The Frey Repair: Framed In

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We continued work on the Frey Repair, of course, moving past reinforcing the panel to cleaning it and putting it back into its frame. We’re pretty proud of the results!

The completed panel on our work table
A detail of the repairs done
A detail of the repairs done
A detail of the repairs done
A glimpse of what it will look like in the window…
How it appears without light coming in through it.
Photos by Kevin Elliott

Each batch of art glass is different, even when it’s the “same” glass; there are always variations and individuations involved, especially with textured glasses. But we think we did a pretty good job of matching what was already present as we effected the repair and replacement, and we’re confident that the panel will hold up well for a long time to come, increasing the value of the home where it will be reinstalled and adding beauty to the lives of those who live there.

We’re not the only ones, either! The clients had the following to say about it when they picked it up:

After a major hail storm, we searched for options to repair an exterior piece of antique stained glass and were excited to find and work with Heart’s Desire Stained Glass. Our piece was not only expertly repaired and antique glass expertly matched, but was also reinforced against future damage. Heart’s Desire Stained Glass communicated with us throughout the duration of the project to provide incredible restoration and repair.

The Freys

For now, though, on to the next project!

Think you’d like to have some of this in your place? Please, give us a call at 830-890-1509, or message us via the form below or our “Contacts” page to see what all we can do for you!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Frey Repair: Making Progress

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Things seem to keep coming up, but we get through them–and we continue to make progress on the work we’re doing. In this case, we’ve continued work on the Frey piece, having removed and replaced the broken glass and adjusting such joints as needed work. That much done, we took pains to protect the piece, adding reinforcing rods in a stiffer, more durable material, so that the panel will have the structural strength to face the world well.

Note the reinforcing rods in profile
Note that the reinforcing rods blend in when looking at the panel head-on
Again, the reinforcing rods in profile
Photos by Kevin Elliott

We make a point of strengthening our work whenever we can do so, all while maintaining the visual effect of the pieces we handle. Even relatively simple art glass adds quite a bit of appeal to the rooms where it is installed, and that appeal comes chiefly from how the glass admits and alters light. Keeping that flow of light open is important, therefore, and we take pride in being able to do so while enhancing the stability of pieces we work with, ensuring that they remain beautiful for years to come!

If you’d like to have out work in your home, please, give us a call at 830-890-1509, or message us via the form below or our “Contacts” page to see what all we can do for you!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Frey Repair: In the Shop

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After taking a bit of a break and clearing out some personal things that needed doing–all are well, thanks!–we were finally able to get the Frey Repair into our shop and get a good look at the panel for ourselves.

Now that it’s on the table…
A general view, showing the damaged glass
A detail of the damaged glass
A detail of the damaged glass
A detail of the damaged glass
A detail of the damaged glass
Photos by Kevin Elliott

As noted previously, the panel comes to us from Eldorado, Texas, where it was caught in one of the hailstorms that occasionally crops up in the Texas Hill Country. Our examination of it notes four pieces of the panel that need replacement; what we’ll end up doing, for starters (we may end up doing more), is

  • Remove the panel from its frame,
  • Disassemble the panel to the extent needed to remove the broken glass from it,
  • Remove the glass,
  • Select and cut new glass,
  • Install the glass,
  • Reconstruct the panel,
  • Clean the panel, and
  • Restore the panel to the wood frame.

It’s a fair bit of work to do, of course, but it’s work for which we are well trained and equipped. And we’ll be sure to show you what we do along the way!

If you’d like us to take a look at your art glass, for repairs or creations, give us a call at 830-890-1509, or message us via the form below or through our “Contacts” page to see what all we can do for you!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

Some Reminders

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We’ve not got any new work to show you this week (apologies!), but we figured a few reminders might be in order:

We’ll look forward to having more work to show you in the weeks ahead!

A Simple Kitchen Window

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Frey Repair: Getting Started

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Projects just keep coming our way!

The most recent one to start with us is coming to us from Eldorado, Texas, a small city in the western Hill Country. Now, as folks who’ve lived in the area can tell you, we may not get a lot of rain in our part of the world, but when it does come, it’s like to come in abundance–and with company, namely hail. In Kerrville, we’ve had hailstorms that left the town coated in little ice pellets, standing a foot deep in some places, and many’re the folks who’ve had close encounters with quarter-sized chunks of ice coming from the sky. (It ain’t comfortable.) As might be imagined, such storms–and we’re always glad of rain–wreak havoc on windows, including such stained glass pieces as our soon-to-start project, the Frey Repair.

The panel in situ; nice place for it, really
The panel in situ, closer, showing some damage
The panel in situ, closer, showing damage more clearly
Detail of damage
Detail of probably the major damage; a hailstone seems to’ve punched right through…
Detail of damage
Detail of damage
Photos from the client

It’s clear even from these photos that there’s work to do; several panes need replacing, including one that seems to’ve had a hole punched clean through it by a particularly ornery hailstone, and there might be more to find once we get a good look at it in our shop. The window needs a good cleaning, too–but between getting that and the repair, when we get it back to the client, it’ll be a glorious little bit returned to another Hill Country town!

We’d love to hear from you. Please, give us a call at 830-890-1509, or message us via our “Contacts” page or the form below to see what all we can do for you!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Neubauer Reconstruction: Getting Started

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We do a lot of repairs to existing stained glass work, as we’ve shown in such pieces as the Cassidy Door and the Carpenter Beck Door. Less often, but no less happily, we take on work like the Smith Panel Combination, where we reconfigure existing glass into new designs. Sometimes, though, we get a project that involves a bit of both–like the Neubauer Reconstruction.

