The challenge of matching glass for a repair

There are a couple of potential commissions in the works as a result of our recent shows .. but my photography has been keeping me busy lately.  Click into my photo blog link here to see recent work.

In the meantime, I've taken in this beautiful lamp for possible repair.  Its been in storage for 6 years and its owner is very interested in repairing it so she can enjoy it again. (Click on photo for a closer look).

 

The lamp has a total of 12 broken pieces, 8 of which are on the dome, some of which can be seen in the photo. I enjoy doing repairs but I'm very picky about making them look unrecognizable.  Matching the glass closely, or preferably exactly, is the key to a successful, un-noticeable repair.

I didn't recognize the glass on the dome so I sent a couple of pieces, with the edges ground for safety, to a supplier who informed me that the glass is no longer being made.  Bad news.  He can offer a similar color to the gold-amber, but the opacity would be thicker and the replacement pieces would appear darker when the lamp is turned on.  Worse news.

I am awaiting my customer's decision whether to go ahead or not.  Its a tough one.  If I don't do the repair, it will go back to the storage unit.  If I do the repair and the mis-match is obvious, neither of us will be happy with the results.  

This is the challenge with repairing stained glass pieces which can be decades old.  The techniques are fairly straight-forward, but its trying to match the old glass that trips us up.  The jury is still out on this one.  I'll post further if the repair gets a green light.

To see other repairs on my blog, click here. 

Please click here to visit and "like" our FaceBook page.  And for our newly designed website, click here, to see even more of our work.  Thank you!

A good day at the Dumont Oktoberfest Street Fair

Five years ago today, Eric and I met on a Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey bike ride!  We celebrated by setting up our booth and greeting visitors interested in Boehm Stained Glass Studio.  We had a wonderful day.  Thanks to everybody we met, and welcome to all who are checking out our blog for the first time!

Feel free to check out the "Labels" or "Projects" on the right side, pick a project, and watch it develop from initial design through the installation.  We enjoy every step of the process .. We look forward to building a window for you.  Call us at 201-600-1616 or send an email through this blog.  Thank you.

Here are some photos of the day ..

For this show, I had fun making a mini version of my Victorian Tulip window as a demonstration.  This little one is only 8-1/2" wide .. The original is 22".  As a demo, I completed the right side only and applied black patina to the front and left the back silver.  The manila folder pattern is on the left and the original pattern is underneath. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Here's the "big Victorian Tulip" next to the "little Victorian Tulip".

For this show, we added some autumnal fabric table cloths which we think warmed up our booth ... and we added some Fall foliage.

Here's a video of our booth!  Background music is by the Notorious Baker Brothers who were performing across the street.  Click here to hear more.   

 

Still lovebirds, five years later.  Thanks to my dear husband Eric, for always supporting my creative endeavors!

Please click here to visit and "like" our FaceBook page.  And be sure to visit our newly designed website, click here, to see even more of our work.  Thank you!

Dumont Oktoberfest Street Fair this Saturday

Boehm Stained Glass Studio will have a booth at the Dumont Oktoberfest Street Fair this Saturday, 10:00 - 5:00.  We don't yet have our space assignment, but you'll find us somewhere between East Madison and West Shore.

We'll bring the Victorian Tulip, our Bear, and the Chickadees and Wisteria windows with us .. and maybe even a "demo" window in progress.  Stop by and say hello!  Visit our website to see our work .. Click here.

Allendale Festival Day & Car Show a success!

Well, we started the day a bit nervously with a healthy downpour right as the festival began .. but once the clouds cleared an hour or so later, the crowds came out in force.  We had a great day.

Special thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to compliment our work or to ask questions about a repair to a lamp or stained glass panel, or to ask questions about having a custom window made.  Here are a few photos from the day:  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Our booth on West Allendale Avenue

This was only our second show, the first with our new canopy and adjustable height 6' table.  We were very pleased that the canopy kept us dry during the rain at the start of the day.

 

We brought three of our windows with us .. The Victorian Tulip (not pictured here), the Wisteria and Chickadees, and the Bear (our trademark).  All of these and more can be seen on the BSGS website .. click here.  We also made some soldered glass refrigerator magnets which went over pretty well.  We've got plenty to spare for next time, too.  (We made a lot!).

New to my blog?  To see a particular window being built, from design through installation, look for the "Labels" or "Projects" listed in the right hand column, toward the bottom.  Click on any "Project" and see, in reverse order, the entire process, including photos, narratives, and tips.

My work bench now is ready for your repair or your custom window.  Thanks again for visiting, chatting, and picking up a business card.  I look forward to hearing from you!   201-600-1616 or email.

Please click here to visit and "like" our FaceBook page.  And be sure to visit our newly designed website, click here, to see even more of our work.  Thank you!

