Information Update re: Old Came Window Restoration 2022

Our client has now installed the restored window into a very old building that she has turned into a wonderful workshop and studio. The location is NE of Halkirk, Alberta and her company’s name is Woolgathering.

Congratulations to Carmen, who persevered to take an old run down building and turn it into a very warm and welcoming studio for her business.

Here are 3 pictures, one of the building as was, then the redone interior along with the restored came window now installed back into the 1910 building.

 

 

Alberta Rose Came Window # 2 Restoration

This is the 2nd Alberta Rose Came Window restoration. In the first one we combined pieces from the second one to have one that was all original glass. We believe these windows are 100+ years old.

The wow factor in regards to both of these restorations is that when we delivered the 2nd window we were informed that both were going to be installed in a new home on Negril Beach in Jamaica, sometime in the not to distant future,

In the second one we had to put in all new glass for the stems, the amber across the bottom and new leaves for the left and right roses while the centre rose leaves remained original glass. Also the roses and background granite clear glass is also all original. It took us quite sometime to find the best replacement glass, but well worth the effort.

StainedGlassRoseCameWindow#22016

The following 3 photos show the left rose with new leaves, the next one is the centre rose all original glass and the last photo is the right rose with new leaves. The pink petals of the roses were a very pretty glass which was quite thick.

LeftRoseNewLeaves

CentreOriginalGlass

LeftRoseNewLeaves

Although the next photo indicates window #1 it ended up being the second one as we took pieces from it to be able to have one with all original glass.

StainedGlassRoseCameWindow#2

The last photo is of the 1st restored window.

AlbertaRoseCameWindowDecember2013

Designer unknow

100 + Year Old Came Window Restoration 2016

Brenda & her husband who live in Central Alberta, brought us this 100+ year old came window which is a family heirloom that they rescued from a century old family farm home.

This is what the window looked like when it was brought to our studio.

StainedGlassBrendaCameWindowJuly2015-001

The following picture shows the window after it was cleaned and before removal from the the wooden frame. Unfortunately there were 3 broken pieces in the rose colored border,  4 greens in the center were all cracked and or broken along with one center clear.

StainedGlassCameWindowBrenda2015

In the next photo the came window has been removed from the old wooden frame.

DSCN7200

In the next photo the numbered pieces # 2 top left – 4 top left center- 15 bottom right center (rose border pieces) 26 (clear center piece)  28 – 29 – 45 – 47 (the 4 center greens) were all broken.  The best alternative we could come up for the dusty rose border glass was an English Muffle Dusty Rose #4902. Our friends at Rubaiyat Stained Glass Studio in Calgary helped us to locate an older piece of clear as well as a very close matching green.

StainedGlassBrendaCameWindow2016

We take lots of photographs of these old windows before taking them apart, as well we number each piece. We set up a frame then start in one corner and work our way across the window, cleaning each piece of glass as we go along (we also re-number after clean each piece to ensure that it is put back in the window in the exact manner that the original stained glass artist installed them. Having good photographs certainly helps as we can bring them up on our computer to ensure that we have replaced each piece as it was originally placed in the window.

What we did was replace the 4 corners with the new English Muffle #4902, then carefully working with 2 of these unbroken border pieces we used them to replace broken border pieces # 4 & 15. The 4 green pieces in the center were also replaced and the 4 center clears were all replace to even out the look of the panel.

StainedGlassBrendaCameMay2016

Our clients were most appreciated of our work in restoring their family heirloom panel. They have now found an old photograph of the 100+ year old farm home and it shows 2 of these windows. They plan on residing it and there is a possibility that the 2nd window could still hidden away behind the siding. If so and they find the 2nd window there is a very good chance that it might be there in its original state with no broken glass, but no doubt will need to also be fully restored.

115 + Year Old Came Window Restoration November 2015

This is a sneak peak of the 2nd very old came window restorations that we are doing for a museum.

Unfortunately due to the damage we had to find some similar colored glass for the centre portion as it was impossible to find matching glass for such an old window.

The first picture shows the window before restoration and the second picture after completion.

In due course we will be providing a very detailed account of these windows. We still have 1 more to do which fortunately has no broken glass, along with a fairly large stained glass door insert.

MuseumWindow-001

As you can see from the above photo the window was in extremely poor condition.

StainedGlassCameWindowNovember2015

The above photo shows the completed restoration, and it was safely transported to the museum where it will go on display.  We have no idea who constructed these windows originally, however have a reasonable determination as to their age.

 

125+ Year Old Came Window Redesign and Restoration

For many years this very old came window rested secured under a bed. It measured 16 inches high by 40 inches wide. Was in poor structural condition as well had numerous lightly colored broken border pieces.

Our clients had just built a new home in a smaller Central Alberta community and wanted to have it restored to go into their new transom window above their front door entrance. But the new transom window measured 12 inches high by 49 inches wide, so we had to redesign the window to those measurements, as well as come up with a design that would use the existing glass.

The following picture shows the window in it’s original condition.

CameWindowRestorationRedesign2014

Before we start a came restoration and after taking the initial photo we then number each piece and photograph the window again.

Then we proceed to carefully cut away the rotten came and sort each piece by color etc and place them in separate boxes – beer flats and smaller soup can cardboard flats work well as it provides lots of room to spread out the various varieties of glass.

We used to clean each piece and renumber but found that was more time consuming than just cleaning each piece when we are ready to use it in the reconstruction process.

StainedGlassCameWindow2014

The next 2 pictures can give you an idea as to how much we had to stretch the length from 40 inches to 49 inches as well as shrink the height from 16 inches to 12 inches.

These measurements also included the new 1/2 inch came frame. We use a piece of 3/4 inch plywood for the base and make the frame from hickory hardwood with intermittently placed drill holes, then using  fine wood screws we attached these frames to the plywood base.

CameWindowMeasuring

You can see that we had to be creative to figure out how we would have enough of the colored border glass to go around.

CameWindowMeasuring#2

After numerous measurements to ensure final fitting accuracy, we built the wooden frame, miter cut the 1/2 zinc came frame and started the rebuilding process.

The following picture shows the start of the redesign process.

OldCameWindowRebuild

In the next photo we have expanded the left and right sides of the center bevel cluster, along with enlarging the colored border.

OldCameWindowRebuild#2

 

The following 2 photos show the completed redesign first the right side and then the left side.

RightSideOldCameWindowRebuild

 

LeftSideOldCameWindowRebuild

In the next photo the redesigned window is ready for joint soldering, cementing, whiting, then patina and polish.

StainedGlassCameWindowAugust2014

In the next picture the window is finished and ready to be taken to our clients. After soldering the came joints (cleaning the flux with Kwik Clean), cementing, cleaning with whiting, applying black patina to the came, cleaning again with Kwik Clean and applying polish, followed by lots of further cleaning, polishing with soft rags, along with using tooth brushes and X-acto knives to pick away any missed cement etc. we then have a beautiful window ready for our clients.

StainedGlassCameWindowCompleted2014

Here is the window installed in it’s new home location. Our clients were more than pleased with the results and how it fitted into the new transom window opening along with how it complimented the new door and sidelight beveled panels.

Stained GlassCame Window 2nd 2014-001

Redesign/Reconstruction by Bob & Flory Wilkins

 

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