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Restoring and Repairing Stained Glass Pieces - part 1

© Sue Kimbel

Opportunities have been coming to me to work on pieces that need repair and restoration. As I have been learning more about this work, I wanted to share some information and resources.

One thing I find fascinating about stained glass work is the opportunity to keep learning. Each piece teaches me something new - both about techniques and construction methods. So with each new experience, I have more knowledge in my repertoire to apply to both the current project and the work I create.

Old pieces teach me more about the history of glass work too. There is so much out there! It's especially challenging to go looking to match old glass. Some manufacturers, such as Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company, have been in business a very long time and are still in business. Other companies have disappeared and their exact type of glass with them. So far, I've had fairly good luck finding glass that is acceptable for a replacement.

One piece I'm currently working on is an old porch light fixture. I really like the lines and style of this piece. It appears to be made of copper or brass which has been heavily oxidized and needs cleaning. This is an example of a simple repair. The piece is quite appealing and it's an opportunity to do some research on metal cleaning.

It also appears that the glass in this piece has been replaced before. I will be replacing it again with Spectrum green and white baroque glass chosen by my client. So matching glass isn't part of this particular project, but I have some others in the studio that do need matching. I'll talk about them in another article.

In looking for information to clean the metal, I found the search feature at Old House Web somewhat useful. Also Restoration Central was helpful. The metal cleaning part of this project is obviously important because of how the finished piece will look. Also because I need to replace some of the missing clips inside the fixture that hold the glass, I won't get a good solder on dirty metal. A number of articles I found suggest using salt and vinegar to clean metal. Because I like "older" formulas, I'm going to use that approach first. Good commercial metal cleaners that are intended for both these metals are probably fine, however because we don't' know the age of this piece, the natural materials seem like a good bet to remove the "second layer" of buildup - the "first layer" being removed with a soft brush.