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Hints for Restorations of Leaded WindowsPay very special attention to all of this information. This is the voice of experience talking and the voice learned all this stuff the hard way.Position window on table. Since it is customary to work with the smoothest side of the glass, ensure smooth side is up and rough side is down. It does not matter whether this was the inside face of window or the outside. All your work will be done smooth side up, and a consistent treatment by you is required. Secure loose glass and outer lead came so that it does not move. Use tape for glass, and brads or horseshoe nails for lead came. Use a piece of paper that is larger than the window and lay over top and secure to table with tape. Use a pencil to create a rubbing of the glass components and lead lines. This line does not have to be dark as you will be erasing and making minor corrections as you work. After the window has been disassembled, charted and marked, position all glass pieces on the rubbing and position them correctly leaving a minimum of 1/16'' between the glass pieces for clearance. When you are happy with the positioning, trace each piece of glass onto the rubbing using a black felt tip pen with a nib that draws a 1/16'' line. Do not use a magic marker as the line will be far too wide and heavy. The final drawing will have the glass pieces traced onto the paper using black felt tip pen, and will ultimately show the spaces between the glass which will be where the lead came will be running. Now this part is extremely important. Before you disassemble the window, pay very careful attention to how the original window was leaded. Try to determine which are the long runs of lead, and which are short connecting runs. See if you can predetermine the sequence of assembly and look for bugs in your thinking. It may also be helpful to mark and identify the precise location of each piece of glass. Remember, if the window was designed and built with 15 pieces that are all apparently square and appear to be the same size, THEY ARE NOT!! They are not twins or clones, and each will be slightly different and will react to their location relative to the surrounding glass pieces. It is also important to know the direction (up vs. down) and side (front vs. back) of each piece. All this information should be recorded and mapped out on paper. The glass pieces should be appropriately marked with masking tape on the face up side of the glass as it was in the tracing or rubbing. They should contain an indicator of up, front, and a pattern xref number. All of this will make the final rebuild that much easier and less stressful. You may also be interested in the following sublinks See How I got interested. and/or My restoration experiences or The logic behind these tips. |
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