Shamrock stained glass framed and installed

After a time lapse for our customer's vacation and for me to photograph the Space Shuttle, Eric and I finally installed the repaired Shamrock stained glass panel last week, much to the relief of our customer.  She had so many issues with this one, we all exhaled on her behalf.

The next step after the most recent blog entry was to build and install the frame, and here it is.  Eric used these corner clamps to glue and nail the mitered corners of the wood.  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

He then painted the wood to match our customer's basement moldings.  Here's the finished panel, ready for installation.

Eric custom-made a box for the wall insert.  He used wood and a custom-cut piece of milky Plexiglass to diffuse the light.  Here's the box and below, he is sliding the box into the wall.  It fits perfectly.  Our customer had already arranged for the installation of a lighting fixture in the wall space.

 Here he is, affixing sturdy hanging hooks to the back of the panel ...

... And hanging the panel over the light box.

Here it is with the inside light turned off.  It looks beautiful even "off".  Installing a light box into the wall is a wonderful way to display stained glass. 

And here it is with the inside light turned on .. Its a true focal point for the room now.  We were thrilled to be able to "right the wrongs" and get this panel on the wall after a long two-year wait.  Our customer was very pleased with our work.  She commented that she wished she found us a long time ago! Here is the lovely comment she left for us ..

"We are the proud owners of the recently repaired Shamrock window in our basement. The window was originally made by a studio in Chester, NJ and the overall quality (and customer service) was poor and disrespectful. Thanks to Kathy and her husband, they were able to repair and reinforce the window and then add a frame and even install it for us. The work and effort they put forth was outstanding - they were great to work with. We absolutely love the window and are finally glad to have it in place. We highly recommend Kathy for any stained glass projects you are considering.  With much thanks and appreciation....Brian & Deb"

Thanks so much, Deborah, it was a pleasure working with you!

Our next project may be a custom designed panel for a front door.  I've already prepared the design and we are awaiting approval.  If its a go, I'll be back to document our progress.  In the meantime, please visit and "like" my FaceBook page, click here. and visit my website .. http://www.boehmstainedglass.com/.  Thanks!

Shamrock stained glass soldered, and piece repaired

After the separated pieces of green border glass were cleaned and re-foiled, I soldered them back onto the main piece. Then my husband Eric measured and cut a sturdy channel (zinc metal) frame which I soldered at each corner and at each lead line, as shown below.  Here you can also see the "fence" or metal bars which are thumb-tacked into the Homosote to square off the panel.  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Now that the panel has been strengthened, the next task was to repair that cracked clear piece.  The clear glass is Spectrum Granite, which is smooth and flat on the back side, and textured on the front.  

The first step in replacing a cracked piece is to remove it by scoring it in several directions and then gently, yet firmly, tapping on it until chunks of glass break free.  There is a danger with doing this, as small bits of glass can unexpectedly fly out, so eye protection is necessary.

See below, the glass partially removed.  I wore rubber-fingered gardening gloves and used needle nose pliers to extricate the pieces.  I also used a small wisk broom to sweep away bits of glass which fell onto the Homosote.  I worked on the back side of the panel, on the smooth side of the glass, since it is not advisable to score the textured side.

Once the glass was removed, I melted some of the old solder and used the pliers to loosen and remove the foil around the inner edges.

I traced a pattern onto a manila folder, cut it out, and then made an identical pattern using corrugated cardboard.  I then traced the manila folder pattern onto the glass, cut the glass, ground the edges, and applied copper foil.  Here are the patterns and the glass (prior to foiling):

I positioned the corrugated pattern into the opening so that the new piece of glass would be on the same plane as the existing pieces.  Next, I applied liquid flux to the copper foil and soldered the new piece into the panel as shown.

The panel has come a long way!  The hinge issue has been corrected, the old foil has been removed, a sturdy metal frame has been added, and the cracked piece has been replaced.  What's next?  Cleaning it, applying patina and waxing.

Since this panel is obviously too large to fit in the sink, I placed it on small rubber mats on the tile floor of our finished basement.  I cleaned off the flux by using powdered cleanser and an old dish brush.  Then I rinsed it thoroughly using that big green sponge and fresh water. 

I allowed the panel to dry completely, then I applied patina to the newly soldered areas and to the metal channel frame.  The existing patina is a bronze-y color and it has aged a bit.  In order to make the repair virtually un-noticeable, I matched the existing patina by mixing copper with black and testing it on small pieces of tinned foil until I got the correct match.

After I applied the patina, I gave it time to settle, then rinsed it off using a damp sponge.  After it dried again, I waxed the whole side using Clarity brand stained glass finishing compound.  The wax protects the patina and adds a beautiful shine to the piece. I then turned the panel over, and repeated the process .. washing, rinsing, drying, applying patina, and finally, waxing.

Here is the panel, completely repaired and strengthened.  The "M" in the shamrock is the family's surname.

Check back soon to see my husband creating a custom wood frame and then installing it in my customer's home.  This panel will be inset into a wall and backlit.  Its going to look beautiful in its long-awaited space, a center piece for the room.

In the meantime, please visit and "like" my FaceBook page, click here. and visit my website .. http://www.boehmstainedglass.com/.  Thanks!

Shamrock stained glass repair underway

As seen in the post below, this shamrock stained glass panel has a number of structural as well as construction flaws.  The first step is to un-do what's been done incorrectly.

