Repair and Reuse

In the past few months, I have been presented with various items from friends, acquaintances and people I still have never met and asked to perform repairs on beloved treasures.  I am always hesitant – what if I screw it up?  But all of those wanting repairs have been most gracious and eager for me to ‘give it a go.’

Today I present some of these repairs.  First is a very large dragonfly (about 12” from wingtip to wingtip) on a 36” long copper stake, with wings of absolutely gorgeous iridescent glass.  The first photo shows how the poor dear had an accident and the tail curled under.  I straightened the tail and soldered on a small copper tube to prevent the same damage in the future.  The repair is shown in the second photo.

Next is a much-beloved birdfeeder whose structure is made of copper with either side made of glass.  The glass of one side broke, as shown in the first photo.  The owners tried to repair with glue – not the best option – which didn’t hold and involved some work to remove the glue globs from the glass and the copper.  The beautiful mouth-blown glass was repaired to a single piece and then soldered back in place on the copper frame, so the bird feeder is ready to be returned to its standard in the garden.

Last, is a very large, approximately 2 ft x 4 ft stained glass panel.  I didn’t think quick enough to take a picture of this project when it was completed, but the panel fell from its supports and only one piece of glass broke, but the metal frame also needed repair.  This project was too big for my existing work bench, so I had to create a space large enough to support the whole project.  I replaced the missing piece with a similar shade of green, repaired the frame and the panel was ready for service again.

We enjoy making items that represent special times or special people.  If you want a special item, contact us by emailing here or contact us on Facebook.  DarionGlass will be popping up at some other local events this fall and dates will be posted soon.