Home Improvement Inside » Stained Glass

Enhance The Beauty Of Your Garden With Stained Glass Art

Ed — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:15:53 +0000

Stained glass isn't just for windows any more. The beauty of your garden can be enhanced by capturing the beauty of the sun's natural light through stained glass art. Stained glass ornaments in your garden will capture the sun's natural light and the stained glass will sparkle as the light dances off its surface.

A stained glass stepping stone or garden stone path provides a wonderful mixture of color and design leading to the entry to your flower garden. Stained glass mosaic garden stone designs are fun to do and can be placed throughout your garden. You can make them yourself with regular concrete mix or special colored DiamondCRETE(tm)Garden Stone Concrete. You can make your own wooden molds or purchase molds from your retailers or wholesalers.

With Tiffany Garden Borders patterns you can build a 4-foot concrete and stained glass circular garden border around your flowerbed, tree, birdbath, backyard pond, sundial or herb garden.

If you aren't experienced at scoring, breaking and grinding stained glass, just break random scraps of stained glass and arrange them in a design, or in no particular design, in your concrete form.

You can buy easy-to-make stepping stone kits in craft stores, like Hobby Lobby, or in the craft aisles of Wal-Mart or online. Stained glass shops and suppliers have hundreds of patterns and instructional books on stained glass garden stones and other stained glass garden ornaments.

Whimsical frogs, fish and turtle stained glass designs on concrete rain spout deflectors are more attractive than the ordinary plastic ones you see under everyone's gutter drains.

Picture beautiful stained glass and beveled or prism glass wind chimes flashing brilliant colors. The sound of the stained glass shapes bouncing off each other is pleasing when they are moved by a gentle breeze.

Iron garden stakes frame colorful stained glass designs which are interchangeable. You can change the design to fit any season or special occasion. The stained glass garden stakes can be placed throughout the garden or by your front door. Guests will enjoy the warm, welcoming feeling they get when they see the warm colorful stained glass garden stakes and stepping stones.

Another gardeners' favorite is stained glass wire stake designs for flowerpots and smaller garden beds. Three-dimensional stained glass hummingbirds, butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies and other creatures are favorite colorful additions to any patio flowerpot.

A popular stained glass garden project is a resting bench. This is a larger and heavier stained glass project but is worth the effort. The beautiful designs in the many available patterns for stained glass benches fit so well in a beautiful, colorful garden, or under a shade tree. Many have been used in cemeteries and church yards as a lovely, restful place to pause and reflect.

There are iron frames for patio tables to be done in stained glass mosaics. They can be purchased though stained glass suppliers, shops and online. There are many stained glass patterns and books available for the patio tables; or, as always, you can be creative and come up with your own stained glass mosaic table design.

What about a cozy looking stained glass fireplace screen in front of your patio fireplace, or stained glass patio lanterns or porch light fixtures?

You can make any stained glass garden decoration yourself or have a stained glass artisan design and make it for you. You can decorate garden walls or patio floors with stained glass mosaic designs. When it comes to decorating your garden, deck, or patio with stained glass, you are limited only by your own imagination.

Stained Glass Artisan, Louis C. Tiffany

Ed — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:06:42 +0000

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) is associated with Art Nouveau style stained glass lamps and windows. He was nicknamed "Rebel in Glass" because he ventured into many avenues of art glass. He founded Tiffany and Company soon after the Civil War and employed several artists to carry out his artistic ideas.

Tiffany had studied painting in Paris and when he returned home, he studied Medieval techniques in glassmaking. From his experimentation of many techniques of glassmaking, he came up with his beautiful "drapery" stained glass which he used to represent the folds and ripples in the robes and gowns of figures in his stained glass windows.

Tiffany's first figure stained glass window was built in 1878 using opalescent glass from the Heidt glasshouse. He made his first glass tiles at Heidt glass house, his factory in Brooklyn. Tiffany's stained glass designs were unique and constructed with an aim for stability so that they would last and be enjoyed for generations.

Much of Tiffany's work no longer exists. Without a thought, people threw away Tifffany stained glass lampshades; and, church and cathedral stained glass windows have been destroyed over time. Some of Tiffany's stained glass lamp shades, when found, are now valued up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Tiffany's stained glass products were not intended to be mass produced but, rather, were created for individuals or church memorial gifts. Probably only less than half of Tiffany's stained glass products are still in existence. Those are mostly already in museums or are kept by prominent collectors. So, it is unlikely for you to accidentally run across a Tiffany stained glass lampshade or stained glass window panel that will make you wealthy.