At this point, the 28" x 40" panel is securely resting on a large piece of Homasote, which is a 1/2" thick sheet of soundproofing material using in home building.  Its a great surface for working with glass since it accepts pushpins well and it "gives" a bit when cutting glass.

Since the green border pieces have broken away, the first thing to do is remove the existing foil, solder and residual adhesive from the copper foil.  Starting with a hot soldering iron, gently melt away enough of the solder to loosen the copper foil from the glass.  Then, using needle nose pliers, gently pry off the foil, taking the old solder with it.  Because this copper foil was old, it came off readily once I got it started. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

In order to correct the hinge issues, I re-arranged the placement of several of the green border pieces.  By doing this, I was able to correct three of the four hinges, thus strengthening the piece considerably.  Here, I'm removing one of the "good" border pieces so that I can use it elsewhere and eliminate a hinge in the process. (The end of the post will show the "before" and "after" shots regarding the hinges).

In order to prepare the glass for new foil, I removed all the old adhesive using cotton balls dipped in Goo Gone. Then I used an old credit card to scrape off the edges and sides and then washed and rinsed each piece of glass.

It was at this point that I realized that the edges of these pieces were still sharp!  They had never been ground and were therefore unsafe to handle.  I carefully removed as much of the old adhesive as possible without risking injury, and then I ran them through my grinder. This process not only smoothed the edges but took off the rest of the adhesive as well.  Its not the best thing for the grinding wheel, but, as seen with this panel, if each piece of glass is not cleaned and ground, the new foil will not adhere correctly and the glass will separate.

I also needed to remove the old adhesive from the clear glass edges which also had not been ground.  Since it is not possible, of course, to run the panel itself through the grinder, I used my hand-held Dremel tool with a grinding bit attachment and carefully went all around the edges of the clear glass to prepare it for new foil.

Now that all the surfaces were cleaned and ground, I applied 7/32" copper foil to the edges of each piece.  7/32" is the most commonly used width and is the same as used on the rest of the panel. You'll notice that I numbered each piece with a silver Sharpie after I re-arranged them. The white plastic wand is a "fid", used to firmly press the foil onto the glass.

The panel is now well on its way.  Below, I'm re-posting the photo of the window showing the original four hinges, or straight lead lines that go from one side of the piece to the other.  As mentioned, these weaken the panel and are to be avoided.  (Note orange lines).

And below is the panel after I eliminated three of the four hinges.  I did this by rearranging and trimming the existing pieces of green, and cutting one new piece.  The tan bars represent the edges of the glass after my changes. Notice the blue arrows which "dead end" before they reach the edge.  That's what you want .. no straight-across lead lines.
Also see that the one remaining hinge is at the top of the piece, circled in pink.  Rather than have to charge my customer to relocate more glass to eliminate this one hinge, I made a creative decision to "let it be".  With three hinges corrected, and the upcoming addition of a sturdy metal frame, this one will be less likely to create issues in the future.  I circled the crack in neon yellow.

Check back to see the next steps .. Soldering the front and back of the panel, adding the metal channel frame, and replacing the cracked piece.

In the meantime, please visit and "like" my FaceBook page, click here. and visit my website .. http://www.boehmstainedglass.com/.  Thanks!

Shamrock stained glass .. Repairing a poorly constructed panel

Stained glass creation is both an art and a skill.  Cutting corners (instead of glass ... pardon the pun) will only result in disaster.  My current project, a large stained glass shamrock panel is a good example of "how not to build a stable, well designed stained glass panel".

Before I begin, I want to thank decorative painter Joan Ginty of Heaven on Walls for referring my new customer.  Please call her if you're interested in expert faux finishing and mural painting.  Click here to visit Joan's website.

This 28" x 40" shamrock panel below was custom made by someone for my customer less than three years ago, yet it has already collapsed. Let's take a close look at "why".  (Click on photo to enlarge). I added the orange and blue lines to illustrate several points discussed below.

First of all, stained glass must always be constructed with stability in mind.  To that end, straight lines which run from edge to edge in any piece are called "hinges" and are to be avoided.  Notice the four orange lines which follow the solder lines in this piece.  They run from one edge straight to the other side.  Each of these four hinges have already caused several border pieces to break away.

A second problem with this piece is that it appears that the green borders were attached to the clear glass with old copper foil that had degenerated adhesive.  Copper foil has a long life but only if it is stored in a cool, dry place. 

The third reason that the green border separated is that the edges were never run through a glass grinder.  In order for copper foil to adhere to glass, it is imperative that the edges be ground first.  I have no explanation as to why someone would neglect to grind the glass before applying copper foil, but here we have an example of what happens.  Instead of lasting for 100 years or more, this stained glass panel has fallen apart very quickly.

A fourth illustration of how this panel was poorly constructed is that it was never bordered with channel.  Channel is a zinc metal frame that locks the pieces in place and strengthens the entire panel.  Without this reinforcement, you'll notice that the stress of moving the panel has caused one of the clear pieces to crack.  (Look closely where I made that blue line).  Framing with metal channel is essential with a piece of this size.

So my work is cut out for me!  Check back soon to see, step by step, how I resolve all of the issues with this stained glass panel.

In the meantime, please visit and "like" my FaceBook page, click here. and visit my website .. http://www.boehmstainedglass.com/.  Thanks!