From Start to Finish

January 26, 2010 monarchskiesstainedglass

Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting anything new for a while.

I thought I would discuss what the process of making a stained glass panel is all about, and yes – there are pictures. Okay, here goes:

The first thing to keep in mind is what glass you are going to use in your design. It is important to note that not only is the color itself very important, but also the texture of the glass and if it is transparent, translucent, or opaque. If you have your colors picked out, you should look at your pattern and try to visualize what the finished piece will look like. Ask yourself if you want more red or white in your panel, or if you want more wavy glass or smooth glass – questions like that. Make sure that you have your mind made up before you start cutting your pieces, as glass can break and you may not have enough left over to change your mind later.

Okay – for my example, I chose to make a third version of the contemporary flower using red, white, blue, and clear; I believe I mentioned that I would make this panel in one of my earlier posts – I finally got around to it! Now I will get to the point and show all of you the process of making this panel.

This is the pattern that I used. If you look closely, you will see that each piece has a different letter written on it. Numbers will also work, but it is very important that each piece has a distinctive “name” - in this case, a letter – as this will make a difference in how the panel will look when it is done. Also, if you plan on using different colors for each individual piece, you do not want to mix them up, which ou would be prone to doing if the pieces are not “named.” It also helps you in that there are actually two copies of the same pattern that you use – one remains intact such as the one above, while the other you cut each piece out and use to trace the pattern pieces out on the glass.

These are a few of the pieces that I have traced on the glass. If you look at the blue pieces, I have traced two of them and two more are waiting to be traced. As I mentioned earlier, each piece needs to be ”named,” as this helps when placing the glass pieces on the intact pattern- this process helps when you solder the pattern together – more on this later.

Another important note – if you are using a textured glass, as I am with the red piece, I suggest drawing about three short lines below your letter so you know which side goes to the bottom. This isn’t absolutely necessary for the piece to fit together – at least, with this example – but if you want the texture of the glass to go in a specific direction you will want to pay attention to how you place it before you solder it together. Confused yet?

This is one of the clear pieces that I have cut from the sheet of glass. Throughout the process, but especially at this point, be careful! The glass is VERY SHARP!!

See? Told you!

Seriously, though, as you all know safety is no joke – you will likely cut  and burn yourself when making a glass panel. Do not rush during any part of this process – that is how you can really get hurt, and your end product will not look as nice. 

This is where your grinder will come in handy. This process takes all of the sharpest edges off of each piece of glass, and creates a rough surface that makes it easier for the copper foil to stick.

All right! All of the pieces are now cut, and I have run all of the edges along my grinder. The next step is to wrap each piece with copper foil – with black backing, because I will be using a black patina on the solder for the final step.

Okay – now all of the pieces are foiled, and the panel is ready to be soldered together and framed in zinc framing! Lead framing can also be used, but I prefer zinc as it is a less flexible material and will hold your piece together nicely without the frame being dented as easily.

Now the soldering and framing are both done! I have to admit, the panel looks really lovely just as it is – no patina added. There is no reason that the panel needs to be added – if you like the look of your piece without the patina, by all means leave it as is.

DONE!! The whole process from start to finish took me about three hours, but it was worth it!

I hope that you all enjoyed this post and that I did not confuse you too much. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment for me and I will do my best to clear any confusion up.

Entry Filed under: Stained Glass

2 Comments Add your own

• 1. M&D  |  January 27, 2010 at 10:06 am

  Your explaination of each step was very interesting. Thank you. Questions: If you wanted to hang a finished piece how would you do that? Is there a certain weight limit that you should not hang from a suction cup on your window? If you don’t hang them on your window how else can the finished pieces be displayed?

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• 2. GP  |  January 30, 2010 at 4:13 pm

  Wow. Three hours? That’s amazing. Lovely description. I’ll look forward to more from you.

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