How To Fix A Glass Lamp

Lamp Repair

I repair glass and metal parts of lamps, with the added specialty of re-creating curved glass panels.

I am in Eugene, Oregon. There is plenty of lamp information below, but you may simply want to:

email me at john.rose3@comcast.net

or text or call 541-342-6872 .

Describe the problem, and send a photo or two if possible.

Here is complete address information.

Lamp types and assembly techniques

Traditional stained glass or "Tiffany" style lamps: each piece of glass is wrapped with copper foil, then the pieces are all soldered together.
Curved glass lamps, commonly referred to as slag glass, are composed of a metal structure that then receives glass panels. Sometimes the curved panels are wrapped in brass channel which are then soldered together.

The methods can be combined in various ways.

A copper foil lamp: typical problems are broken glass and separation at the metal crown
Curved glass is sometimes assembled using the copper foil technique.
Curved glass lamps are usually a metal structure into which glass panels are inserted.
Glass can be set in a metal channel: Here the channel has a beaded texture. It is often smooth.
The curved panels are held by clips or tabs-they are soldered to the metal structure. New ones can be made.
This variation has metal clips holding metal straps- together they hold the glass in place.

Estimating your repair costs

Making the replacement panels

Simple shapes: $110 for the initial panel, $60 for each additional panel.
Complex shapes: $135 for the initial panel, $70 for each additional panel.

Metal work

the standard charge is $60 per hour.

Handling

$10 for panels and small lamps
$25 for lamps over 12" diameter

Shipping

Shipping: You are responsible for all shipping charges to the studio and return charges to your shipping address. If original packing is inadequate for safe return, an additional charge will be added to cover the cost of adequate packaging.

The total cost consists of:

Making the replacement panels
Any metal work required
Handling charge, if applicable
Cost of shipping to and from my studio

When you contact me

Send pictures if you can. Also, describe the problems as you see it, including the number of broken pieces of glass and the approximate size of the lamp. I'll get back to you with an estimate and any comments I may have about your lamp.

It is helpful to know the city or area where you live.

Work takes 2-6 weeks, the longer time is required for glass I need to order.

I have prepared a separate page with UPS and Postal Service Packaging Guidelines

Completion of Work and Payment

When the work is completed, I send you a file that documents the lamp in natural light and illuminated, and provides as many views as are necessary for you to see the complete lamp. Here is an example where the lamp is rotated in natural and illuminated light so the client can see all panels.

I also send an invoice in a separate email that links to a PayPal site. It allows payment by any credit card, you are not required to have a PayPal account.

Once the payment is made, I ship the completed work with the tracking number.

Simple and Complex Shapes

Simple Shapes

A curved glass lamp of medium complexity — While the bend is rather extreme, I classify this as a simple bend.

Simple and Complex Shapes

Glass panels with compound curves — While this simple bend has compound curves, they are not too extreme.

Here are a couple of somewhat extreme shapes that I still consider "simple."

Pricing: $95 for the initial panel; $55 for each additional panel.

I have a write-up on installing panels held by clips, and the same tips, in reverse, can be followed to remove an intact panel for shipping.

Complex Shapes

A complex curved glass lamp — Curves like these make for a complex shape

The lamps pictured here are a common type of lamp and typical of what I consider a complex shape.

Pricing: $125 for the initial panel and $67.50 for each additional panel. Smaller "crown" pieces: $25 each.

These lamp panels are usually wrapped in a metal channel. To get an intact panel from which to make a mold, the channel needs to be un-soldered from the rest of the lamp.

Considerable metal work is needed to fit the new glass to the channel and get everything back in place.

Usually, the entire lamp must be shipped, as removing and replacing panels is specialized work.

#### Matching Glass: It's not always easy

Many older curved glass lamps have glass made companies still in producition, Kokomo Opalescent Glass (KOG) and the Paul Wissmach Glass Company. Since the later 1970's, some curved and many stained glass lamps may be of Spectrum Glass.

Shake-up in the industry

As I write this in 2018, Spectrum Glass has stopped production but has announced that some of their styles will be produced by Oceanside Glass & Tile, which is also producing limited styles of another company that closed in 2018, [Uroboros Glass](http://www.uroboros.com/about.php "Uroboros Glass "about" page"), a maker of many fine Tiffany reproduction and other unusual mixes.