Tiffany was an avid painter who painted all his life. His painting ability was very useful to him in designing his significant stained glass windows. His "cartoons" were not merely patterns on paper, but often they were full-size oil paintings on canvas. For Tiffany, stained glass windows were simply another form of painting.

Interestingly, Tiffany's stained glass windows for public buildings were signed, but stained glass windows he built for individual homes were not signed. He thought the families who lived in the homes would be able to attribute to the fact that he or his company had made their stained glass windows. This has caused problems proving stained glass windows were his.

One of Tiffany's better known designs was the Wisteria Table Lamp (c. 1900) of which many reproductions have been made. The beautiful stained glass lamp shade is a resemblance of a vine, leaves, and wisteria blossoms dripping all over in beautiful colors.

Tiffany's stained glass works can be seen in various places. One such place is the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida where the interior of the chapel Tiffany designed is assembled. It had been designed for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the exposition, it had been stored in Tiffany's mansion until the mansion burned down. The chapel parts and all its stained glass windows were salvaged and rebuilt in the museum at Rollins College.

There are several of Tiffany's stained glass windows in New Jersey. Stained glass windows at Saint James Church in Fordham, Bronx, New York represent some of Tiffany's best work from the late 19th century through 1929. Other Tiffany stained glass works can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, City.

Many references to locations where Tiffany's stained glass windows and other art can be seen can be found online.

How Much Will A Custom Stained Glass Window Cost

Ed — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:21:48 +0000

When you go to a stained glass artisan, don't expect to walk in and tell him/her you want a window put in your front door and then ask, "How much will it cost?" The stained glass artisan cannot give you a quote off the top of his/her head. There is a process to arriving at a price for a stained glass window.

When you know that you want a custom stained glass window, you should arrive at the stained glass studio with some facts and ideas before you ask a stained glass artisan for a price quote. The first thing you need to know is the exact measurement of the opening. The base price of a custom built stained glass piece begins with pricing based on square footage, and then per piece. Therefore, the more intricate the piece is, the more costly.

Each stained glass artisan has his/her own pricing scale. An example of just the basis of the quote would be: $125 per square foot plus $1.50 per piece in the pattern for a stained glass window constructed with lead came. A lower charge of $110 per square foot plus $1.50 per piece might be given for a stained glass window constructed with copper foil. But that's just the beginning.

If you don't know what design to settle on and you request full-size cartoons (patterns) to look at on your opening, the stained glass artisan might charge $50 or more per cartoon to cover his/her extra time – especially if you decide not to have the stained glass window made.

The type of glass used in a stained glass window has bearing on the cost. For instance, red glass is more expensive than some other colors because gold is a metal used in making red glass. The brand Kokomo glass is generally more expensive than Spectrum glass. Some of the "art" glass is more expensive than other glass.

Beveled glass and bevel clusters (especially if they have to be custom made) are often far more expensive than stained glass. For an individual stained glass artisan to custom make bevel clusters, it requires a lengthy process. This would increase the quoted price for your custom stained glass window.

If you decide to have gems, glass globs or faceted jewels or rondels added to the design, these will increase the price of your custom stained glass window. Some gems are more expensive than others, and these add to the intricacy of the work to be done.

Other considerations in the overall cost of your stained glass window are installation and how it will be framed and whether or not the artisan will be responsible for framing and installation. The stained glass artisan may refer you to a framer or a carpenter if the artisan does not do the installation. Other costs include things like whether or not a storm window is included or if the stained glass piece will be sandwiched and weather-sealed between two pieces of glass.

It will help the stained glass artisan to know what type of glass to choose if you know whether or not you need glass that will provide total privacy. Is there anything that you would like to bring into the stained glass design like nature or flowers? Do you want colors or just clear textures? Do you like Prairie style or Art Nouvea?

When you have a design and the glass chosen and the finished size, your stained glass artisan will be able to give you a price on your beautiful custom stained glass window.

How Stained Glass Is Made

Ed — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:11:48 +0000

Stained glass is a beautiful and unique art form that has existed for centuries. Although many different techniques, such as painting on the glass, have been created over the years, the process of making colored glass, true stained glass remains nearly unchanged after all this time. The stained glass making process begins with some basic natural raw materials like sand (silica), soda or potash, lead oxide or lime and one of the various metal oxides to provide the different colors used in stained glass designs. These raw materials, in their proper proportions are then mixed in a large vat and heated to 2500? F turning the mixture into molten glass which can then be processed in a variety of ways depending on the effect desired for a particular piece of stained glass.

