Repairs in Clevedon

Even where regular maintenance is undertaken, there are accidents.  Doors seem to take the most punishment.  This house in the Clevedon area of Glasgow was subject to damage.

Even though it is set back from the road and with a gate, the glass got broken in a few places.

This is a large entry way with a grand hall behind it.

The door of course had a new break and a few others needed attention at the same time.

In addition, the fanlight above the door was rattling, although there were no breaks.  This was re-0cemented in situ.

A view of the completed repair from the inside.

This house was built in the period 1870-1890.  When compared to the entrance at a house in Bearsden built in the period 1910-1915 

[Bearsden   ] you can see that exactly the same design was used.  This shows the large studios did recycle designs, even though in this case 20-40 years later.

Loss of Painted Glass

I was called out to look at a broken door panel by a landlord.  The flat is in one of the currently less wealthy parts of Glasgow. The request was for a repair or replacement.

The painted glass was broken from the lock across the whole glass in several places.  The options were to make a copy or replace with plain glass.  The landlord decided that it was too expensive for a replacement copy and replaced the window with plain laminated glass.

This door shows that the area was once a prosperous area of the city during its industrial flourishing.  It is not a large flat, probably built in the period 1900-1915. The status of the area at the time it was built is also shown by the stair window that remains.

Although some parts of the window show the deterioration of the paint work, it is still in reasonable condition.  These windows are of a quality that deserves to be preserved, but because they are not in the grander parts of the city, they do not receive the grants to assist in their preservation that are available in those other areas.

This failure to recognise the glass heritage that remains in the poorer areas of the city will lead to the decrease in the variety of glass preserved from the great industrial period of Glasgow.

Glass Bends for Lights

Among the interesting things that I get to do are custom bends for interior decoration.

This bend was custom in the sense that the glass needed to protrude from the apertures to form a rectangular protrusion that is most apparent when the light is off.

This is the finished and installed set of lights by the designer Martin MacGuire.

Sea Cat

Mariscat is a reference to a type of sailing ship.  That makes it an appropriate image for a front door in Mariscat Drive.

This is the progress we have made on the construction of an oval window to replace the existing Georgian wired safety glass.

The glass colours and styles were chosen to compliment the fanlight that remains above the door.

It remains to solder and cement the panel before fitting.  Possibly this will be ready as a Christmas present.

The Work I Get to Do

Finished some repairs to broken glass in this house's front door on Friday.

Front entrance from street level

The repairs completed

The replacement glass has blended very well with the existing glass.  I know which pieces I replaced, but they are not apparent in this photo and only with close inspection are the replacements revealed.  A satisfactory conclusion.

Studio views

I have been asked to put some photos on the blog of my studio.  These are three general views of the studio today.

This is the East end of the studio.  Today the concentration is mainly on leaded glass.

This shows the North and part of the East of the studio.

This shows the South West portion of the studio during a sunny spell.

Arts and Crafts House

Today I had the opportunity to view the "in-progress" restoration of a large Arts and Crafts house in central Scotland.  The house has approximately 150 windows I am told by the owner. If accepted, I am to make and install 19 window panels by the time of the visit of the Mackintosh Society on 6th June.

Eastern elevation

South east elevation

Southern elevation

This last image shows the extensive work required to remove later additions to get back to the foot print of the original house.  The windows to be replaced are in these gaps.

Apologies for the rain drops; it was raining very hard on the day of the visit.  I hope to show some of the tremendous work being done on the house to bring it back toward the original decorative state.  My contribution will be preparing windows of this pattern.

Vandalism on Historic Windows

I was called out to view and advise on the necessary repairs to an historic window recently.

Right side light undamaged

As I approached the building, I finally knew where the image a photographer had given me years ago as he was cleaning out his files.  He did not remember where the photo was taken other than in Glasgow.

The painted and leaded figure of the right panel.

This pair of windows are almost certainly designed by David Gauld (1865-1936) "an important Scottish artist (in both oils and stained glass), being one of the great innovators within the Glasgow Boys. a painter who designed a number of windows for stained glass firms in the 19th century". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gauld

He was one of the group of artists known as the "Glasgow Boys" and did most of his stained glass designs for Guthrie and Wells.  These elements make this window one of the important windows from the period in private hands.

Of course, vandals do not question the beauty or importance of the objects they deface or destroy.  In this case the painted figure was left undisturbed, but the lower parts were badly damaged.

