More about the Restoration of Stained-Glass Windows

RECENTLY, Michelle Geil and I have been corresponding with a restorer of stained-glass windows, to find out what a restoration project would involve.

Below the jump, I report on some of what we have learned.…

Relative Costs

Restoring any one of our 74-year-old windows would be less expensive than constructing a replica from scratch.
 

Procedure

The project would begin with careful removal of a window, boxing it up with custom packaging for transit to the studio. Then Lexan (clear acrylic) panels would be installed to temporarily replace the glass. 

At the studio, it would take roughly two weeks of effort to restore each window. The work would involve the following steps:

• Completely dismantle the old window, noting the position of each piece
• Clean and polish the glass pieces
• Replace individual broken glass pieces, as needed
• Replace the lead strips with new ones
• Reassemble the pieces
• Re-cement the pieces
• Clean off the excess cement
• Weld on the supporting cross-bars that keep the window erect

The existing lead strips need to be replaced because as that metal oxidizes over time, it loses its stiffness. Softened lead will tend to make a window sag.

Cementing the glass pieces to the surrounding lead strips (or is it cementing the strips to the surrounding glass pieces?) involves forcing a paste into the joints that run all along every facet.

Working in Phases

The project can be done in phases, and invoiced in phases. That is, in batches of 1, 2, or 3 windows. 

Compared to the overall price quote for all 6 south-facing windows, there would be some added cost for batching, but only according to the extra travel time involved for the additional trips. 

In this way, portions of the work could be completed as funds become available — well before the total amount is raised.

Making the Dark Windows Glow

As you have probably noticed, the two northeast windows are dark. They have been that way ever since the adjoining school building was constructed in 1960. However, it seems to be technically possible to install a light box behind each of those windows, so that they would glow as they used to do — that is, as stained-glass should. 

The effort would involve cutting the outer metal frame out from the window well, so as to remove the entire assembly as a unit. After custom LED panels are installed on the school building’s wall, the windows would be reinstalled. Meanwhile, the light boxes would be wired to an electricity source.

Unlike the restoration effort for the badly weathered and deteriorated windows on the south side — which is needed to prevent their disintegration — this ancillary project would be purely for the aesthetic pleasure of seeing additional windows glowing near the front of the sanctuary. I hasten to clarify that there are no current plans to undertake this side project. However, I mention it nonetheless, because it just might catch someone’s fancy.