Repair to small Amber and Red Stained Glass Lamp

This lamp came to me from a father who wanted it repair it as a gift for his daughter's first apartment.  It had one cracked panel and a bent border.  Here's how I went about the repair ..


“Before” photo showing the cracked piece and the bent zinc channel border.

Another "before" view

Here I've found a match for the glass in my inventory.

Using the light box to test for luminosity to confirm the match.

Using needle nosed pliers to pull out loose cracked glass.

Using an oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter to hashtag score the glass to get it to crack for removal.  After I score it, I tap repeatedly on the area using the brass end of the cutter (not shown).

Now all of the glass has been removed.  Now I’m using the pliers to tug off the old foil and solder.

For the areas of solder and foil which can’t readily be tugged off, I’m using a hot soldering iron to melt it off.

Now I’ve removed the bent channel border and cleaned off the old solder and foil.

Here I’m applying adhesive 7/32” copper foil to the borders to prepare for the replacement glass.

Next, I make a template of the opening.

Using the template, I trace the border onto the replacement glass.

Then I use the oil filled pistol grip cutter to score the glass along the line. (In actual practice, my left hand would be applying pressure to the green ruler.  It’s now holding the camera, however!)

After I make the “score” along the line, I tap repeatedly, front and back, along the line.  That helps to loosen and split the glass. Then I bring it to the electric grinder as shown.  I grind the edges of the replacement piece to make it safe to handle, and to make the copper foil adhere better.

Before foiling, I make sure the piece is a good fit.  I made a couple of adjustments by grinding it down a bit.

When I’m satisfied that its a good fit, I apply copper foil to the edges of the glass.  Here I”m using a “fid” or flat plastic wand to burnish the foil onto the glass.  This prevents any chemicals from getting underneath.

I’ve taped the piece inside the shade and I’m now applying green liquid “flux” to the foil.  This is a catalyst which enables the solder to flow freely.

At this point, I’ve soldered the replacement piece in place, on both the inside and outside of the shade.  I custom-cut a length of zinc “channel” or metal border.  Here I’m pressing it in place onto the edge of the shade.

Once the new “channel” is in place, I locked it in securely by applying solder to the lead lines and to the corners of the lamp.

After the soldering is completed, I use a neutralizing spray to remove the flux.  Then I use a metal acid brush to apply the black “patina”. This instantly turns the solder black.  After its allowed to set, I clean it again using the same neutralizing spray.

And here is the lamp, fully repaired.  After I clean it with the spray, I applied “stained glass finishing polish” which is a light wax.  It serves to protect the patina and give the glass a nice shine.

Another “repaired” view, this one on the light box to show how well the glass matches. Thank you Steve, for finding me and asking me to repair this for you, it was a pleasure!

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

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Craftsman Style Lamp Repair

This beautiful Craftsman/Art Deco lamp was shipped to me from Milwaukee, Wisconsin for repair.  This is a Chinese lamp so its constructed with a black substance that is not actually solder.  Over time, this black substance will give way, either because of excessive heat caused by light bulbs, or by the weight of the lamp.  In this case, all four sides of the lower border had weakened and a corner area toward the top began to separate.

This photo is the "after" image .. Click through to see how I made the repairs.

There are several damaged areas. One of the corner pieces had loosened from the body.  The metal edge became detached at the corner as well.

The blue tape was placed there by the owner, since the border pieces were so unstable.  It served to keep the lamp intact during shipping.  

Another area of damage was this cracked piece.  The silver solder on the corner is evidence of a previous repair.

To replace both the detached end piece, and the cracked piece, I began by tugging off the old copper foil and solder as shown.

As is the case with Chinese lamps, the edges of the glass is not ground.  This is an important step to assure that the copper foil will adhere correctly.  Here I'm using a file to grind down the edge of the glass.

Here I've replaced the old foil with new ..

