Repair or remake? That is the question..

This should have been an “after” photo but it fell during photography!

Now it is the before photo for repairing a stained glass panel.

STEP 1 : Assess the damage

Put the panel on a well-lit flat surface for inspection. (Watch out for small glass splinters)

Take photographs – the panel will look nasty during repair.

• How much of the panel is broken?

• Do you have appropriate glass to repair with?

o Check colour (in natural, back-lit and lamp light), texture of both sides, and thickness.
o Are colour variations in the broken areas a part of the picture.
o If this is a vintage or antique piece – seek professional help – don’t repair with modern glass unless you HAVE to!

• Have the breaks in the glass made the panel flimsy?

o Yes – the piece needs to be replaced and possibly reinforced.
o No – can you foil over the break and do a cosmetic repair without destroying the design.

• Are the breaks in the glass “clean”? – no splintering

• How much of the soldering and foil needs to be disturbed to get to the broken pieces?

At the first stage, you need to decide if it would be faster, cheaper or more enjoyable to make the entire panel from scratch; or, if a repair is even possible.

If you decide to repair, a close inspection at the beginning will make you familiar with the panel and could save a lot of trouble.

The broken peacock above is being repaired ~ The plain glass pieces are easy to match, cheap to replace and easy to get to. I have the added bonus that I still have a copy of the original pattern that I designed.