For instance, to make the glass used in stained glass windows, a lump of the molten glass is caught up at one end of a blow pipe, blown into a cylinder-like shape, cut, then compressed into sheets and cooled. This process may be varied in order to produce different effects. "Flashed glass" is made by putting a ball of molten white glass inside of a layer of molten colored glass which, when blown and flattened, results in a less concentrated color because it will be white on one side and colored on the other.

This allows a much greater variety of colors to be created for use in stained glass art. Another process that is used for making Cathedral glass is done by rolling the molten glass into flat sheets. Then there are the "Norman slabs" which are created by blowing the molten glass into a rectangular box shaped mold. The sides are then sliced apart and formed into slabs which are slightly thinner at the edges and thicker in the center. Larger manufacturers use much the same techniques, but the mixing and shaping processes are done with large machines instead of by hand.

As mentioned above various metal oxides are added to produce different colors of stained glass. Golden, yellow and vermillion glass is sometimes created by using uranium, cadmium sulfide or titanium. Adding gold produces a beautiful ruby color Cobalt creates most shades of blue. Chromium and iron oxides can also create green shades. Copper oxide is very versatile and depending on the conditions it is used under it can create ruby red, bluish or green colors.

The beautiful pieces of stained glass are turned into beautiful stained glass windows and other beautiful artwork in a variety of ways. The oldest way is by (in simple terms) cutting out a design and then assembling the pieces together using "lead cames" which are basically made from strips of grooved lead which is then soldered to the glass. Different metal bars and loops are soldered to the lead in order to allow the stained glass window to be installed in a church, home or other building.

Other techniques use a special type of cement or other metals "foiled" to hold the stained glass pieces together. The methods for creating stained glass have survived and proven effective for thousands of years and will almost certainly continue to do so for many thousands more to come.

How To Properly Solder Your Stained Glass

Ed — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:21:48 +0000

Since stained glass making is such a fine art much attention is paid to the type, colors and quality of glass used and/or the quality of the paint used on the glass. The soldering iron, while absolutely crucial to the outcome of the project is often given little or no consideration and attempts to use one borrowed from a friend or found in the tool bin in the garage are often made. The right soldering iron and type of solder can make the difference in the overall quality of the finished stained glass window or other project, however, and should be given more attention.

Using a low wattage soldering iron as one might find handy from household projects is a bad idea. Irons of less than 75 watts do not retain enough heat to handle the large amounts of solder that are needed to complete your stained glass project. When the iron loses heat from constant use, the solder suddenly becomes sticky and slow and the joints become messy and unstable. Not only will your stained glass project look unprofessional, it may well fall apart!

Using a soldering iron with too high a wattage can also present a problem. Soldering irons over 200 watts will heat the solder too quickly, causing drips and possibly burning or melting the metal cames and irrevocably damaging the stained glass project. Turning the iron off periodically may help this problem, but all too often one forgets to turn it back on and is left with a cold iron or the same problems as using the too low wattage iron with slow, sticky solder.

The ideal soldering iron would have a temperature control keeping it at a constant level between 100 and 200 watts. It would also have an iron coated or plated tip to make it long lasting and easy to use. The tip should measure about 1/4 inch and be comparable to a flat tip screw-driver in shape. You should replace the tip often to keep your projects flowing smoothly and to help keep your joints neat and clean.

The first step in soldering your stained glass project is to heat up the soldering iron. Once it is heated it is important to clean the tip to remove impurities either by wiping it on a damp rag or sal ammoniac (a naturally occurring mineral that reacts with the heat of the soldering iron to clean residue when the tip of the iron is rubbed across it). Next, brush the tip of the soldering iron with a little flux and then melt a little dab of solder onto it. When the solder melts into a shiny liquid bead, you will know your soldering iron is ready to use on your stained glass project. Start by soldering all of the joints in your stained glass piece, that is any area where two pieces of came intersect. Then you should carefully run a bead of solder along all of the sections of came on your stained glass project.

If the solder is too sticky you should wait for the iron to heat up a little more, if it is too runny your iron is too hot. You want to be careful to ensure a smooth finished look, but do not worry about the heat of the iron cracking the glass since stained glass is kiln fired at temperatures about 1000? F, there is little chance of that! Soldering your stained glass project well will give it a more professional look and ensure that it will last for many generations to come.

