Repairing broken pieces

[Virginia Slawson]

Does anyone here repair---or can anyone here recommend a repair service for---broken pieces?

We get enough inquiries about this that I'd just like to be able to give out the name of a dependable repair service. ("...I have grandmother's favorite glass bird, and the wings are broken off, and I have all the pieces...") (or it often involves some cherished piece of stemware... "Can't you just melt them back together?!) You get the picture.

I'm aware of the two camps--- uv vs. hxtal --- though I'm not sure I know which one I'd fall into if I was repairing my own piece. And maybe the type/size of the joint would be the deciding factor-?

[Guy Kass]

Here you go.

One of the nicest guys I've come across in the hot glass business.

http://www.vandermarkmerrittglass.com/

Guy

[Rick Sherbert]

This guy is near me in Maryland and I refer all repairs to him. I don't have first hand experience with his work other than that.
Giovanni Nason - http://www.lifeinitaly.com/murano/glass-repair.asp

[Eben Horton]

I do repairs. belt sanding chipped lips, glueing broken pieces, etc.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Buster Simpson, a fixture in Seattle, and the only person ever banned from Pilchuck used to offer to repair storefront windows for free in the city. Merchants would jump at the opportunity. FREE WINDOW REPAIR!!!

Buster would measure the crack and then get out a tube of silicon and run a fine bead over the crack. Then he applied a very fine garment zipper to the caulk. Then he drilled two holes at either end of the crack and ran a bolt with washers through the holes. For some reason, merchants were rarely pleased by it. Doug Hauberg couldn't stand him.

I also take note that whenever anyone says repair, in their minds it means making the crack totally melt back in. Never do they mean glue. It's kind of like when someone asks you if you have a piece you are trying to sell "in a smaller size ". Smaller isn't what they mean. They mean less money.

Language...

[Larry Cazes]

Originally Posted by Pete VanderLaan

Buster Simpson, a fixture in Seattle, and the only person ever banned from Pilchuck

I bet theres quite the story there

[Pete VanderLaan]

As I said, Doug didn't like him...

[Virginia Slawson]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Exactly what I was looking for.

"...I also take note that whenever anyone says repair, in their minds it means making the crack totally melt back in. Never do they mean glue. It's kind of like when someone asks you if you have a piece you are trying to sell "in a smaller size ". Smaller isn't what they mean. They mean less money."

Yes, as soon as they see flame, that's what they're hoping for, and it seems I spend a lot of time explaining why it's not going to happen. And when they ask for a color you don't have in front of them, it's usually the exit strategy employed when they've decided not to purchase the ones that you just spent a half hour showing them.