Restoration

I truly enjoy the process of restoration. Stained glass and leadlights are very unique objects, that can be fully restored to their original beauty with a bit of knowledge and skill. Here you can see the full restoration of a vintage Victorian stained glass transom, that once was a focal point of someone’s house entrance.

Painted Ivy leaves in the centre of the transom, before restoration.
The original state of the window, where you can see broken glass, damaged leadwork and plenty of dirt.
A closer look at the amount of grime and dirt that collected on the glass and lead surface over the years of its existence.
Beautiful handmade turquoise glass roundel.
It is crucial to inspect and evaluate the extent of damage and degradation, as well as to establish the period to which the panel belongs.
Bit by bit glass carefully released from the old lead. This stage could be quite challenging and time consuming, as old glass is more brittle and need extra care. We save every bit of the glass, including broken pieces. The lead, unfortunately, has to be recycled.
New lead is used to restore the window. However it is matched as closely as possible to the original old one. Using new lead will add to the lifespan of this transom at least another 70 to 100 years and will help to preserve the glass.
After soldering a special putty mix is used to weatherproof the panel and add rigidity.

Process of restoration

A precise rubbing of the panel is taken to help with re-lead in later stages of restoration. It’s important to note and document all the details of original window, as we try to avoid any unnecessary changes.
Once all the pieces of glass have been removed from the old lead, each piece washed by hand in a bath of slightly warm water, to remove years worth of dirt build-up.
Once the leading stage is complete, the restored panel needs to be soldered and prepared for next step.
Some final cleaning and polishing brings this traditional Victorian transom to its former glory, ready to brighten a new home.
After puttying and meticulous cleaning process the panel is left flat for a period of time needed for putty to harden.

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