Sandblasting Stained Glass

Ed — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:30:48 +0000

Stained glass is actually an incorrect name for a type of art encompassing many different ways of decorating glass for windows, mirrors, lamps or other projects. Stained glass may be made from many pieces of colored glass cut into a design and soldered together with lead or copper cames (metal strips), it may be painted, etched, actually stained with various metal oxides or even sandblasted. Sandblasting is a fascinating way to add texture and interest to your stained glass art project. Rather than adding colored, sandblasting gives a unique frosted or abraded look. This can be used as a decorative "frame" for your stained glass project before painting and setting it in the kiln, or you can create the entire design through sandblasting alone.

Sandblasting equipment can be quite expensive, so you will most likely want to borrow or rent the equipment. You may also consider paying a professional to sandblast your prepared design. Be prepared to make several phone calls and be clear about what you would like to have done. You will likely be charged a set fee per square foot of the stained glass project.

There are four basic elements to the sandblasting unit. The sandblasting unit works with an air compressor that acts as the motor of the unit and provides compressed air to the sand mixing unit. This highly pressurized sand is then forced through a soft tube into a sealed compartment where it is forced through a nozzle. You will do the sandblasting through a set of long rubber gloves that extend inside the unit where you can move your stained glass project around and control the nozzle during sandblasting.

You will want to create your pattern on a special type of removable backed adhesive paper called "transparent resist". You may also try regular contact paper, but it is not as sturdy or easy to work with for your stained glass project as the resist. Draw your design on the transparent resist paper with a pencil.

Remember that the cut out portions will be the frosted design on your stained glass project. Be create, experiment with different lines and shapes. When you are satisfied with your design you should tape it to your cutting mat and cut it out carefully using a craft or razor knife. Next, gently remove the paper backing and roll the resist or contact paper unto your piece of glass smoothing it out as you go along. Be careful not to leave any air pockets or lifted edges where sand might get into and foil your design.

Follow the manufacturer's directions for sandblasting (if you are renting the equipment, otherwise drop it off to the studio and wait for the dramatic results). Carefully peal off the transparent resist and viola, a beautiful piece of stained glass art! You are now ready to use stained glass paint and fire the piece in a kiln if that is what your design calls for; otherwise your stained glass project is ready for framing or hanging.

Stained glass artwork is a satisfying hobby that not only provides hours of enjoyment, but also creates attractive accents for your home, or gifts for family or friends that will bring pleasure for many years to come.

Stained Glass Workshop Safety Tips

Ed — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:02:48 +0000

Whether you are an experienced or new stained glass crafter or artisan, it is important to think about safety in your stained glass workshop or studio. There are the obvious hazards of working around glass, but tools and chemicals can also be hazardous.

When you go to your stained glass supplier, do not bring small children. There is too big of a risk of being cut by glass and being exposed to toxic fumes, dust and lead. Most stained glass warehouses post signs requesting that small children do not go into areas where the stained glass is stored. Your local retail stained glass dealer would appreciate not having the stress of having a "bull in a China shop."

When carrying sheets of stained glass, wear gloves that help you have a good grip on the glass. The gloves should protect your hands from cuts from the razor sharp edges of the stained glass. Grip the glass on each side. Carrying it with one hand on top and one on bottom creates a hazard that the glass could snap in two. If you grip from each side and the sheet of stained glass breaks, you have a better chance of letting the glass slip away from you without being cut.

When scoring and breaking stained glass at your workbench, wear protective eyewear and gloves. Be careful not to use your hand to swipe glass shards out of your way. Keep a bench brush and dust pan handy so that you can frequently brush off your workbench. This will reduce accidents and also keep a smooth surface to work on. The tiniest glass shard under a piece of stained glass that you are scoring can cause the piece you are working on to have an unwanted break.

Never use a glass grinder without protecting your eyes. Glass particles can fly up into your eyes and cause terrible pain and may permanently damage your eyes. Most glass grinders are equipped with face shields or face shields can be purchased separately.

While grinding your stained glass, wear goggles that shield your eyes from all sides to prevent glass particles from getting in your eyes from underneath since the grinder is below eye level. It would also be a good idea to wear a paper mask to prevent breathing in the glass particles and dust that could be harmful to your sinuses and lungs.

