How to Care for Your Glass Art

Welcome to your new, beautiful and bespoke piece of glass art by Woodpecker Glass. Your piece has been individually handcrafted including the cutting of the glass, copper foiling or lead work, soldering and polishing. The methods used are traditional for stained glass creation and include the use of lead in the solder and came. The lead causes minimal risk and is not harmful to handle unless ingested or inhaled. As a precaution we recommend that you wash your hands after handling your piece.

Your piece of glass art has been handcrafted from fragile and breakable materials that if not treated with respect and care will break. Some types of glass have natural “imperfections” that are created during the manufacturing process, this means that there are certain places in the glass that are thinner and/or more susceptible to stress breaks. These imperfections aren’t always visible and consequently can end up in pieces of art.

In order to care for your glass art and avoid unnecessary damage, items should be hung securely with a fixing that is appropriate for the situation and size of the piece. If the item has a stand, please ensure that it is placed on a level and stable surface to avoid it being toppled.

Glass can look stunning when displayed outside, when doing so, please ensure that it is secured appropriately and that they are safe for the individuals (human and furry) using the space around them. Use your common sense to access for example the likelihood of an item being leant on which could cause it to topple over. If the weather is going to be severe take appropriate action to keep the item safe. During winter months, we recommend that a piece is brought inside to avoid unnecessary damage by wind and frost or snow.

Many of our pieces are displayed on a Bone Oak stand, this has been locally sourced and hand finished to compliment your glass art. We recommend that this stand is kept in a dry environment to avoid any unnecessary deterioration of the wood. Remember that as a natural product wood can change colour over time depending on the circumstances in which it is stored and cared for.

Your piece of stained glass art has been cleaned and polished with a wax sealer to protect it. It should therefore only require a gentle dust or a wipe with a damp cloth. The materials used in stained glass will naturally oxidise overtime, a process which is slowed down by the wax sealer. Avoid using an ammonia based glass cleaner as this may damage the solder and the integrity of the piece. After a cleaning which is more than just a dust you can reapply a sealer, we recommend a good quality car wax that contains Carnauba wax, used according to the manufacturers directions or a wax based furniture polish such as Pledge.

Kiln formed glass is suitable for cleaning with warm soapy water, taking care not to soak any ribbon used for hanging the piece, before being dried with a soft cloth then polished with a wax based furniture polish such as Pledge.

Please be aware that over enthusiastic cleaning can cause damage to the copper foil, solder or wire that may be attached. Small sections of copper foil can be reattached with a good quality, clear silicone glue. Wire fixings will require soldering to reattached them, in this instance please contact us to discuss the repair.

The wooden stands incorporated in some pieces have been hand finished with a good quality furniture wax. This can be maintained with a wax based furniture polish.