Blind Eye Restoration LLC

She’s up! We have Ribbon Dancer by Alfred Tibor in the shop for structural repairs after her traffic accident last year. We’re in the final phase of resculpting her foot and then she’ll be reinstalled back in front of the little library soon. She’s been through more than one of these accidents so we’re hoping her new internal structure will protect her from more broken ankles in the future.

Not a pretty photo. But a lesson I NEED you all to understand. I’ve been seeing way too many painting hacks on window restoration accounts and I want to clear something up.

Do you see the paint rippling and pulling back from the glass there on the edge of the glazing? That is happening because the paint edge was razored to make it look nice and straight. We’ve seen it time after time, that when exterior paint edges are razored they will peel back and can cause water damage to the glazing and even seep under the glass to the inside of the sash causing wood and finish damage. The same thing happens with taped edges and that glass masking paint on goo. The sealed edge of the paint is being compromised and it will peel up. Not a matter of if but only when.

Even in the preservation trades we get so caught up in trying to prove that we can make old windows look “as good as new” and giving them some kind of factory finish that we can unintentionally compromise on quality and longevity. These are traditionally hand-made, hand- glazed, and hand-painted windows people! There is going to be some visual imperfection, even minimally. It’s just a fact that good window restorers need to be good free hand painters and better than average glaziers. But perfect isn’t ever a thing in old houses unless you’re just getting rid of all the old to start with. As contractors and even diy homeowners we all need to have a little more patience and acceptance of what that looks like. And I hope this also reaches some homeowners looking at the work of others. This stuff is soooo labor intensive and physically demanding to begin with. A good paint edge is one that stays in place and doesn’t cover more than 1/8” of glass on any edge. It takes years of consistent practice to become fast and proficient at edge painting. So let’s all just be a little more patient and for goodness sake put the razors down!!!!

Thank you Diana Welling, Ohio's State Historic Preservation Officer !

🌟Women in Preservation Series: Lindsay Jones🌟

Next in our Women in Preservation Series is Blind Eye Restoration owner, Lindsay Jones, a nationally recognized leader in historic preservation with over 20 years of hands-on experience!

As the owner of Blind Eye Restoration, Lindsay has made significant contributions to preserving our nation's heritage. She is a recognized professional by the Association for Preservation Technology International and has worked on projects nationwide, including the Hartman Rock Garden and Stanford University’s Cantor Art Museum.

Passionate about education, Lindsay leads hands-on workshops regularly and teaches the Studio Arts class at Ft. Hayes Technical High School. Her work has been featured in Preservation Magazine, and in 2024, two of her projects received Ohio History Connection State Historic Preservation Awards.

Join us in thanking Lindsay for her remarkable contributions to preserving our heritage and educating the next generation! 🏛️✨