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Vent: That week we had to replace 48 panes of historic wavy glass...
Got a call last Tuesday for an emergency job at the old theater downtown, a storm blew out a whole section of the original 1920s glass. The owner wanted it all replaced with exact matches, which meant hunting down a supplier who still makes that specific wavy pattern. By Friday, we'd installed 48 panes, each one hand-cut and fitted because none of the openings were truly square. What made it stand out was the pressure to keep the look perfect while working against the clock and a tight $15k budget. Has anyone else had a job where the material sourcing was the real battle?
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blakecampbell6mo ago
Man, that sounds like a nightmare. My buddy who does custom woodwork had a similar thing trying to find the right kind of reclaimed heart pine for a fireplace mantle in a century home. He spent three weeks just calling every salvage yard in three states before he found enough that matched the grain and color. The actual install took a day, but the hunt almost broke him.
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mary7686mo ago
Totally get that, hunting materials is the real work.
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riverowens3mo ago
Respectfully, I see it different. The sourcing is definitely part of the grind, but the real battle for me has always been the fitting itself. You can find the wavy glass if you know the right old timers or specialty shops, but cutting 48 curved panes that all have to slide into crooked frames without shattering on you is a whole different monster. @mary768 nailed it when she said the hunt is the work, but I'd rather spend two weeks on the phone than one afternoon getting my fingers busted up trying to shave down a pane that's off by a sixteenth of an inch. That install day you mentioned might have only taken a day, but I bet your buddy had to make three trips back to the shop to recut pieces that just wouldn't seat right.
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