Exchange Story: How our Front Door is like a Cathedral

Long down the list of “house to-do’s” was the repair of two small cracks in the stained glass on our front door.  Over the years we’d been in the house, I’d not been able to find someone to fix it.  But now we’re in the Silver Spring Timebank.  I searched the hOurWorld timebank site for “stained glass” and found a matching Member Bio!  It was Bob L. whom we’d first met when he gave us a ride to BWI. I was tickled to find that among Bob’s many talents was stained glass repair! 

Bob explained that one would normally prepare for the repair by deconstructing the wood mounts to remove the stained glass.  But he suggested we do what churches do when a small crack cannot justify the huge expense of taking out and repairing the whole window.  They glue lead on both sides of the crack, which strengthens it and prevents further damage – and also adds to the design.  The key is to match the existing lead of the panel. 

Naturally, Bob has a friend in the business, and in a couple of weeks, Bob came back with matching lead from his source.  He cut the pieces, carefully matching the angle of the cuts.  He applied adhesive, gently bent the lead to follow the lines of the cracks, and taped the pieces in place until the glue was dry.  What before was a crack that might well have gotten worse now looks like another branch of the tree pattern in our stained glass. 

I’m glad to have this item off of our to-do list, and I’m especially pleased to have discovered another rich talent in our timebank!

Jonathan B., 3/24/17