Tudor Glass - Measuring for a replacement china cabinet bend

Usually beads are fitted either all round, or on the vertical edges, to hold the glass in place.
Carefully remove these beads to get a section of the glass bend out or to make your template, taking care of any left over pieces of glass in the rebate, as well as old brads (small nails).

            CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

With glass

Either send the complete piece(s) of the bend, a profile of one end (you may have to get a glass merchant or glazier to trim off 6" / 150mm or so), or a tracing of the shape.
To get a tracing, place an unbroken end of the bend onto a piece of white or brown paper, on a firm flat surface.
If the glass is broken through the shape at both ends, stick up with a strong sticky tape to hold in the correct shape.
Take a ball point pen and trace around ALL the perimeter of the glass shape (the girth). Include around the edges so there is a complete area that the glass fits inside.
Mark the height of the glass in inches or millimetres (allowing 1/8" or 3mm clearance so it is not tight in the frame), the outside surface, the glass type (clear, tinted bronze / grey, etc), the glass thickness (usually 1/8" or 3mm), and write this along with all delivery / contact details on the paper.

DOUBLE CHECK ALL INFO & MEASUREMENTS BEFORE POSTING !!

        CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
 

Without glass

Make a template to fit in the rebate. Use heavy cardboard or a thin piece of medium density fibreboard or masonite, usually about 3mm thick is easy to work with.
You should sand the edges with a medium grit sandpaper to get a perfect fit, ensuring the template extends into the rebate at the edges.

You may find a paper tracing made of the rebate edge, then cut out and transferred onto the board is an effective way to start the process. Place the paper on the edge of the curved timber at the base, then gently press onto the curved edge (which is where the outer edge of the glass sits), taking care to get the correct shape. Remove to a table and mark over the line with pen indicating this is the outer edge of the glass surface.
Cut the shape with scissors, then transfer onto the cardboard or mdf board and finish as above.

If your cabinet has a slot that one or both glass edges 'pocket' glazes into, try to measure part of the glass girth for an accurate size, as a bend fitting like this usually needs to be very precise.
If this is not possible, find some thick wire (mild steel welding wire around 1/8" or 3mm thick is good) and bend to the rebate shape, then trim bit by bit until the wire slots into one (deeper) pocket, the wire falls past the cabinet edge into the other rebate, then the whole wire is slotted back to pocket into the less deep rebate. Use this to extend your shape, and mark where you'd like the glass to finish.

Mark the height of the glass in inches or millimetres (allowing 1/8" or 3mm clearance so it is not tight in the frame), indicate the outside surface, the glass type (clear, tinted bronze / grey, etc), the glass thickness (usually 1/8" or 3mm), and write this along with all delivery / contact details on the board.

DOUBLE CHECK ALL INFO & MEASUREMENTS BEFORE POSTING !!

                            CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Back to Product index or back button to previous window