Bullseye Glass has remained in production. Their glass is found in some lamps, more often stained glass lamps than curved glass.

Matching Color, Style, and Glass "Density"

Matching Color

A curved glass lamp with hard-to-match colors

This lamp had glass that was particularly hard to match. There was a texture to the glass which was on the inside of the lamp, and the red and yellow were both very deep, rich colors. In this case, there was one particular part of one particular sheet of Uroboros Glass which proved adequate for the 2 pieces that needed replaced.

As a priority, I try to match glass that matches when illuminated, but we also want a good match of the reflected color when the lamp is not lit.

Along with the shake-up in the industry described above, there has been a slow-down in stained glass in general, meaning that the supply houses stock fewer varieties of glass, which sometimes makes matching an odd color mix impossible.

Matching Style

A curved glass lamp whose glass style could not be matched

A curved glass lamp whose glass has been completely replaced

The original version of this lamp featured a colorless glass with "ribbed" glass, raised straight line channels of glass, which did a good job of diffusing the glass but which could not be matched.

The decision was made to replace all the glass with a caramel/white mix which is common in the oldest of lamps.

Special pricing is available when glass cannot be matched and you decide to replace all panels.

Matching Glass Density

A favorite type of curved glass lamp is where an entire scene is rendered in the metal work. A picture of this lamp was sent to me, and both the multi-colored glass and the green glass at the "skirt" looked like glass that I could match.

Panels were removed by the Panamanian owner, and when they arrived and I compared the multi-colored sample with my available glass, the color mix was pretty good but the original glass was much more dense than what I had. That is, when I held the existing curved panel with my available glass in lamp light, my replacement glass appeared way too bright.

In some cases, there is not much to be done except to replace all the panels with a similar color mix. Another less acceptable alternative is to alternate lighter and darker panels when the panel count permits.

in this case, because one doesn't usually see up into the lamp, there was another option- to make the replacement panels appear more dense- to read as "darker".

An original glass panel and two replacement panels that have been painted — An original panel (center) flanked by two painted replacement panels

One original and two painted replacement panels — A close density match achieved with "bendable blendable" glass paints

There is a type of glass paint known as "bendable blendable" that offers colors that can be mixed and fired onto the glass to make the paint permanent. In this case, to make the glass read as "darker" or more dense, the best choice is to use white paint. A black or grey paint makes the colors muddy; the white paint preserves most of the luminosity.

One can see the result in these panels . The two existing panels in the lamp had enough variation that the two new panels blended in quite well.

In many situations one can see the interior of the lamp, and this solution would be objectionable, but in some cases it can be used with a measure of success.

Finding help locally

While I do all types of repair, sometimes your problem can be taken care of by a local professional. This is especially true if the lamp is made from flat rather than curved parts, or if some straighforward re-soldering is needed to repair or re-attach a metal part.

A good place to start is at whatever stained glass supply house is closest to you. They will either be able to make the repairs themselves, or they should know the local person with the best skills to work on your lamp. If you're having trouble locating anyone, let me know where you live and I can do a quick search and see if I come up with someone to contact. You may be able to save considerable money and time; otherwise, I'm happy to do the work.

Getting a second opinion and quote

I believe that good work is done by Curran Glass of Elmwood Park, Illinois- near Chicago.

Also, the supply house Whittemore-Durgin of Rockland, Massachusetts offers curved glass repairs.

If you are near either of these companies, you may save the cost and trouble of shipping.

If you are a maker of curved glass panels, please contact me to be listed.

A traditional copper foil lamp — A copper foil lamp- the pieces are cut from a flat sheet of stained glass

The structure is like most curved glass lamps, but the pieces are all straight

Here are lamp types that can be repaired locally if a skilled stained glass person is somewhere in your area.

Many lamps, complicated or not, are assembled as in the first example from flat pieces of glass. Each cut piece is wrapped with an adhesive copper foil which takes solder readily. Broken pieces can have their edges un-soldered and new pieces can be inserted.

The second example resembles the form of many curved glass lamps- a metal framework into which glass panels are inserted. In this example, the glass pieces are straight. If a matching glass can be found at a stained glass supply house in your area, this can be cut and inserted. If metal clips for holding the glass are loose or missing, someone with good soldering skills can attache them in a sound way.