Glass panels

[Gothichome]

Folks, I am going to have some custom leaded glass panels made up for our front doors. My question is to those of you with original leaded glass. How have they held up over time and would you be inclined (if you could) install a glass panel in front of the leaded glass on the weather side? I am worried about condensation and the inevitable degradation caused by the moisture.

[1918ColonialRevival]

We have a leaded stained glass window on the landing between our first and second floors. It's held up pretty well for the last 102 years with minimal degradation to the lead came. There was only one place that I had to do a little re-soldering. There are a couple of vertical metal bars mounted to the back on the interior side for re-enforcement that are original to the window, so that's probably helped prevent any warpage due to the weight of the glass and lead.

On the other had, our front door originally had a leaded glass surround. Now, all that remains is the transom and it needs to be restored. The sidelights apparently started giving way in the 1950s and were replaced with sheet glass. I have pictures of the original sidelights, so one thing that's on my list is to get them reproduced, though they also should probably have some kind of re-enforcement from the back, which I'm not sure the originals had.

If the glass is going into the door itself, one needs to be mindful of the shock and vibrations it will experience through the routine opening and closing of the door.

[Gothichome]

Colonial, thanks for the input. It is reassuring knowing that the windows will last beyond my guardianship of Gothichome.

[Mick_VT]

I would not put on a cover on the outside, part of the beauty of stained glass outside the building is the differing textures and relief - a sheet of glass in front will hide that. I might be inclined to add one on the inside however for protection and heat transfer - I may even use plexiglass / lexan (and add a small breather hole or two

[phil]

I won an auction for a nice stained glass window. I made the frame for it and the windowsill etc by myself. It's near ground level and I didnt want my lawnmower to throw a rock and break it so I used some foam or butyl tape and sandwitched the window and a piece of acrylic with the acrylic on the outside. I just made the slot to suit.
I made some small holes at the bottom of the frame up between the panes so they do have a vent of sorts. Ive never seen them fog or any issues. Mick has a point but maybe its a trade off. Where my window is no one really stands close to it so I was happy with it. It would be hard to break through so it increases security.
the location was the old hole for my power meter, but i moved the meter so it solved the problem of the hole I just enlarged it a little. The glass and the acrylic are near each other so I suppose it contributes a tiny bit to insulation but I just didn't want to see it get broken.

I have a couple of panes on my window for my front door that are cracked. I think because sometimes people use their keys to knock on the window, they cracked two of the small panes in doing so. I have a doorbell but it could have been out of service prior to me fixing it. the doorbel is so loud you cna clearly hear it outside. I get delivery drivers leaning on the thing and Im thinking of putting the bell outside, I will still hear it and then they won't wan to lean on it for too long

It might stop people from being able to break the side light then reach the doorknob to break in. The acrylic is really hard to break. you can also drill it so you can put wood strips and then put wood screws right through the strip and the acrylic. Then you don't need a slot for the acrylic, just foam tape or something as a spacer so the lead is away from the acrylic.

you could check with a plastic shop about the materials. I think the acrylic is less vulnerable to that sort of hazing you get on plexiglass and I think it's used for things like bulletproof windows. Lucite might be another and Im sure there are more brand names. there are other trade names so you could look into it.

Ive sen acrylic windows and they have a sort of a wave a bit like wavy glass, though not quite as original.

one thing is with the plastics , there are cleaners you shouldn't use , I think windex is one. glass is more chemical resistant.

right now these plastic places are going crazy maing Covid sheilds. Thats the business to be in today. I had someone tell me they tried to buy a piece of I think it was acrylic and it was $600 for a 4x8 sheet. I suggested using a lot thinner stuff with a frame and they did and that was cheap. Supply and demand, Yea but it sounded like gouging to me. I'd phone ahead if you look for it. glass doors might need to be tempered to meet code. tempered glass can not be cut, it shatters. It need s to be cut then, I think oven fired or something. It's pricey.

This home is exceptional as compared to many houses so I can see why Mick would make the comment about originality, maybe a good decision relates to intended authenticity, age and security needs as well.

[Gothichome]

Mick, phill, thanks for your input. Mick you make a strong point on in the outside appearance of the glass. With discussions from other sources I will install without an outer pane. These panels are almost two meters tall but very narrow. From a structural view I think the long term issue will be with the vertical loading not A concave/convex bulging. The glass artist will have the best solution based on experience.