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!
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 uprightsView of most of the reinforcement rods held in place to check fitDetail of the reinforcement rods being placed for fit and setupAnother 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!
Last week, we noted having gotten started on the Carpenter Beck Door, thanks to a contractor reaching out to us to help with a client’s remodel. In the time since getting the post written, we’ve gotten the panel out of the door and gotten it laid out on our working table, where we’ve been able to take a good, long look at it and see what all needs to be done with it.
A detail of the framing as the panel came outGetting the panel secured for transportThe view from the door where the panel has been and will be againScenes from the removal; photos provided by the contractorTape on, and the obverseTape off, and the reverseThis is where we’re at at the moment (of this writing); photos by Kevin Elliott
The visual design of the panel is a relatively simple one, being largely block geometric shapes. It’s a strong design, striking in the contrasts of red and blue against the clear, warmed by the central ambers; it’s a good window to work with. But it’s in need of a fair bit of work on the came. Some two dozen joints, indicated by numbers and arrows on the window (they’ll be removed as the repairs are effected, and the window will be cleaned well before we return it to the contractor and the client), are in need of repair. The soldering that connects the came has come loose, probably as a result of hard use on the door and exposure to the weather.
To fix it, we’ll have to remove the old soldering and replace it. Some of that might involve pulling apart some of the came; it happens, sometimes, but it’s not always the kind of thing that can be predicted. And then we’ll proceed with the rest of the work we need to do: repairing the breaks, re-puttying the whole panel, and reinforcing it inside and out. When it’s done, it’ll be a beautiful window that will stand up to the rigors of use for years to come!
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 hear from you!
Well before the Ides of March, a contractor reached out to us to set up a working relationship. We were happy to accept it, and we were happy to get a job from that contractor, one we’re calling the Carpenter Beck Door. What’s happening with it is that there’s a remodel going on of the client’s home, and the door needs some work. Some of that work will be done by another group; the door itself is going to be refinished, and while we’ve got a solid hand with woodworking, we’re not carpenters. But what we will be doing is attending to the large glass panel in the door.
The overall view of how it is to start with; photo from the contractor.
Fortunately, there’s not any broken glass in the panel (so far as we know). That means we won’t have to track down matching glass, which is a helpful thing (but if some is broken, we’ll address it, of course). What we will have to do is address a number of breaks in the came–the lead strips that hold the glass panels in place–and the putty, as the adhesive holding the glass securely in the came is degraded or, in some places, absent.
Note the gaps around the glass, especially up near the frame.This doesn’t show quite as well, but it will still rattle around. Too, some of the came is torn.That flaking you see is, in part, putty coming away.Again, it’s hidden, but there’s wiggle room there–and that’s not helpful, here.Here, too, you can see the putty flaking away.Putty’s coming out, and some of the joining looks broken.All pictures are from the contractor.
What we plan to do is take the panel out of the door; it will help us work on the glass and such while letting the woodworkers do their bit–and not have to worry about the glass as they do. We’ll replace the came that needs replacing and re-putty the whole panel; if some of the putty is going, the rest is likely not far behind, and it will be good to have it all renewed, in any event. Because the door will still be an exterior door, we’ll be adding reinforcement on the inside, giving the panel additional stability, and we’ll be installing Lexan on the outside to further weatherproof the panel. We try to build our glass to last!
If you’ve got a door in need of some attention, we’d be happy to help. 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 any of your writing needs, check out Elliott RWI!
Heart's Desire Stained Glass 