Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Todd Boulanger and I’m a stained glass artist and restorer.

My love of stained glass has grown from a hobby to a business. I custom design stained glass doors, windows, cabinets, lamps, and just about anything else a customer requests.

    I also do restoration work for churches, and historical buildings. This part of stained glass art has always been very fascinating to me and it’s exciting to learn the history behind each piece.

    Currently, I have a private studio in my home and I free–lance with The Lighting Studio, where I do all of their repairs as well as L.P Adams, Dettinger  Lumber, Berkshire Plate Glass, Millbrook Custom Kitchens and ST. Joseph’s Church; in Pittsfield MA.

    Please consider me if you have any stained glass repairs or if you are thinking about custom designing a stained glass panel for your home, office, or anywhere else that is special to you.

    I can be reached through E-mail or by phone and I will be more than happy to meet with you.

Thank you,

Todd Boulanger

at

NEW CREATIONS STAINED GLASS STUDIO

www.newcreationsstainedglass.com

todd@newcreationsstainedglass.com

Phone 413-684-9991

Fax     413-684-9994

    Shown above is a picture of a one hundred year old leaded stained glass window taken from St. Joseph’s church in Pittsfield, MA.                                                  

It has a broken piece in the lower left-hand corner.

     Each piece of glass is hand painted. The broken piece will need to be replaced with a new hand painted piece of glass. The stained glass artist will then use a special technique to “melt” the painted design right into the glass. This is a very time consuming, but necessary process which prevents the painted design from fading or from being washed off.

    In order to restore this window, the entire panel needs to be taken apart and the old lead will need to be removed. Each piece then has to be cleaned, marked with a number, and re-assembled with new lead.

    When this process is complete, the new window is then ready to be re-installed and it will last approximately another one hundred years.   

This is a picture of the panel on my work bench. I am in the process of taking it apart. You can see how old and corroded the lead is, and how dirty the glass is.

In this picture panel is all pinned together.  The glass nice and clean, and the lead is all shiny and new.

Pictured above is the newly restored stained glass window.

Here it is, the newly restored stained glass window!

Steps Involved in Stained Glass Restoration

Periodically in the life of a panel of stained glass, attention is needed to guarantee continued use of the windows. Like windows in our homes and other structures, panes of glass can be replaced when damaged. Unlike typical windows however, exact replacements cannot easily be made due to the discontinuation of production of various types and colors of glass. But as with most windows, with regular maintenance and periodic restorations, stained glass windows can last for hundreds of years.

Restoration of stained glass windows is generally needed between 80 and 100 years after the original installation. Rarely does a panel last longer than 100 years. If preventative maintenance is not performed the windows are likely to sustain irrepairable damage. The most common example of unrepairable damage is the discontuation of adequate replacement glass. In extreme cases, it may not be possible to replicate the window panel.

Windows can be partially restored without removing them from the building in which they reside. This is done by pressing cement into the channel between the segments of glass and the caming. (Note: Caming are the lines in a stained glass window and the material that holds the pieces of glass together.). This is not advisable due to the affects of nature which have a tendency to counteract any good done by recementing. If done, re-cementing an in-place window acts only as a temporary solution which delays a complete restoration of the window.

A complete restoration involves removing framed sets of windows from the structure in which they were installed. Once in a stained glass studio, window panels are removed from the frame. The windows are then completely disassembled and cleaned. At this time any repairs needed such as replacement of broken glass are made. At times the original type of glass is no longer available. Should this be the case, attempts are made to find replacement glass which will retain the integrity of the windows composition.

Disassembly involves several steps. After window panels are removed from the frames, rubbings of the various window scenes are taken. Rubbings are similar to photo copies of the window which are taken by laying a sheet of paper over the panel. Then, by rubbing charcoal or crayon over the old caming, the various shapes of glass are identified, as well as the shape of the caming. This is used as a reference that documents the original glass.

The next step is to identify the various sizes of came used in the original construction of the window. Samples of the various sizes of came are taken and taped to its corresponding location on the rubbing. This is another step taken to accurately record how the window was originally constructed and to remain historically true to the original intent of its makers. This will also help ensure that the window panels fit back into the window frame. After the old caming has been removed and each piece of glass has been scraped clean of old cement, the panels are reconstructed in flat storage boxes to keep each window separate. It is at this time that broken pieces of glass are taped together.

During reconstruction, broken glass is replaced with glass that resembles the original. If replacement is not possible, the broken pieces can be reused without threatening the structural integrity of the window. Narrow depth caming can be used between the broken pieces of glass, essentially treating the broken glass as two separate pieces. This allows repairs to be made without severely interrupting the integrity of the window as a whole.

Prior to recaming a window, a tracing is made of the space in the frame from where the panel was removed. Small dimensional variations can make a difference between a window panel fitting or not. While the windows are disassembled and reassembled, repairs are made to the window frames. When frames are beyond repair, new frames can be made to fit the original structure. New frames though, often cost more than the restoration of the windows. So, whenever possible, old frames are repaired by using a combination of wood filler, steel rods, and epoxy which can make the windows stronger than they were in their original condition. If it is neccesary to replace a frame, mahogany is generally the wood of choice, because it stands up to the harsh seasonal weather variation much better than Native American hardwoods. Aluminum is also another commonly used material for reframing a window.