Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wayne Montano of Montano’s Antique Glass Repair of Emmett, Idaho continues the discussion

Hi Alan, What a great question to ask. When we are out doing lectures this is one subject that is our top 10 questions asked and one of the most important.

A crack is a crack is a crack. There is no way around it. You can call it a hidden fracture, a straw mark (which a crack is not), a heat check or an annealing crack. It is still a crack. Whether the piece cracks at the factory or at home in the sink, it is still a crack. Nobody wants a piece to crack, but when it happens by itself or with help it is still not as originally intended from the factory. I can’t imagine a factory worker wrapping a cracked piece and sending it out to a re-seller as if it were meant to be that way. We often are asked the value of a piece with a crack in it. It is my opinion that 50% of the value is gone. The item with a crack in it has little resale value and we consider it a broken piece. I own several of these cracked pieces and until I acquire a “mint” condition piece I will keep them. And talking on “mint” pieces, that can be a whole different story for another time. If a piece is broken in 2 pieces or 20 pieces 90% of the value is gone. 95% of our business operates on sentimental values, not monetary values.

But in repairing cracked items, and we do many each month, there are some very good products on the market today that seal a crack very well. Almost like a windshield. Don’t use a super glue. They just won’t work on glass long term. A mended crack will show about 10% more than that of a windshield, as the windshield is a laminate, and what we repair is usually a single layer of glass. With mending a handle, when properly sealed about 80-90% of the refraction is hidden. But when it is sealed, it will ring like a bell. If you have a bowl that is cracked only part of the way, the crack can be sealed in its present position, but a crack will travel in time. There is no way to our knowledge to stop it completely until there is no further glass to crack. A hole can be drilled to stop it, but who wants a hole drilled it there glass piece?

So to get back to the imperfection question. Nope, not a factory imperfection but a crack. A crack is a crack is a crack. Call it what you like, but a crack in a piece of glass is broken. Jan says that this is a touchy subject and I should put on my vest of amour as arrows may fly, unlike the snow in Emmett this afternoon. Wayne

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2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.