EVALUATING OLD STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

Study the windows and take notice of these critical conditions:
     Stress cracked pieces of glass
     Daylight showing between pieces
     Bowing or sagging
     Lose bars and unattached bar wires
     Brittle lead
     Broken Solder joints
     Loss of cement, putty or caulking

Whether or not the original state has been retained:
     Older sections damaged should be stabilized, not replaced
     Intervention should be the last resort;  no repair is better than poorly done repair

Beware of the phrase, “re-lead”- this is seldom if ever necessary; there is an abundance of inferior restoration that does far more harm than good to old windows.  Most of the restoration projects we are asked to evaluate have had bids from companies that plan to “re-lead” the stained glass; we wonder if this is greed or lack of experience.