How to fix lead light front door?

[NicoleDIY]

We have a beautiful lead light front door that has unfortunately been damaged, with cracks in the glass on every panel. Looking into restoration it’s more than we want to spend currently. There is a slight ledge either side of the glass on both sides of the door, to make it more secure, could we do something like glue PVC panels either side of the glass?

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @NicoleDIY,

Unfortunately, I wouldn't advise you to attach anything to either side of the glass, mainly because leadlight panels need a small amount of room for expansion, and gluing rigid PVC sheets directly to the glass prevents that movement. This can put extra stress on the cracked glass, which can cause the damage to worsen rather than stabilise.

The only suggestion I can really give is to contact a glazier with experience with this type of glass and see if they have any advice on how you can stabilise it till a time that you can afford to restore it.

Allow me to tag some of our knowledgeable members to see if they have any thoughts, experience or ideas. @AlanM52, @Dave-1, @Nailbag, @Noyade.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @NicoleDIY 

If you're concerned of the glass sections cracking further and potentially falling through, you could consider simple strips of packing tape. Place this along both sides of the window or something a little more sturdy in lightweight PVC film until you can have the glass repaired/replaced.

Nailbag

[AlanM52]

Hi @NicoleDIY,

Thinking... I have some initial thoughts including @JacobZ's thoughtful expansion thing as well as - soft containment.

Magic tape, timber strips and hot glue.

Overview:

Tape the cracks on both sides with good quality magic tape.

Prepare 3xsets of edging timber strips, don't bother with top.

Blending... stain the timber strips.

Optional: Clear & 'stiff' PVC sheets

Procedure:

You will need assistance?

Preheat hot glue gun.

Align left strip, press and hold that position.

Tack bottom, middle and top.

Maintain pressure until glue cools.

Do the bottom strip.

Go back and finish tacking left strip.

Same for the right.

Do the same for the other 2 sets.

Note: What I mean by tacking is minimal dobs of hot glue and easier/cleaner removal of the strips when prepping for restoration.

Need to find my info about the clear & stiff PVC sheets.

Can always just use thin PVC.

Cheers

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @NicoleDIY 

They are beautiful panels, well worth restoring

I wouldnt attach anything to the panels for the same reason @JacobZ has mentioned.

How long have the cracks been there? If its been a long time then maybe you could leave as is and start a fund for the repair job?

Or and this might need to be done anyway as restoration may take several months. Replace the stained glass panels with normal glass panels, frost them with contact. I would suggest getting a glazier to do the job to remove and install the clear glass and then if you are happy, when the panels are restored get the glazier to come back and reinstate them. 

Last suggestion would be to find a stained glass restorer/maker and ask what their opinion on how to procede with the repair.

Dave

[R4addZ]

Hi @NicoleDIY 

The first question is are they true leaded windows. I have leaded windows in the past and the relatively modern way is to use stick on lead and then use glass paints and other methods of simulating different finishes to give the desired look. If it is the modern way of doing things then it becomes a complete replacement job. Traditional leaded windows use the lead to join together panels (of varying shapes) to produce the desired panels. If traditional leading then it is a different job because a good (and I mean specialised) glasier can remove the entire panel and replace the individual sections as required in order to renovate the panel then replace it. Either way it won't be cheap!

Looking at the pictures, I suspect this is a modern leaded window (some versions even the lead is painted on).

[NicoleDIY]

Thanks Jacob for your reply. We wouldn't look to attach the PVC directly to the glass, rather to the timber shelf around the glass. Would UV resin be another option to stabilise the cracks?

[NicoleDIY]

Thanks Alan, appreciate your detailed reply. Would UV resin rather than the tape work to stabilise the cracks?

[NicoleDIY]

Thanks for your reply. They are traditional leaded windows, so we may be able to get the individual pieces replaced in time. 

[AlanM52]

Hi Nicole,

UPDATE INSERTED HERE.

Reading @R4addZ's response and yes... he is correct 👍

However... thinking some more I am now quite confident and suggest after having some picture frame practice go ahead and repair the window/door glass which will achieve your outcome to stabilize everything until you are ready for a profession repair job.

I am also thinking the UV resin fix on it's own will be strong enough to hold everything together and not need any of the other stuff and your front entry will still look good.

END UPDATE

That is actually a clever thought, I use that and didn't think to mention 🙄

And it dries clear... so what about trying this.

Buy the UV resin and a glass photo frame.

With photo frame on flat surface with folded tea towel on top tap gently and hopefully some of it will stay intact as cracks.

Remember the personal safety thing, proper disposal and let us how how it works out for you

Cheers