 Now I'm using a similar glass to cut a duplicate piece of glass to replace the one which cracked.  I'm "scoring" the glass using an "oil filled pistol grip glass cutter" which I rest against an old flat ruler for support.

These blue "running pliers" are used to snap the straight score.

Then I bring the newly-cut piece of glass to the electric grinder to smooth the edges.

Here both pieces have had copper foil applied.  I'm using 13/64" foil for this project.  Its thinner than the norm, and it will match the existing foil.

Now one of the corner pieces is in place. I applied liquid "flux" to the foil.  This is a liquid agent which allows the solder to flow freely.  I melted the existing solder in the corner so that it bonded with the new solder, creating a very strong attachment.

Now onto a side which had almost completely detached as shown .. Notice how the upper metal piece has detached from the corner.

I already replace the end piece on the left side.  Here I'm replacing the center piece.  I've removed the old foil and solder and I'm adding new foil to the borders.  I kept the glass attached to the metal "channel" or edging, to assure that each piece would be soldered at the exact same place where it originated.

Here is the weak side, completely re-foiled and awaiting fluxing and soldering. At this point, all four sides of the lamp have been inspected, replaced, re-foiled and re-soldered to be stronger than the original construction.  I've soldered the corners of the metal borders as well, to assure that they are firmly attached.

Now onto the area near the top of the lamp which became detached.  Its visible at the bottom edge of the row of ivory colored glass.  Only the one side had separated; the other sides were solid and fine.

At this point, I've used a "fid" to get between the glass and I removed the old foil and solder.  This is a view from the inside of the dome.  The new foil can be seen.  I'm holding a length of "flat braid copper reinforcement wire" which I'll use to strengthen the area.

Here I've melted the reinforcement wire onto the inside of the dome, directly on top of the new foil.  I've also added a supporting length of reinforcement wire to the corner.  It reaches from below the separated area up to the edge of the lip above it.  This will serve to correct the separation and prevent a recurrence.

After the reinforcement wire is securely attached, I clean the area thoroughly.  Then I apply black patina, as shown.  After the patina sets, I wash that off as well.  Then the repaired areas are waxed and buffed to a nice shine.

And again, here's the "after" photo .. The lamp is repaired and ready to go back to Wisconsin.

Another view of this beautiful lamp, ready for many more years of service.  Thank you so much, Rod, for entrusting your lamp to me.  It was a pleasure repairing it 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!

Art Deco Lamp Repair

This small lamp had cracks in two panels at the border, beneath decorative metal plates.  In order to repair it, I went in from the inside and removed and then replaced the cracked pieces.  Here's the process:

Notice the iridescent glass on this lamp, very pretty. 

The cracks can be seen best from the inside of the dome.  These two panels marked with blue tape required replacement.

I began by tapping on the cracked glass with the back of a glass cutter.  Then I removed the pieces of glass with needle nose pliers.

Next I pulled off the old copper foil and solder.

This is a Quoitzel brand lamp. Some of the older lamps made by this company are solid and well made.  This one, however is a newer lamp which was made in China.  The materials used to construct the lamp are somewhat suspect, and not of the quality of a true, soldered stained glass lamp.  To read more, please click this link ..  
Protective gear is mandatory on Chinese lamps such as these, simply because it is not possible to identify the black substance between the glass.  Here is my breathing mask, worn throughout the soldering process.

After I removed the cracked piece of glass, I cut a new one in the same type of glass.  Then I ground the edges as shown.

I applied new copper foil to the borders.  Here I'm pressing the foil onto the glass using a "fid".

After I placed the glass, I soldered it in place.

For added security, I added solder to the front of the piece as well.

Then I removed the adjacent cracked panel as shown.

The view through the "grating" or decorative border, with the glass removed.

Now both inside pieces that were cracked have been replaced.

And here is the finished lamp.  Thank you so much Sandhya, for stopping in with your two lamps from CT on your way to PA.  It was a pleasure meeting you! (Click here to see the repair of the second lamp).

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!