Evening all,

I'm looking for suggestions on how to fix a
small leaded window that is in the top half of
a wooden stable-type kitchen door.

This door has obviously been around the block,
and bears the scars of various different bits of door
furniture. The leaded pane is the best bit - very
pretty, but it's been soldered and fixed at some point,
and the previous repairs have split, so the panes now
rattle and let the wind in. There are nine panes in all,
eight on the edges, about 4*3 inches each, with an
oval etched pane in the centre.

Since it's attractive, I'd rather not bodge it with sealant
or anything similar. Is there a 'right' way to go about this?

It's a really nice door, but do all stable doors change shape
and size whenever the wind changes direction? This one
sticks when it rains, and leaks like a teabag in the dry.

Ta muchly,

Glenn.

Glenn Booth wrote:
Evening all,

I'm looking for suggestions on how to fix a
small leaded window that is in the top half of
a wooden stable-type kitchen door.

It sounds like you need to get on some sort of leaded light
maintainance course. If the light is intact and just slightly buckled,
get some soft putty on it front and back.

If it is too far gone you might have to take he light out to repair.
It's a difficult job to repair in situ what ever you do so take it out
and store it in ply or something whilst you replace it temporarily with
ordinary glass.

If you want to have a go at it, number each piece with a felt pen and
try and locate some of the lead beading that is used in making them.

http://www.rogermears.com/guides/glass/index.html
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs...d%20Protection

I can't offer any advice on the door without several good pictures of
it.

You could start by measuring the doors and frame opening on wet and on
dry days; check the diagonals as well; check if the hinges are thickly
covered in paint and/or damaged and see if the frame has worked loose
on its fixings.

When the door is closed, how close is the face to the rebate? Any gaps?
If it isn't shutting tight or if it just minimally shy, you will have
to house the hinge nearest the gap to take the door over a fraction.

But then you might have problems with the join.

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:56:19 +0100, "Glenn Booth"
wrote:

Is there a 'right' way to go about this?

Solder it if possible, strip it and re-lead it if necessary. Working in
situ is easiest if it's just soldering, you might want to take the panel
out if it's a rebuild. Which to do depends on the state the rest of
the lead is in. Chances are that the cames have opened up and the glass
is loose, but re-soldering the failed joints, some judicious closing up
of the cames and then re-cementing will usually give most panels a few
years more life.

If you're handy at soldering, and you can find the right iron (probably
gas heated, or else a 150W+ stained glass iron), then you can probably
do a solder repair yourself. A rebuild is a bit much for a first attempt
though, unless you find a course (it's an easy first project).
Tempsford glass sell all the bits mail order.

When soldered (either fix or re-build), you should cement it. If you
don't cement an external panel properly, you'll have rattles again in no
time.

Alternatively get a stained glass repairer to fix it - often cheaper
than buying the tooling. Leaded glass work is pretty cheap - cheaper
than copper or zinc work. Look in the usual places, particularly ask at
local architectural salvage yards.

The message . com
from "Weatherlawyer" contains these words:

check the diagonals as well;

One of the problems with leaded windows, particularly those made up from
small panes is that the woodwork can't use the stiffness of the glass to
help it resist drooping on the diagonals.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Guy King wrote:
The message . com
from "Weatherlawyer" contains these words:

check the diagonals as well;

One of the problems with leaded windows, particularly those made up from
small panes is that the woodwork can't use the stiffness of the glass to
help it resist drooping on the diagonals.

Glass is never an exact fit in the opening, so by this reckoning all
doors are doomed to droop a few mm.

MBQ

The message . com
from contains these words:

One of the problems with leaded windows, particularly those made up from
small panes is that the woodwork can't use the stiffness of the glass to
help it resist drooping on the diagonals.

Glass is never an exact fit in the opening, so by this reckoning all
doors are doomed to droop a few mm.

And indeed they often do, particularly when they're old and the tenons
have shrunk.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Hi,

"Glenn Booth" wrote in message
...
Evening all,

I'm looking for suggestions on how to fix a
small leaded window that is in the top half of
a wooden stable-type kitchen door.

[snip]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I reckon I might
leave this one to somebody who knows what
they are doing this time around!

It turns out that both door and wooden frame are
slightly warped (in opposite directions, naturally!)
and the window is going to need a fair bit of work.
I'm not even sure if the leading would survive being
removed from the frame, and I don't think it will
be simple to do in situ.

I'll see what a pro has to say, and take it from
there.

Thanks again.

Glenn.