When leading the stained glass pieces, wear gloves to protect you from exposure to lead poisoning. If you have cuts on your hands, cover them with band-aids. Pay careful attention to your hot soldering iron. Don't look away and reach for your iron. You might grasp the wrong end of the iron. .. the end that is several hundred degrees hot!

Make sure that your area is well ventilated when you are soldering. Fumes from solder and flux contain harmful lead and acid. Solder scraps should be kept in a special container for taking to a recycler.

Sometimes new stained glass crafters don't have a workshop and think they can begin by working at their kitchen table or counter. That is a definite risk of exposing you and your family to lead poisoning, chemical contamination, and hazards from the shards of stained glass. It would be better to set up a space in your garage or an unused room. Some stained glass shops will allow you to rent bench time.

Common sense and a clean stained glass workshop will help keep you safe and add to your enjoyment of the art of stained glass.

How To Repair Your Stained Glass Window

Ed — Sat, 15 May 2010 23:04:48 +0000

If you have some experience in stained glass handi-crafts repairing your old or damaged stained glass window is a project you may consider doing yourself. This article assumes you have at least some experience in this craft. If your window is very valuable, if you do not have any experience in stained glass window making or if you lack confidence in your abilities this is a task you may want to leave to the professionals. Otherwise, the process is very much like creating a new stained glass window and even a little easier in the sense that you do not have to do much, if any, glass cutting.

Problem #1: The leaded stained glass window cames are around seventy years old (or older) and have become brittle causing bulging or breaking.

This usually begins to happen in a stained glass window over seventy years old. Lead does not rot or rust, but it does lose its elasticity and become brittle over time. If left unattended it may cause the stained glass pieces to fall out or break as well.

The Solution:

Re-leading the window. This is time consuming, but very worthwhile to restore your stained glass window to its original beauty and integrity. The following steps must be taken:

1. Take a photograph of the window and measure lead cames to help with reconstructing it later.

2. Take the panel out of the window frame and remove panel framing.

3. Next, you will need to take the entire panel apart using the soldering iron to loosen solder and gently pry the old cames from the glass pieces.

4. Dispose of old lead in an environmentally friendly way, you should probably take it to a metal recycling facility.

5. Next each piece of glass should be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Lay the pieces in place so as not to become confused later.

6. Reassemble panel using with new lead cames in the same width as the original.

7. Broken stained glass pieces should be traced and matched as closely as possible to a new piece of glass cut with the pattern you create. Another option if you have all the broken pieces and either cannot match the stained glass closely enough or do not want to put new pieces in, is to use thin lead cames to hold the broken pieces together. This option will likely make it obvious that the window has been repaired, so use with care.

8. New cement should be applied to both sides

9. New reinforcement bars should now be attached.

10. The stained glass panel is now ready to be re-framed and re-hung.

This process should be done when the window is nearing seventy years old. Following the steps above should result in a complete restoration of your stained glass window and it should be as structurally sound as a brand new one.

Problem #2: One stained glass panel in a window less than 70-years-old is broken.

The Solution:

This will depend on the location of the broken piece. If it is near the outer edge, you may be able to get away with carefully breaking the damaged piece out of the frame and using the soldering iron to loosen the lead cames and then re-soldering the new piece in place as in #7 above. If the broken piece is in a difficult location or if there are several broken pieces, you may want to re-lead the entire window following the above instructions. If there is a small crack, you might consider using a glass repair kit from the automotive shop. These are used to fix small chips and cracks in windshields and if the damage is slight, may be a suitable way to repair the crack and prevent further damage.

There are a number of other small repairs that you can do yourself such as re-painting areas that have flaked off, but these will need to be removed and re-kilned and you may want to consult with a professional for help with that. Restoring your stained glass window may be a painstaking process, but it is worth it to preserve its original beauty and make it last for future generations.

Painting Stained Glass

Ed — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:01:48 +0000

You may have mastered stained glass construction, but stained glass painting seems like a mystery and looks difficult. Most stained glass crafters know little about the process and the materials needed for painting stained glass; but it should be just another step in the whole process of creating beautiful stained glass windows.

Some people have a misconception that stained glass is clear glass that has been painted to a desired color. Actually, stained glass is colored while it is still in its molten form by adding metal oxides. Painted stained glass is already colored and has had a design painted on it.

Painting on stained glass is done to add humanistic details of the face, hands, feet, or shading of the body and hair. Painting reduces the amount of cutting and leading of many tiny pieces of stained glass. Painting enhances the beauty, textures, and color that are already in the stained glass.

