Professional restoration & polishing

Has anyone here used the services of a glass restoration company? It's something I'm thinking of doing, I seem to have amassed a personal collection of really nice vases with either waterstaining or small chips that I'd like to look into getting restored.

What I'd like to know is a rough idea of how much it costs, how long it might take and how successful, in your opinion, the restoration was.

as it happens my brother in law offers that service

Does he have a website or anything like that Dan?

no, he has a glass firm but is also a collector of Mdina so the grinding and polishing was a natural progression,I know a dealer in Mdina who can't praise his work enough!

Sounds great! I think I need to foster a good working relationship with someone like that - I come across more and more really nice glass with treatable problems. Up until now I declare any condition issues and sell the items much cheaper or keep them myself but, to be honest, having a growing collection of nice things with imperfections is beginning to irritate.

Ditto. It would be ideal for a lot of the Danish glass I have - so much of it arrives scratched and stained, but when the Danes want to buy it back they expect it to be in perfect condition!

But this is probably because there are very few glass restorers in Denmark, so I've been told, whereas the UK, by comparison, is quite abundant in them.

I've probably 40-50 pieces that I've 'been meaning to get fixed' lurking around in storage.

That would work out well Nic,my brother in law could probably meet you at a fair but even if you have to take them to his workshop you are only an hour away

Do you know if he has any experience removing water staining with acid washes? Ths is the biggest problem I have with glass, and much of it cannot be mechanically polished.

Whereabouts is his workshop? If it's down Boston way, then I know a couple of dealers who regularly pass through en route to fairs in Cambridge / Norfolk that would be willing to drop my glass off (and probably some of their own).

I didn't know water staining had to be acid washed rather than mechanically polished.

It can be mechanically done in vases and bowls - but would be very difficult to do safely in narrow-necked decanters.

Nic wrote:Do you know if he has any experience removing water staining with acid washes? Ths is the biggest problem I have with glass, and much of it cannot be mechanically polished.

Whereabouts is his workshop? If it's down Boston way, then I know a couple of dealers who regularly pass through en route to fairs in Cambridge / Norfolk that would be willing to drop my glass off (and probably some of their own).

its out near Wisbech I think on the way to Norfolk

My brother in law will be happy to do the job,he usually takes 2 pieces from a new customer at first to ensure that you are happy with his work and then take it from there.
I have his email address if you wish to contact him.