# My worst day in my workshop!



## Hooligan (Apr 24, 2014)

I have a client for whom I was commissioned to make a frame out of vintage reclaimed Heart Pine for an antique 30"x40" mirror that had belonged to her grandmother. The lumber that was supplied was taken from a cabin that the mirror had been in for years and was recently willed to her. The frame turned out very beautiful, the wood practically glows. As I was fitting the mirror in the frame this evening I noticed it was a little snug in the rabbet and as I attempted to remove the mirror it did what I am sure you have all already figured out, it cracked along one of the edges about 3" in from the left top corner down 16". I am heartsick over this and tomorrow I am sure to be breaking her heart. The mirror can be salvaged and I plan on offering to do so for her and making a new frame for the smaller size. I also plan on purchasing a new mirror to place in the original frame for her as well. I placed this in safety in the workshop area because I didn't know where else to place it and not all safety is about not getting injured. We need to remember that sometimes we are being entrusted with irreplaceable items that have worth beyond there monetary value. This has been my worst day in my workshop!


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## albachippie (Feb 2, 2010)

Oh man, that's tough. It's no consolation, but I'm sure every one of us could give stories of similar situations. Old glass is so brittle, it could have happened any time, especially a piece of that size. In hindsight, letting your client know the risks in working with old mirror would have been prudent, but life would be easy if we all had 20-20 hindsight! You are offering to do more than I guess a lot of others would do to try and make up for it, and I'm sure if your client is anyway reasonable she will see that. Let us know how you get on, wishing you the best,

Garry


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## bruc101 (Sep 13, 2008)

If you have a good glass and mirror shop in your area it's a possibility the mirror can e repaired if the crack is not to bad.

Sorry to hear about this. We all have bad days especially working on antiques can cause for an even worse day when something goes wrong.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

Brother, I can feel for you.
Some of the worst things happened to me when I was in the refinishing business. I didn't know back then that when you remove an old mirror from its frame for the first time, (removing the back), the old mercury coated mirrors will tarnish almost overnight and ruin the reflection.

And broken glass in things like hutches and other items? Been there, done that. Finding a person with the old glass to get a replacement is the toughest. Modern glass does NOT look like glass from pre WWII.

We all make mistakes. There is no "will I', but only "when I do". 
You will make the proper amends and make it right. Be lucky you have enough of the heart pine to do a smaller mirror.


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Ouch! I'm sure that hurt as bad as an actually injury. I can just imagine what an EKG would show when you realized it had cracked. Hope the client is understanding and will work with you to bring everything back to their satisfaction.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I bet I am not the only one who cringed when reading this. I am sorry that this happened and wish you all the best in resolving the situation.


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

Ever had a phantom kick-to-the-jewels? I felt it as i read the post. Man, I have done a lot of stuff but not that. I think the worst thing I have done was while installing a vanity and a sink base I hit the water line. Youd have thought I would have learned after the first time. Nope.

Sorry this happened.

(Note to self: Oversize the cut by 1/8th.)


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

Oh man, I cringed as I read this. Hate it man, and all you can do is try to make it right. Let us know how the conversation goes with the client.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

> I bet I am not the only one who cringed when reading this.
> 
> - ChuckV


You're definitely not alone. I read the first couple sentences and as I read it, was saying to myself, "Oh no…no…say this is not going where I thi-" and then I read that it did indeed break.

Hopefully the customer takes it well, and it sounds like you're doing everything you can.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

Very sorry that this happened, but I'd be thrilled to have that as my worst day in the shop. Honest mistake and your solution is brilliant. Shake it off.


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## Hooligan (Apr 24, 2014)

Thanks to everyone for there kind words of encouragement. I will let everyone know how this plays out this evening. I don't have the heart to ruin her work day.


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## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Antiques break and get "aged" through time. The crack proves it's really old, in fact, they may approve of your efforts at "aging" the mirror. Look at the bright side…


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I can only imagine how gut wrenching that must have been. I'm doing a small job for a lady and while in my shop she asked if I did refinishing. She said she had a table from her Grandmother. She had no sooner said Grandmother and I said, "NO"!!! She said she needed to do something with the top. I said, "How about a nice table cloth?"


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I like DKV's perspective on this. You have actually become part of the pieces history and story, and from the perspective of some, added value to it.

My brother wrote a song about this concept that I really like (was actually performed on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion a couple years ago). You can listen to it here, perhaps as you prepare to inform your client:


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## Ghidrah (Jan 20, 2015)

You do the best you can to try and appease the client. Unfortunately damaged things with sentimental value don't always have a rebound effect to the client when a replicated substitution is offered. It's no longer great grans and some things can't be replicated like carvings.

Something I learned from my own horror show/s, always create a hard copy contract for the project and add a disclaimer, "All effort to protect the item will be maintained, but know that the age of the materials raise the probability of damage at disassembly and or reassembly". Have them acknowledge and sign for verification. The best you can offer is to replicate. One thing I never thought of checking into was insurance for costly items.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

What a terrible thing to happen. Maybe she will be understanding and forgiving about it. Something like that can happen to anybody no matter how much care they take and hopefully it will come out ok for you.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Is it the glass itself that's going to be missed? It's not that I'm unsentimental, but I've never heard of someone being attached to glass. The wood for the mirror frame, that I can understand, but the glass almost seems more like the tires on a vintage car, sooner or later something's going to happen to necessitate replacement.


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

You might be able to salvage the mirror. Know how windshield guys fix chips and cracks? They use a vacuum and some kind of epoxy to fill it up and make it "like new". Perhaps there's a way to fix it like that… It would be worth asking around.

I used to work on cars for a living. The worst ones were the old ones… even doing simple things like brake jobs could turn into nightmares. Because everything is old and brittle and rusted and worn out… And so your estimate is just a guess. Heaven help you if you run into trouble. I got to where I just told the customer it was going to cost more because the car was old, and there was no telling what I was going to run into.


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## Hooligan (Apr 24, 2014)

Update: The client was very understanding. We were even able to laugh about the whole ordeal when all was said and done. She loved the frame and replacement mirror and asked me to have the broken mirror cut down and make a second frame for it. I tried to gift the first frame and mirror to her, but she was not having any of that and paid the full agreed upon price plus the cost of the new mirror and for the second mirror/frame in advance. She appreciated all of my efforts to make her whole and that was a load off of my mind.
Thanks for all the support in this fellow Lumberjocks.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Sounds like you have an ideal customer, not sure of how many there are out there, but wouldn't it be nice if all minor mishaps could end so agreeable for both parties.


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## daddywoofdawg (Feb 1, 2014)

you may be able to have it repaired like they do windshields.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Hey, been there done that.
You think it's bad with a mirror, happened to me with a 1 carat diamond.
Had to have the broken stone recut and also replaced with another 1 carat diamond of equal value to the original.
About a $3000 educational experience.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

> Update: The client was very understanding. We were even able to laugh about the whole ordeal when all was said and done. She loved the frame and replacement mirror and asked me to have the broken mirror cut down and make a second frame for it. I tried to gift the first frame and mirror to her, but she was not having any of that and paid the full agreed upon price plus the cost of the new mirror and for the second mirror/frame in advance. She appreciated all of my efforts to make her whole and that was a load off of my mind.
> Thanks for all the support in this fellow Lumberjocks.
> 
> - Hooligan


She's having the last laugh as she knows you're gonna have bad luck for the next seven years.. hahaha….... Jerry (in Tucson)


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

Glad it worked out! Most reasonable people would understand.


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