As regular readers of my blogs know, I often repair stained glass Tiffany lamps for people. However, this was the first stained glass fairy lamp I have tackled.

The owner’s husband bought the lamp for her about 20 years ago and it is very special to her. Therefore she was upset that some of the stained glass pieces on one wing had been damaged. The weight of the fairy wings also meant that the glass was pulling away from the foil at the top.

When this lamp is lit up the stained glass really comes alive, so I was not surprised that she was keen to have it repaired. The wings are designed to look as beautiful as a real butterfly’s wings. The cast metal ‘fairy’ herself is designed as an elegant Flapper Girl with cloche hat and outstretched arms.

Luckily, from a practical perspective, the stained glass wings unscrew. This meant I could remove them easily to begin the repair work.

I selected stained glasses as close to the originals as possible.

The broken glass was carefully removed and new pieces were cut to fit. Copper foil was applied around the outside edges and each piece was then soldered into place. Next, the silvery solder was blacked to match the original wings before everything was cleaned up.

To provide strengthening to the wings, extra copper foil and wire were added and blacked.

The owner was very pleased with the result and I was happy to be able to restore her lamp for her to enjoy again.