Restoration

At New England Art Glass, our first commitment in a restoration project is to restore and preserve the original glass and color of each window. Complete and/or partial restoration begins with old lead in the window being removed and replaced with newer, stronger lead as each window is painstakingly reassembled. When necessary, we proceed with the attentive and conscientious matching of glass colors and repainting details. Your windows are then meticulously soldered and caulked for added strength. Even the very best stained glass windows eventually degrade over time. The average life-span of a stained glass window is between 80 and 100 years. The three areas that are prone to deterioration include the structure (usually lead or zinc but  also copper or brass), the decorative elements such as painted areas, and glass itself. If painted glass is not properly cared for, the paint will eventually fade and can potentially lift off the glass. Thankfully, with over 80 years of combined experience, we have the skills and expertise to restore your treasured stained glass art to it's former beauty. From basic frame repair to releading and soldering and glass matching and painting, we have you covered.

Delicate Disassembly And Transportation

Following the careful on-site extraction and transportation of the window to our Derby, VT studio, we remove and recycle the old oxidized lead came (grooved bars of lead / zinc / copper or brass responsible for holding the pieces of glass in place). The original pattern of the art is maintained while the window is disassembled. We are careful to preserve any broken pieces of priceless glass that are still usable. Any glass that is missing will later be replaced and expertly matched utilizing our extensive glass collection. 

Leading And Glass Matching Process

With great care, we proceed to relead the window. This means we replace the old lead line with new stronger came, which will last in excess of 80 years. Broken pieces are repaired whenever possible using a multitude of techniques. In a scenario where a lead line (came) would affect the artistic integrity of the window, a new piece of glass will be selected. This selection process is subject to a stern scrutiny of color, texture, thickness and transparency to assure the best possible match. When dealing with damaged painted glass, we have an in-house master artist who is formally trained in the art of painting and firing glass. This process is painstakingly slow, but will result in a finished product that looks exactly as the original had the first day it was installed. 

Waterproofing And          Re-Installation

Following the releading process, the final step is to apply a waterproofing compound. In the time-honored tradition of stained glass window preservation, we use a confidential but historically reliable compound to seal and cement the window. This ensures that the window will not leak and will increase it's structural integrity.