Fun little Sun Catcher

Not all projects take a lot of time .. I whipped up this little sun catcher of the letter "S" as a special gift for a recent client.  I found the design online on a website by "Ada Eye".


The beginning of the process, the pattern-making.  Here I'm tracing the pattern onto a Manila folder.

 Now all the pieces are cut.  To the right is my palette of colors.

 Grinding the edges of the glass.

Now the cut pieces are placed back onto the pattern.  The metal "fence" which is push-pinned to my work surface, keeps all the glass confined.

Next comes the foiling.  Each piece gets the edges wrapped, and then burnished with a "fid".

Then I "tack solder" the pieces together with small bits of solder as shown.  Once the pieces are locked together, I removed the "fence" and slid out the pattern from underneath.

Here it is before I applied the black patina to the solder. 

And here's the finished sun catcher .. I applied black patina, cleaned and waxed it, and then added hanging hooks and a chain.  Fun!

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

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100th Repair - Pool Table Lamp

This is cause for celebration .. My 100th stained glass repair posted to this blog. Most have been lamps but also many panels and windows.  All a pleasure for me to do .. I really enjoy the process of bringing them all back so they can be enjoyed again.  Here's the story of the pool table lamp repair.

This lamp had been damaged in a move about a year ago.  The owners finally got to unpacking the basement and decided it was time to repair their pool table lamp.

One end was badly damaged as seen here.  Several pieces of the dark glass (which is a green) and many more amber pieces.  Also, the frame was bent out of shape.

Another view.

I began the repair by making a template of the opposite side, so that I could re-create the proper curve on the damaged side.

Using gloved hands, I tugged and coaxed the shade back to the original shape.  Here's a photo taken in the process.

After the frame was in generally the correct position, I decided to repair the uppermost amber pieces first.  Here I'm using needle nosed pliers to tug out the old foil and solder after I'd removed the cracked glass.

As with many other older lamps, the glass on this one had not been ground prior to foiling.  Grinding the glass helps the foil to adhere.  Therefore I went in with a metal hand file and ground the borders for the new piece.

Here I've traced a pattern for the replacement glass.

Now I've lined the border with adhesive copper foil.

Tracing the pattern onto the glass.

With straight lines, I "score" the glass with this "oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter".  Then I use the metal end of the cutter to tap repeatedly along the score line, front and back.  Eventually the glass will crack along that score line.

Using the electric grinder to smooth the edges.

Now the amber pieces in the upper row have been replaced and soldered.  I'm moving onto the green row.  Again I'm using the metal hand file.

The border of the opening as well as the replacement piece have been copper foiled.  Then I applied liquid flux which is a catalyst that helps the solder to flow freely.  Here I'm soldering the piece in place.

Now all of the green pieces are replaced.  I'm spray-washing the whole area to remove all traces of flux.

Now I'm moving down to the border.  I used one of the loose pieces as a template to cut the ones that need to be replaced.

Another view of the cracked pieces at the bottom edge of the lamp.

More pieces cut which will replace cracked ones.

Now all but one of the amber pieces and one green piece have been replaced and soldered in place. After those remaining two pieces are in place, I fluxed and soldered the inside of the dome. Then I spray-cleaned it all another time.

Here I'm applying black patina to the solder.  After it sets, I wash it all off again.  Then I apply stained glass finishing compound to the work area and the rest of the lamp.  This is a light wax which protects the patina and gives the glass a nice shine.

And here is the repaired lamp.

A view of the end which was damaged.  Thanks for bringing this to me, Steven.  May you and your family enjoy it in your new home for many 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!

Boehm Stained Glass in local newspaper

I'm very pleased to be mentioned in columnist Bill Ervolino's article regarding the popularity of tablets .. Here are the first few paragraphs.  Thanks Bill!  (Please click on article to readable size).

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!

Coca Cola Lamp Repair Part Deux (Another Cat-astrophe)

This beautiful Coca Cola lamp may look familiar .. The owner's cat damaged it again, this time by dropping something heavy on it from a high shelf!  There were many more pieces broken this time, but it was a pleasure to repair the second time around.  The first repair was about six months ago.

Here's a side view showing the cracked pieces of the amber, the green-mix color band at the top, the logo and the bottom rows.

It also sustained a significant dent in the side.

Ouch ..

I began the repair by gently tugging on the bent side to get the lamp back into a circle again.

Then I cleaned up the borders of one of the cracked pieces and created a template for it as shown.

Then I went back and cracked out nearly all of the pieces that needed replacement.  I don't normally do it this way, but I know this lamp and I knew it could withstand such a gaping hole.  It held up fine.  Here I'm using a hand file to rough up the edges of the borders where the replacement glass will be installed.

 

Here are four new pies of the amber glass, traced and ready for cutting..

Each piece needs to be ground on the electric grinder.

Now I've re-foiled the borders of the pieces as well as the pieces themselves and I've soldered them into the shade. This is the view from inside the shade.

View from outside the shade with the amber row replaced.

Here I've made patterns for the next row of striped, multi-colored glass.  I used the purple pistol grip glass cutter to score the four pieces, then snapped them apart.  After I ground the edges of each piece, I rinsed them off, dried them, and applied new copper foil.

Here's an upside-down view of the lamp with the multi-color band re-foiled and ready for the addition of the replacement pieces.

Now the multi-colored pieces are in place.  They've been soldered as well.

Next, I removed and made templates for the several pieces of red glass that cracked.

Two pieces of red have been replaced and re-foiled and are awaiting soldering.

I replaced all the cracked red pieces, then moved onto the iridescent white glass for the logo.  Because these "C"s are so deeply curved, I used my ring saw rather than risk having them crack if I were to hand cut them.

I've removed several of the cracked white pieces and foiled the borders.  After those were replaced, I went back and completed the rest of the logo with new glass.

Now the damaged side of the lamp has been fully replaced and soldered.

Now I'm applying black patina to all of the new solder.  After the patina sets for a bit, I wash it off, then apply wax to the entire lamp to make it shine.

Holding up the lamp to a light to check for light leaks.  None .. All set!

Here's the lamp, fully repaired.

Another view ..

Thanks again Barry for coming all the way from Queens to drop off and pick up your lamp.  I hope your adorable kitty will learn to leave your beautiful lamp alone so you and your family can enjoy it.

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!