Recent Restoration

I have recently restored a panel for the front door of a beautiful farmhouse in Hemyock, near Taunton. Here are some photos of the process. I managed to find hand blown glass to match the original broken pieces and I added glass painted initials as requested by the customer. It is apparently an Art Deco door, however, it has more of an arts and crafts feel to me. The process goes as follows: I take a rubbing of the window to be restored and keep this as a guide to ensure I get the new window exactly right. Then comes the hardest part, removing all the old lead without breaking anymore glass! This is a delicate mixture of extrmeme care and brute force! Once this is complete I clean up the remaining glass and lay it on the rubbing. Next I match the lead sizes and the glass to be replaced as much to the original as possible. I then draw a new pattern, cut the glass and re-lead the window. I then cement the gaps between the lead and the glass, add a paterna acid wash to dull the solder and when cleaned up I buff with stove black. In this case I then painted on the clients initials. Job done.  Each window I complete teaches me something new and this window renewed by amazement at how precice and skilled stained glass artisans have always been. I love working using a method which has barely changed for 1,000 years and can almost feel the craftsmen who made the original looking over my shoulder hopefully happy with my repairs!!