Category Archives: Gardening

Fixing A Broken Glass Light Shade

Glass light shades are used in two ways: one is merely decorative, the other is a long term investment. It is not surprising to find glass lamp shades used as decoration because of their distinctive, noticeable quality. A turn-of-century bankers lamp shade is a good example. However, most people do not realize that glass lamp shades are also items of fine art which can be collected. When these shades are broken, the owner should do one of two things. He or she can commission a replica from a glass maker, or undergo the harder art of restoration.

If the glass light shades do not contain many other components such as beads (in beaded lamp shades), mica flakes, brass or iron, and has a relatively simple shape such as a cone or cylinder, it can be made anew by a glass blower or glass maker. The key is to find the right kind of glass that matches or approximates the color of the original. Glass blowing is an ancient art and many people continue to do it today as a hobby. It should not be difficult to find a skilled artisan willing to make a replacement shade for the right price.

If the glass light shade is much more heterogeneous than a single piece of glass, then the work of a specialized restorer is required. They will charge quite a lot given that glass restoration is a length, slow process demanding of attention, knowledge, know-how, dexterity, and material resources. That being said the best pieces to restore are the lamp shades that have intrinsic historical value such as the Tiffany lamp shades.

Some repair jobs are quite simple and only require swapping in one new piece of glass for an old, broken or dirty one. The usual case is that enough damage has accumulated such that the restorer will have to do many things to get the glass light shade back to its original shape. Firing new or acquiring old glass panes to replace the originals is often necessary.

Moreover, a restorer may be asked to fix the nonglass parts of the lightshade. Old beads can be removed and replaced with new ones. The metallic lining of glass panes can be renovated with the same material. For restoring a Tiffany shade it is usually necessary to create a cast of the original shape so that the new pieces have a scaffold upon which to rebuild the lamp shade.

The reason for restoring such shades is that they have value beyond the raw materials of the object itself. For collectors’ pieces, the engraved name of the manufacturer, designer or artist can be worth much more than the functional or material benefits of the shade. Restoration therefore has a strong monetary if not emotional component for most people who own glass light shades.

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Combining The Food Disposal With Your Dishwasher

It is not a difficult job to fit a garbage disposal unit in kitchen sink. There is no doubt that assembling its parts and checking it for no leaks is a time consuming exercise. And if we have a dishwasher, it will enhance the labor and time taken because dishwasher is emptied into the waste pipe. But with the fitting of the garbage disposal unit, the dishwasher is emptied in the garbage disposal.

These are easily connected to dishwasher drain lines so that the waste food drains into the disposal as well. Here is the stepwise procedure to attach the garbage disposal with the dishwasher.

To begin this process we shall first of all clean the bottom of the sink cabinet and keep a bucket beneath the sink. Using a pipe wrench, loosen the pipe and remove it. Any water in the pipe may be disposed in the bucket. Remove the drain pipe by unscrewing the long screws that joins the sink and the drain pipe.

Use a small putty knife to trim away the old plumber’s putty that helped seal the drain inside the sink, and lift the drain pipe out of the sink.

We shall connect the garbage disposal unit to the sink. Apply a coat of plumber’s putty of about quarter an inch around the sink hole and place the sink mounting assembly and the flange piece through the hole and fit it into the cabinet underneath. The drain pipe should be pressed on to the putty so that it can give a sealing effect. The ring is to be tightened by hand so that it does not move from its position on the sink. Wipe out any excess putty pushed out by the tightening.

Align the disposer with the three mounting ears on the sink mounting assembly. Holding the disposer in place, turn the lower mounting ring until all three mounting ears are locked into the mounting assembly.

Bringing the mounting and the disposal in line, slightly turn the unit and it will tighten and get locked with a click sound. The wall drain pipe can then be connected with the unit and using the J-trap supplied by the manufacturer.

The disposal plug should then be pushed into the outlet below the sink and the reset button be pressed. This will set the disposal ready for use. Open the water tap of the sink and look for leaks. Make sure the power is switched on and the disposal is activated. Also, ensure that the unit turns in. The water should keep running during the is process otherwise the unit may damage.

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