This stained-glass window is a perfectly imperfect father and son project made in the early 1980s. Many family members enjoyed this heirloom that travelled from Vancouver to Telkwa, BC and a few weeks ago back to me.

Now that it is here, I may give it a gentle restoration to care for the wood frame. I won’t touch the glasswork because nothing has changed, not even the original sag in the lead work.

You see, the small imperfections were purposely done that way. Dad and I didn’t need to make it pristine. We were learning together, creating a beautiful piece and enjoying the process.

Heirlooms are more than mere objects. They’re not old dead things. They capture stories and the emotions of a life. That’s what makes them memorable and precious.

What heirloom do you treasure?

Do you need advice on repairing or restoring something? Send me a picture and let’s talk. I can give you a sense of what can be done, whether you are local to Vancouver or not.

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Modification & Repair – Andiron

Rust is sometimes, but not always, the end of an object.

There are more metal objects that you can have modified, restored and repaired than you probably imagine.

Here’s an andiron for an old, deep fireplace.

The andiron was rusty and two feet had broken off.

But neither of those two factors prevented me from cutting the legs slightly and welding the piece back to a serviceable and workable quality.

Replacement Parts For Rust Can Also Be Fabricated

Luckily, some people understand that this is the case.

If I show you this inside rusted part of a fire pit, I can imagine that you’d think that everything would have to be thrown out.

But no. It does not.

In fact, look at the before and after pictures, and you’ll see that I could absolutely replace the inner component.

Can you imagine the cost of replacing an entire fire pit?

The waste of money for the client?

And the trash it would have created?

No. That’s not the way to care for our valuables and it’s an unnecessary expense for us and for the ecosystem.

Ask entrepreneur Hayley Burke at Conscious Kopf and here. She’s all about sustainability and ecologically sound living.

We need this in our lives. Because we care.

Here at Donald’s Innovations and Repairs, we are all about what touches our hearts and makes a difference to people.

SO……

Look Around

Don’t give up on your pieces.

Rust is not the end of the line. Restoration experts are worth the investment. Having to get something custom made or new when fireplaces like that are out of the norm will cost more than any restoration.

Let’s get rid of our throwaway mentality.

What do you have in YOUR home that could be restored?