AboutValerie McCartney Expertise Visit our web site at www.churchwindows.net. I can answer questions about restoration and repair of stained glass windows and their surrounds. I can, also, answer technical questions regarding matching old glass, glass painting (kiln-fired), waterproofing panels (cementing), re-inforcing, removal, and installation. I can not answer questions on glass casting, Dalle de Verre, or glass blowing.
Experience
Past/Present partial client list Aboite Baptist Church, Ft. Wayne, IN; Immaculate Conception Church, Three Rivers, MI; St. Monica Church, Kalamazoo, MI; St. Charles Catholic Church, Coldwater, MI; St. Clair Catholic Church, Centreville, MI; St. Mary's Church, West Phalia, MI; Pleasant View Church of Christ, Angola, IN; St. Paul United Church of Christ, LaPorte, IN; First Congregational United Church of Christ, Olivet College, Olivet, MI; First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, Kalamazoo, MI; Trinity Lutheran Church, Culver, IN; St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Breman, IN; Grace Lutheran Church, Germfaske, MI; St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Rogers City, MI; United Methodist Church, Bellevue, MI; Augusta Fellowship United Methodist Church, Augusta, MI; United Methodist Church, Galena, IL; Metropolitan United Methodist Church, Detroit, MI; University United Methodist Church, Lansing, MI; Believer's Bible Fellowship Church, Churubusco, IN; St. Elias Eastern Orthodox Church, Battle Creek, MI; First Presbyterian Church, Allegan, MI; First Reformed Church, Grand Haven, MI; Bellmor House, Grosse Pointe, MI; Milwood Middle School, Kalamazoo, MI;
Experience in the area I have owned and operated Full Spectrum Stained Glass, Inc. since 1988. (www.churchwindows.net)
Organizations The Stained Glass Association of America, The American Glass Guild, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan
Question Hi Valerie
We have a stained glass window in our church. It is in the shape of a wagon wheel with spokes and with stained glass in between the wooden spokes. The glass in between some of the spokes have bulged. The window is probably more than 60 years old. Upon examination of the bulging parts of the window there is nothing loose. The lead is all in tacked. Many years ago some plexiglass was placed over it to protect it from the outside elements. There was no bulging at the time it was put on. There were no vents put in the plexiglass to allow natural ventilation and heat stress. This is probably the reason for the bulging.
I have a few questions for you. Since the window is still solid where the bulges are can we just get way with putting the proper protection over it with proper ventilation? Our parish is small and we have very limited funding. Is there a critical point in how big the bulges are for you to answer this? If there is what the critical point (ie. measurement) before they need to be removed and straighten? Also what is the proper way and what is the proper material to use to put a protective barrier over it and how is the proper way to vent it?
Answer Dear Willy,
I believe the window you have described is called a Catherine Wheel window. It is difficult to give you good advise on your question with out examining your window. Improperly installed protective glazing can damage more than just the stained glass panels, it can also cause the wood frame members to deteriorate or rot. Lead came is a soft metal. When it has been stressed to the point of causing a window to bulge, it does not shrink back to the intended flat plane on it's own, no matter what you do.
In the case of your window, I do not know if the stress on the lead cames, (that caused the bulging), has caused lead joints to crack or pull away from it's reinforcing. These are things that would need to be examined. I recommend contacting me directly at fssgi@aol.com to discuss your options in greater detail. In the mean time, do not be taken advantage of by studios claiming to fix it inexpensively by flattening your window in-situ. THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA. I recommend you do nothing until you can find a qualified studio to examine your window and provide you with good advice. I also recommend the examination of your window NOT be put off.