You don't have to be a talented "artist" in order to paint on stained glass windows; although, a little drawing experience and some knowledge of perspective and the human anatomy can be helpful. If you can find classes on stained glass painting, it always helps to learn from someone who has already learned what works and doesn't work. If you cannot find classes, look for information online, on related online forums and in instructional books at craft stores, stained glass shops, or in your local library.

You can spend as little or as much as you want on stained glass painting tools and supplies. You can get started for as little as $20 to $100. You can save money by making some of your own stained glass painting equipment. Suppliers for stained glass paints and tools can be found by searching on the internet and at craft and supply stores. Be careful of the paints you choose because the paints for stained glass painting are specific.

Stained glass paint is a high-fired permanent paint which actually has glass (called the vehicle) in it. Stained glass paint also contains lead and has coloring agents like sand, alumina, clay, red or white lead oxide, boric acid, potassium and sodium. The lead in the stained glass paint refracts light. The matt (paint) can be applied, taken out in the tracing, fired, and then applied again, depending on the lighting, detail, and textures you want to achieve in your stained glass painting.

A few good brushes, spatulas, a small easel with a thick-plated glass surface, a light box and an inexpensive small, electric kiln would be a good start on supplies needed to do stained glass painting. In order to save money, you could build your own easel and light box and purchase a used kiln from ads in stained glass magazines or online. You can also make your own mahl sticks and bridges which are wooden supports for your hand and arm for helping with paint stroke technique.

Your work area does not have to be large. It could be an area set aside in your stained glass workshop with a good source of natural light from a window. You need plenty of storage including a palette box for storing the color palettes you make.

You will need squares and rectangles of scrap clear glass, ground and rounded on the edges to prevent cutting yourself. These scraps will be for practicing your stained glass painting and tracing technique.

Armed with the knowledge you gain from sources and practice, you will find that there really is no mystery to stained glass painting.

Beginning Stained Glass Class

Ed — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:06:48 +0000

Every stained glass instructor is different, but the things you will learn from someone who has already been through the frustrations of learning the art of stained glass are invaluable. Learning in a stained glass class will save you a lot of time and grief that you would encounter if you were self-taught. You will learn the basic techniques for scoring, breaking, grinding and leading stained glass. You will also learn about the basic tools necessary to complete a stained glass project.

In your stained glass class, you will learn how to select stained glass for your projects. You will learn about different types, textures and colors of stained glass and how to optimize the use of colors in your design.

You might not create your own design for your first project. You will probably do a simple stained glass suncatcher from a pattern. Depending on the length of your stained glass class, you might also make a small stained glass panel.

You will begin by choosing glass for your stained glass project. You will learn the appropriate way to hold a scoring tool and then how to break the scored glass with your hands, groziers, or running pliers (for straight lines). You'll be taught that scoring is done on the smoother side of the stained glass.

To successfully break the stained glass, you will learn how to score straight lines, inside curves and outside curves. Your experienced teacher will be able to show you tricks that will make these easier to do and which tools work best. He/she should have different styles of tools for you to try out so that you can choose what works best for you.

You will also learn how to use a glass grinder so that you can smooth the edges of the stained glass and make adjustments so that the pieces will fit the stained glass design. As you lay the pieces of glass on the pattern, you must leave just enough space between them to make up for the thickness of the lead came or copper foil that will be wrapped around them.

You will either learn the copper foil method of stained glass or the lead came method. You will learn how to wrap and burnish the stained glass edges with copper foil. Be patient, this will take practice. You will learn how to assemble your stained glass project using lead channels. You will learn how to use cutting tools in order for you to cut and fit the came so that your stained glass project will have smooth lines and joints.

You'll be shown different tools for wrapping foil; or, you might prefer to wrap by hand. Various burnishing tools are available. Try out different tools.

For the copper foil stained glass project, you will use flux to prepare the foil for applying solder to it. You will learn how to use a soldering iron and how to "tin" the foil by applying a flat coat of solder to all surfaces of the foil. Next, you will go back over it and apply a smooth, raised "bead" line.

In the lead came project you will learn how to solder the joints and fill the gap between the glass and lead with "putty." The next step you will learn is how to add a patina which will turn the solder black and makes the colors of the stained glass pop out.

After you have framed the project, finally, you will learn how to clean and polish your completed stained glass panel.