supplying bespoke curved glass for restoration of furniture, clocks, lighting and display cases
Bespoke Curved Glass
Tel: 0758 77 00 502
Glass bending
I am a small business supplying bespoke curved glass primarily for restoration of furniture, clocks, lighting and display cases. The maximum size my kilns can currently accommodate is 1000mm x 600mm
I established the business twenty years ago because I could not find a reliable, affordable source of shaped glass for a furniture commission I was undertaking. As I refined the art of glass bending I found that other furniture makers and restorers needed a source of low volume, bent glass.
I now regularly supply replacement curved glass for clocks, lamps and lighting, credenzas, chiffoniers and display cabinets, taxidermy case restoration and new cases.
The work I undertake is usually in float glass (window glass) although I can supply low iron glass (clear glass without the green tinge), coloured glass and heat resistant borosilicate (not glass ceramic used in stoves). I also carry some mouth blown and restoration glasses for special projects. If you do have an unusual project please feel free to ask.
How to order
As all our curved glass is made to order we prefer to quote for all work that we undertake.
If you open the contact us page you will find a pop-up form to help gather the information we need for a quotation for our glass bending service.
Below you will find information to help you complete that form, You will also find hints and tips to help you get the best from our services.
Frame or Template?
I create the moulds for your curved glass from either a Template, that you will have to supply, or from the frame in which the glass fits.
If you choose to send the frame I can make the glass will fit to within 3 mm and although sending me a pattern will be cheaper in postage I will not be able to guarantee the fit, particularly if the frame is out of square. If you choose to make a pattern you will be responsible for the accuracy of that pattern (see the note below on pattern making) and for any alteration to the frame required when you receive the glass.
Our fitting service
If you choose to send the frame we will not alter or adjust it unless you request our fitting service. if you do request fitting we only remove the existing glass and putty to create a new "bed" for the glass. When we install the curved pane we will use techniques as close to the original as possible. We do not refinish the frame; any marks, delamination, discolouration and damage existing before the process will remain. We do not refinish because it is almost impossible to match to a piece of furniture we cannot see!
Pattern making
If you choose to send a pattern please make it from 3mm thick hardboard, ply or MDF.
The photo opposite shows the how the template fits the bed of the frame. Please write legibly in ink on the pattern: your name, if the edge you have formed follows the inside or outside of the glass and the length and thickness of the glass. You also need to check that the pattern fits both the top and the bottom of the frame.
All credenza door frames were trimmed to fit the glass when they were built and there can be surprising variations. Please also be aware that when you remove putty, that may be 150 years old, some of the frame may come with it and the rebate may end up a different shape to the original glass.
Note on glass
Glass thickness is very variable particularly older mouth blown glasses and glass that was nominally 1/8 of in inch thick (3.2mm) could vary within the same piece of glass by up to 1/32 of an inch (0.8mm). Modern glasses particularly those with character may vary by 1/64 (0.4mm). So glasses quoted as 3mm could be as much as3.4mm or as thin as 2.6mm.
Glass producers are very capable of controlling tolerances in their production processes so modern horticultural glasses are often thinner than the specified 3mm, this is reflected in their competitive pricing.
Postage & Packing
Glass is not insured by any carrier. Carriage is always at the customers risk.
In twelve years I have only had one breakage in transit. The above statement is in bold because I do not want a second breakage or dissatisfied customer. Please check your carriers terms of carriage.
If you can, consider delivering and collecting in person it is the safest method.
If you choose to use a carrier ensure that the case is considerably larger than the frame and that it is as stiff as possible. There are four main ways in which things are damaged in transit: chafing, dropping, crushing and impact. Your packaging needs to protect against all four. A robust casing will resist crushing, copious loose fill helps against dropping where twisting forces may be exerted and bubble wrap will help reduce the risk of chafing. Using a mix of packing, and plenty of it, will help reduce the risks in transit.
We offer a bespoke wooden case for the return of the finished piece the cost of which is (additional to the carriage cost) £30.