Upper part of the damaged section of the left panel

Lower section of the damage

Fortunately, the coloured glass is largely unbroken.  However a large seedy roundel with a green tint is broken and a replacement will have to be made by a company that can reproduce both the colour and the "seedyness" of the original.  Matching the texture and tints of the more common glass will prove difficult too.

It is a window with such a pedigree, that I hope various historical trusts will contribute to the expense of a proper repair.

Repair of Leaded Glass Panels

I have not posted anything about the classes I offer from time to time before, but this course will include elements to help people care for their windows as well as make repairs to them.

This two day course will give you the initial skills required to undertake the repair of a damaged panel. You will learn of cartoon making, methods to disassemble panels, in situ repairs, glass selection, repair choices, and a number of other things needed to make a panel whole again. Although tools will be provided, you may wish to bring your own as well. You can also bring your own panel for diagnosis, but we will be working on a number of small panels that require repairs.

As well as being pushed in, this panel has a cracked roundel in the middle and a piece missing. Learn how to replace and repair without taking apart

This panel has several pieces broken throughout. Also it needs to be cleaned to bring it back to its former glory. Learn these "trade" secrets and more on this course

Saturday 11 - Sunday 12 October, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The price of £160 covers tools, materials, and lunches.

Email me at stephen.richard43@gmail.com for bookings or further information.

Golf Clubs and Windows Don't Mix

They don't mix even when they are plastic and swung by three-year olds.  Only one pane was shattered, but because the came is so narrow, the whole window had to come out.

The shattered pane is to the left and below the bottom left rondel in the right hand panel.

Now the difficulty is finding a lightly tinted green glass to match so the whole subtle arrangement of tinted glass is maintained.

Art Deco Windows

I was called out to a house built in the early 1920's to estimate the refurbishment costs.

Downstairs Lounge

The downstairs lounge and throughout the front of the house the windows show elements of late arts nouveau stained glass made for the housing development market.

Fortunately for the new owners, the glass is in generally good condition. Three windows have breaks that need repairing and two hopper type windows need to have the bowing corrected and glazing bars installed. Most of the windows need to have the tie wires re-attached.

The unusual feature of the windows is one at the back of the house in a dark corner. It is much more in keeping with the artistic developments of the period.

Due to the extension to the house being planned at this point, this window needs to be removed and stored until the extension is complete and can be re-installed in its new location.

Guild of Master Craftsmen (and women)

I have just received a letter to say that I have been elected to membership of the Guild of Master Craftsmen. This is a long established organisation which provides quality assurance for the client and a range of services to ensure the client receives an excellent service and product and has a means to seek redress if anything were to go wrong. To be accepted my premises were inspected, the quality of work in progress was assessed, and a number of recent clients were contacted to provide information on my customer service, and their opinion of my work for them. The application then goes to the Council of the Guild for consideration.

It of course provides access to insurances and other business backup for the craftsperson.

Mostly, for me it provides an assurance for the potential client that my work is up to standard even though I not have the best website or advertisement.

Acid Etched Panel

In Glasgow and throughout Scotland - and possibly many other areas - etched glass front doors and stair windows were very popular in the mid nineteenth century. These were made on plate glass of around 8 mm thick which have proved to be pretty strong, as many of them still exist. However accidents occur, or as in this case someone threw an object which hit the glass with enough force to break it.

When it came into my hands - because I use traditional techniques rather than sandblasting - it had already been removed by a firm of glaziers who did more damage to it in getting it out. They were not aware initially of the screws that held the mouldings to the door and so damaged the moulding and more of the glass. Such is life.

This image shows the front door with the glass installed. If you wish to find out about the process you can go to this section of the blog.

The smooth reflective nature of the glass from the outside is shown in this picture. It also shows the privacy generated, as it is not possible to see what is happening inside, even at this close an approach. The apparently clear portions are subtly textured by the acid process that you can only see colours through those areas.

From the inside you notice the amount of light that is transmitted. You can see how the glass reacts to the colours outside with the view against the sky at the top having little contrast, the centre against the houses opposite having strong contrast, and at the bottom showing the green of the grass outside. The etched parts become the dark positive on the grey/white of the ground glass.

The following two images show the detail of the centre and bottom of the door panel.

central detail

bottom detail

This has been prepared on laminated glass which is a security glass. If in the future there is an accident, the interlayer will hold the glass together and prevent any entry through the glass or injury to anyone from falling or protruding glass.

Porch Door

Having previously completed the complete rebuild of a window for a sagging frame, I was asked to provide a reproduction front door. This involved removing the dark timber cladding of the door to reveal the original opening in the door.

This is the completed panel installed.

General view, outside

Inside view

Detail of the painting