Repair and Restoration
The repair and restoration of existing glass plays a considerable part in the work we carry out at Lightworks. The most frequently requested of these services include;
Repairing cracked or broken pieces of plain glass
By gently opening up the lead-work around a cracked or broken piece of glass it is possible to remove and replace singular pieces of glass without disturbing the rest of a window. These are generally known as in-situ repairs.
Repairing cracked or broken pieces of painted glass
Again this process involves opening up the lead-work around a damaged piece, but where plain glass is knocked out, painted glass is carefully removed and returned to our studio where it is painstakingly pieced and taped back together. Once made whole, new glass is cut from a template then hand painted and kiln fired to replicate every minute detail of the original. The replica is then placed back into the window, the lead is closed up and the piece is sealed and cleaned.
The full restoration of a window or section of a window
On occasions where damage is considered too extensive or where passage of time has resulted in lead and joint corrosion it is often necessary to remove an entire window or section of a window to undergo full stained glass restoration. Upon its return to our studio, the panel or panels are documented and rubbings are taken prior to being stripped entirely of their lead. Sound glass is cleaned and damaged glass is replaced before the window is fully re-leaded using the rubbings.