Allendale Festival Day & Car Show, Saturday, October 1

This weekend, Saturday, October 1, Eric and I will have a booth at the 19th Annual Allendale Festival Day and Car Show on West Allendale Avenue.  We'll be among over 100 vendors for what promises to be a fun, successful show.

We'll have a few of our stained glass windows on display, as well as framed photos of many others that I've created.  We'll also bring my full-color binder which shows, step-by-step, the entire process of constructing the windows, from design through installation.  And something new .. We'll be offering a variety of soldered glass refrigerator magnets as seen in the posting below.

If you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

 

Boehm Stained Glass Studio website and FaceBook site.

Soldered Glass Magnets and Necklaces

Something different today.  Eric and I are getting ready for a craft show next weekend and I wanted to offer something small and affordable at our booth, in addition to soliciting commissions for custom residential stained glass windows.  These little soldered charms are just the thing!

They are super easy to make .. There are several good videos up on YouTube to show you how.  Here's a good one:

The products she uses are slightly different than mine .. and I ground the glass before foiling, but this video will give you all the basics.  I found 8x10" clear glass that is 1/3 thinner than most stained glass, which made using 7/32" copper foil tape an ideal choice.  I used lead-free solder. I will be turning some of these little 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" gems into refrigerator magnets.  The rest will become necklaces.

Here's the info on the show ...
Eric and I will have a booth at the upcoming 19th Annual Allendale Festival Day and Car Show, next weekend, Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 10:00 to 4:00.  Come by and say hello!

Check out the new look of Boehm Stained Glass Studio website (testimonials added, too), and also visit our FaceBook site.  Thanks!

Repair to Mission Style Lamp

This beautiful, classic Mission style lamp came to me for repairs after my customer's grandchildren accidentally damaged it.  The lamp had been in his family for 20 years.  Here's the damage. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

The goal of any good stained glass repair is to restore the piece to looking as close to the original as possible.  With older glass that's not always an option, but I've generally been fortunate in finding good matches.

The first step is to score and break out the broken piece of glass.  Then, using a soldering iron, melt off the surrounding solder and pull off the copper foil around the entire perimeter of the piece which was removed.  The photo below shows the broken piece removed as well as some of the foil, with a small piece of glass still attached.

Notice that I left the surrounding metal channel at the bottom, for structural stability.  If I had removed that piece, it would have compromised the strength of the entire lamp.  Also, if I had replaced that channel it would not have matched the original.  Since it was still in good condition, the better option was to leave it "as is" and work around it. 

I made a template of the 15" x 3" opening which became the pattern I used to cut a replacement piece of glass.  Though the new glass is not an exact match, it is very close in texture, opacity and color, and I was confident it would work well.

I applied new copper foil to the perimeter of the opening as well as to the new piece of glass.  In order to match the foil width that was used on the lamp originally, I chose a 3/16 size which is more narrow than the commonly used 7/32 foil.  Note again that the original metal channel at the edge of the lamp is still in place. I carefully tucked the replacement glass into that channel and fit it into the open space while the lamp was laying flat on my work surface.  I then taped the glass in place.

The photo below is the view inside the lamp laying flat, with the replacement glass taped in place and ready for soldering.

Solder is of course, molten metal, and it requires a flat surface on which to work.  I soldered the inside of the lamp when it was flat on the work bench.  But to solder the outside, I also had to make it "flat".  I carefully placed the lamp into a large box full of packing peanuts, with the outside facing up.  I soldered the outside while it was still in the box so that the solder would flow properly and I'd get good lines.

Another challenge with this repair was matching the existing patina, a beautiful bronze color.  Since there is no "bronze" color patina available for purchase, I experimented with a mix of black and copper patinas until I found the right color.

Note the small piece of clear glass above the bowl in the photo below.  I laid out a few pieces of copper foil, tinned them, and brushed on small amounts to test the color.  The best ratio was approximately 40% copper and 60% black patina. This proportion gave me just the right amount of warmth and darkness to match the existing patina on the lamp.

The repair was a success ..

My customer is happy with the results, and his grandchildren are probably relieved as well.  Call me if you have a broken copper foiled stained glass piece which needs repair. I'm happy to assist you with getting those broken pieces back out to be seen and enjoyed.  201-600-1616 or email me.

Boehm Stained Glass Studio website and FaceBook site.

Boehm Stained Glass Studio recent newspaper ad

Here is our ad which ran recently in the Suburban News, in Midland Park, Ridgewood, Hawthorne, Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff, NJ.  Think of us when you want to have a custom-designed residential Stained Glass window built .. or if you need repairs. We are happy to work long distance!

See more of our work at Boehm Stained Glass Studio website and our FaceBook site.