The obverse, showing damage
The obverse, detail of the major damage
Photos from the client

What had happened with this piece is that, while it was decently constructed–the outside edges are of sturdy zinc came, and there is some reinforcement in the piece–it was removed and moved, and handled badly amid that move. It’s not the first time we’ve encountered such a piece; we got one in one time that had been stepped on. But it’s always a shame to see it happen–especially with so vibrant a piece, and one that clearly was made with some attention to detail. Note how the streaks in the “water” largely align, suggesting the flow behind the koi; it’s not bad work at all, though it was treated badly later on.

The reverse, showing the major damage
The reverse, showing some small cracks and scratches
The reverse, showing larger cracks and marring
Photos from the client

We would, of course, be happy to restore this piece to its original glory; it’s the kind of thing in which we delight, not least when working with such a vivid piece as this one. But the client wants something a little different; what we’ll be doing is reconfiguring the rectangular panel into an oval hanger, preserving the koi and the oyster and as much of the scene as can remain while framing the two in as an oval. And, instead of the zinc came with the soldered-on hanging points–they show up in the first picture of the obverse–we’ll be framing the oval in H-shaped lead came. The glass will fit into the inside; double-jack chain will be fitted and secured into the outside, allowing for a more even distribution of the hanger’s weight within its structure and facilitating its display in most any window.

We’re happy to do this kind of work for you, too; if you’ve got some you’d like attended to, let us know below!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Perry Panel: Detailed Assessment

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Having finished up the Turner Transom and having worked through the Carpenter Beck Door, we were pleased to get back to work on the Perry Panel, taking the next step in our work on it. In this case, we did a fuller inspection of the panel than we were able to amid the other works, finding there was a lot more to do than we’d originally thought–dozens of breaks, in fact.

Photos by Kevin Elliott

It’s not a surprise, admittedly. We were told that the panel came from a movie set, and shooting takes a toll on everything that connects to it. Too, it’s been a while, and age, unfortunately, affects us all. Further, the whole piece is in the Tiffany style, and while that allows for beautifully detailed work, it doesn’t always come with the best stability and endurance. Pieces move and shift, and the stresses of doing so sometimes break the glass. Fortunately, though, we know just what to do and how to do it–and we’ll let you know some more about that next time!

Got some glass that needs some fixing? Give us a call at 830-890-1509, or message us via our “Contacts” page or through the form below to see what all we can do for you!

And, for your writing needs, get in touch with Elliott RWI!

The Carpenter Beck Door: Finale

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In the time since the previous update on the Carpenter Beck Door glass was written, the panel’s been completed, picked up, and installed. We think it looks pretty good in its new home!

The panel fit right back into the door.
The reinforcements are visible when you look right at them up close, but…
…with healthy Hill Country light coming in, they vanish against the glass.
Photos from the contractor.

We’re confident that the panel will stand up to the use a front door can expect to have, and for a good long time. And that’s good, because we guarantee our work against manufacturing defects for the life of the work. Putting a football or the like through the panel isn’t covered, but an awful lot is.

Next, we’ll be returning to the Perry Panel, which has been waiting patiently for attention–but good things come to those who wait! In the meantime, if you’ve got a project you’d like us to do, read up on our new-project process here, and then reach out to us at 830-890-1509, through our Contact page, or via the form below; we’d love to work with you!

And for your writing needs, don’t forget to look up ElliottRWI!

The Carpenter Beck Door: We’ve Done a Bit

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We’ve continued to be busily at work on the Carpenter Beck Door Panel, bringing it along a fair way. We’re quite pleased with how things turned out, and we’re confident that not only the client, but the client’s successors, will be too–because we (re)built this thing to last!

The came is repaired; see how much neater that solder work is? Photo by Kevin Elliott.

We got the old joints repaired that needed repaired, and the whole window has been reputtied. The individual pieces of glass will now stay where they are in the came, forming an airtight panel that will keep out the winds that blow in when the Hill Country gets some of the rain it always seems to need. And to help keep things from moving out of joint again, we’ve added reinforcing rods along the middle three uprights, as well as at the major horizontals, binding them to the back of the came so that the light shining in will hide them–and they can keep the panel from moving in ways it shouldn’t when the door swings open and closed.

Reinforcements in place along center details and the center upright, laid out on the second and fourth uprights
View of most of the reinforcement rods held in place to check fit
Detail of the reinforcement rods being placed for fit and setup
Another detail of the reinforcement rods being placed for fit and setup.
Still another detail of the reinforcement rods…
Note that the reinforcing rods are just barely visible from this side.
The reinforcing rods do not show up at all from the other side.
Photos by Kevin Elliott

We’re not done, of course. As of this writing, the panel is yet to be picked up and installed by the contractor with whom we’re working. Too, there are always more projects coming, and we’ll be building up inventory to start heading out to craft shows again as time and circumstances permit, doing things such as are featured here. In the meantime, if you’ve got a project you’d like us to do, read up on our new-project process here, and then reach out to us at 830-890-1509, through our Contact page, or via the form below; we’d love to work with you!

And remember to reach out to the folks at ElliottRWI for your writing needs!