Cracked & broken glass
Individual quarries cracked by impact, movement or a failed panel. Replaced with matched glass, leaded back in.
What restoration means here
Restoring your leadlight window: the replacement of oxidised and fatigued lead, while also matching the pre-existing design and glass.
Leadlight has a working life. The lead came that holds it together slowly oxidises and goes brittle; solder joints fail; the panel loses its stiffness and starts to sag under its own weight. Cracked or missing quarries let weather in and put more load on the rest. A proper restoration takes the panel back to sound lead and sound glass rather than patching over the symptoms — so the window is good for another few decades, not another few winters.
Every window is different. The honest first step is to see a photo: send one through and Kirby will tell you what the piece needs and whether it can be done in place or needs to come out.
What we take on
The common faults in old leadlight.
If your window has one or more of these, it is almost certainly restorable.
Failed & oxidised lead
Came that has gone grey, chalky and brittle with age. The panel is re-leaded with new came to the original profile.
Bowed & bulging panels
Windows that have lost their flatness and pushed out of the frame. Flattened, re-supported and re-fixed.
Storm & impact damage
Hail, branches, break-ins, cricket balls. Emergency board-up advice, then a repair that matches what was there.
Failed cement & rattle
The waterproofing compound between glass and lead has dried out and fallen away. Re-cemented so the panel is weathertight and rigid again.
Missing & mismatched glass
Gaps filled with plain float glass or the wrong colour by a previous hand. Re-matched to period-correct antique glass.
Poor earlier repairs
Silicone, copper tape, tape-and-varnish patches. Undone and re-done to leadlight standard.
Heritage doors & fanlights
Federation sunbursts, Art Deco entry doors, Victorian hallway panels — severely broken pieces reassembled from the fragments.
Leadlight in furniture
Sideboard and cabinet doors, bookcases, joinery panels — removed, repaired on the bench and refitted.
The restoration process
How a window is brought back.
I
Assess from photos
You send clear photos of the whole window and the damage. We advise on what's possible, roughly what it involves, and whether it comes out.
II
On-site check & rubbing
We see the piece in place, take a full-size rubbing of the lead lines and note every glass colour and texture before anything is disturbed.
III
Dismantle & clean
The panel is cut apart, the old lead removed, and every piece of surviving glass cleaned and laid back onto the pattern.
IV
Re-lead & re-glaze
Rebuilt with new came in the original profile, broken and missing quarries replaced in matched antique glass, and soldered on both faces.
V
Cement, refit & install
Cemented for a weathertight, rigid panel, then refitted into the sash or opening — with the timber or frame made good where it matters.
The pieces others won't take
Severely broken is still restorable.
A leadlight door that has been off its hinges in a shed for years, a fanlight in a dozen pieces in a box, a panel where half the glass is gone — these are the jobs Legacy is built for. As long as the fragments survive and the design can be read, the window can be rebuilt.
This was a severely broken Art Deco door we repaired.
Heritage work is done with time-honoured methods — the same tools, came profiles and linseed cement the window was first made with — so a restored panel sits honestly alongside the untouched ones.
The aim
A restoration should be invisible. New lead reads the same as old once it tones down; matched glass catches the light the way the original did.
Common questions
Before you send a photo.
Can it be repaired in place, or does it have to come out?
Small cracks and a loose quarry can sometimes be done in situ. Anything involving failed lead, a bowed panel or several broken pieces means the panel comes out and is rebuilt on the bench. We'll tell you which it is from the photos.
Will the repair be visible?
New lead is bright for a few months and then tones down to match the old. Where glass has to be replaced we match colour, texture and era as closely as the piece allows, so a repaired section doesn't jump out.
Do you match old and antique glass?
Yes. Kirby keeps a stock of period glass and sources more where needed — including the streaky, seedy and rolled glass used in Federation and Deco windows that modern sheet glass doesn't imitate well.
How much does a repair cost?
Every window is different, so there's no flat rate. A single cracked quarry is a modest job; a full re-lead of a large panel is a day or more of bench work. Send a photo and you'll get a realistic idea before committing.
My window is in a lot of pieces. Is it a lost cause?
Usually not. If the fragments are kept and the design can be read, even a badly broken heritage door can be reassembled. Keep every piece, however small, and don't throw away the old lead.
Do you do churches, halls and commercial work?
Yes — leadlight and stained glass in churches, halls, shopfronts and pubs, as well as homes. Access and scaffolding are quoted as part of the job.
Where we work
Legacy works throughout the Blue Mountains and greater Sydney from a workshop in the Mountains.
Regular repair work across Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Blackheath, Springwood, Glenbrook and the lower Mountains, and through Sydney's inner west and eastern suburbs where Federation and Deco leadlight is common. Recent local work includes a restored leadlight for The Rooster in Katoomba and ongoing trade work with furniture maker @custom.mad.
Outside that area, get in touch anyway — panels that can be removed and freighted are often still worth doing.
Enquiries
Send a photo of your window.
A clear photo of the whole window and a close-up of the damage is enough to get started. We'll come back to you by email with what's possible.