Chandelier Repair and Cleaning: Ken Roeper

Crystal lighting restoration and cleaning

Business Name: Crystal Details, LLC
Phone: 1-804-658-1555
Email: crystaldetails@comcast.net

A crystal chandelier is the diamond ring of any house and Ken Roeper is the jeweler who can appraise its condition, restore its bling, or enhance its setting. He’s restored the lighting fixtures at the Virginia State Capitol, the US Capitol and the landmark Willard Hotel in Washington. When he isn’t on site, removing or reinstalling fixtures, he’s in his studio, dismantling arms, rewiring old parts, and reattaching prisms.

Whether it’s a Baccarat crystal, Murano glass or family heirloom, the fixture gets the benefit of Ken’s broad experience, which includes exterior as well as interior lighting, and brass and iron in addition to crystal. On a recent visit to some clients who wanted advice on how to lengthen an old gasolier, he spotted a flaw others had missed. "The prisms are really beautiful. But they’re on backwards. The pointed side of a prism should be on the inside, where it can refract the light. You know, like a diamond ring."

Chandeliers spend most of their lives up in the air, away from clumsy people. They aren’t abused in the way that, say, chairs and clocks are. So what brings most people to you for lighting restoration?

A chandelier can collect 30 years of dust before it comes to me for a professional cleaning. Many people will make the mistake of trying to clean the fixture themselves with a spray bottle. That can cause major damage. Moisture, metal and electricity don’t mix. It’s like hosing off a really dirty car instead of washing it. You get streaks. Still worse, moisture can seep into the cracks of an old fixture, sit in reservoirs and cause corrosion. One client was spraying her chandelier when the formula shot past the fixture onto a family portrait. The painting had to be restored. Whatever you do, don’t spray a light fixture!

Alright, spraying is out. What’s the process you use?

First, I undress the fixture, clean each crystal individually, and hand dry with a lint-free cloth. Some prism pins may break. I may have to replace hardware or broken or missing prisms while the fixture is dismantled. After cleaning internally and externally, I rebuild and reinstall.

A chandelier has so many pieces. Is it possible to restore a fixture with more than a few missing prisms?

I have an old printer’s cabinet full of vintage parts. I travel to antique shows and shops looking for prisms and parts, bobeches and arms. I rebuild and replicate what’s broken and missing in fixtures. If I can’t get a part from a manufacturer, I find a reasonable facsimile. It’s important for people to hold onto original parts.

Is there a formula for hanging height

A chandelier over a dining room table is lower than a chandelier people are expected to walk under. Depending on the size of the chandelier, the table, the room - it should be 30-32 inches above the table as opposed to 7 ft or so for open living areas.

What’s changed in the field since you started doing what you do?

There is a greater cross-section within the residential population using and showing vintage lighting in their homes either through inheritance or purchase.

What job are you proudest of?

The U.S. Capitol, the Virginia State Capitol and the Virginia Governor’s Mansion. For about seven years, I have maintained the crystal chandeliers at the Virginia State Capitol. That requires cleaning and adding prisms as needed. Prisms get damaged or come loose. You’d be surprised what can happen to an old fixture when you just go to change a light bulb.

For about 8 years, I’ve been cleaning and adding prisms to all crystal fixtures in the Governor’s Mansion. Also, I maintain the carriage lamps and wrought iron outdoor fixtures. Typically, I’m brought in to restore and maintain crystal fixtures, but I wind up taking care of wrought iron or brass as well.

In Washington, DC, I worked on the House of Representatives side of the US Capitol as well as the Dirksen and Longworth congressional office buildings. Both had crystal and brass chandeliers and wall sconces. The Longworth building has crystal wall scones with sterling silver plates and hardware -there must’ve been 30 in one room.

What’s your dream project?

The White House.

Range of services you offer:

• Restoration
• Cleaning
• Repair
• Assembly
• Installation
• Packing
• Storage
• Delivery