THE Leadlight Curved panel CABINET

I hardly say NO to anything people have asked me to fix...For future projects, this will definitely change.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful smashed leadlight curved panel cabinet. I have searched a gazillion times on the internet looking for some tutorials, answers on how to fix this...BUT none that would suit this little cabinet...(not so little when I started...)

I have seen that you can replace glass insitu but this would not be the case. Pieces falling out everywhere...
SO here is my progress through photos to show you...

How it came, smashed, bent and out of shape, this side looked ok. ( I might add here that I have had looked after this cabinet for a number of years before I thought I could tackle it, lol until the owner asked for it back..ok... onwards..).

The other side was falling out and some of the pieces smashed to the floor, when trying to get it out, I didn't take a "before it was removed" photo. The door was great...

On the table, reconstructing the pattern for both sides, so that I could trace any full pieces for both of the sides.

AND here are all of the pieces for one side. I traced and cut new bits for the second panel. The glass was a very thin 2mm. I found a few old photo frames that I removed the glass from to use. Keeping the same size glass was useful, so when it came to bend the panel (I wasn't sure "how to" at this stage), to ensure that the glass would not break if it was thicker...
(so I was dreaming..)

Brand new lead. I matched the size as close as I could and it was still a little larger. Once placed together was as easy as making new windows.

The front door panel finished and ready to solder.

soldered and now to wash and then the next stage is to putty and polish.

Nice and clean how beautiful.

Runny putty in the sun. Warming nicely, not what I wanted to see... 

and again. too warm for the putty.

Using whiting and cleaning the glass by hand with a natural bristle brush.

Painting the solder joins with stove black and then onto polishing them.

Ye olde floor bristle brush polisher, does a very good job.  Just be careful, you don't catch the towel into the polisher and throw your work onto the floor. A concrete floor does not catch things very well...As I hang on tightly...

Completed the door panel, the easy one, FLAT...yay and placed into the frame. AND it fits nicely...woohooo.

UPCLOSE all shiney and brand new, the ready to curve panel.

NOW how are we going to bend it??? getting worried. It really will fit in there...hmmm...

NOW to BEND IT...Here goes...

Bending it soon after putty and in the sunshine to warm the lead so that it's softer to bend...
A very nerve wracking situation for my hubby and I. Two people are better than one.
Slowly does it and per panel too.

Ohh wow it actually worked...two people...

Inside ready to fit. Sigh a big relief.

SOOO I thought that wasn't tooo bad, so I tried on my own inside the shed on a cooler day....arghhhhh....
DO NOT BEND it cold...bugger it big time...this made me cry...but its only glass right...lets fix it now...
This took me two weeks to come back too...(and awaiting hubby to help) now the nerves are growing again...

FIRST IS FIRST . Lets fit it into the cabinet and we decided with help from a beautiful friend. We'll fix that bit in a bit...

A few adjustments to the cabinet to fit the glass leaded panels, (due to the extra size in the lead)...measure twice, three times...

SO onto repair number 1, Smash that glass out of there, carefully does it, keeping the panel curved was not an easy task.

Nearly done

Turn it over so as to not damage the front of the lead.. We (my mentor did it for me in the end, at this stage I was ready to give up a little) cut back the lip of the lead and slide a new piece of glass into it. Cut a new lip off other lead and solder back into place...DONE...SIGH A BIG ONE. AND thankyou to my amazing helpful hands of my mentor...oh and if it needs a bit of putty, as it did, do all of the above again...easy right...

DONE AND DUSTED...so to speak, so glad to see it in place...yay.

DOOR ON. AND IT FITS still

Happy chappy, Happy hubby (that it is leaving his shed, Thanks Dave) and a really happy customer, (because I had it for way too long, ooops)...

Just one more pic of finished leaded panels.

DONE FOR and never to be attempted again, (not so soon anyways, who hardly says NO).

YOU "CAN" DO IT....

Thanks for looking, leave a comment if you wish. Or email me here for any orders and queries, or check into my online shop, under tab headings above for Stampin' Up! products.

Cheers Tamsin Adams

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator and lover of all crafty things...