  Then I put a metal "fence" around the new frame to hold it in place.  The "fence" is held in place with pushpins which sink into my work surface, which is made of Homasote, a sound-proofing building material.

Another view of the repaired section and the new, stronger frame in place.

Here's Eric, cutting the new zinc frame.

With the "fence" still in place. I'm now soldering the lead lines to the frame.  There are many contact points, front and back.  This will firmly secure the frame to the panel.  I also solder the mitered corners, front and back.

My customer wants this to be a hanging piece now, so I used 12 gauge wire to make her two new hooks.  Then I soldered those to the back of the piece, directly to the frame.

Notice that the hook is on the vertical side of the frame.  This is the best position to avoid loosening or bowing over the years.  Chains will be attached which will go straight up.

For a final touch. I'm now applying black patina to the zinc frame.  After the patina sets, I thoroughly clean it.  When the panel is dry, I wax and buff it for a nice shine.

And here is the panel, fully repaired and strengthened.  As with most moving companies, hers reimbursed her for the repair.  Thank you, Rose, it was a pleasure repairing this for you!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!