Many people who work with stained
glass use only the copper foil method of holding the pieces of glass
together. But when you know how to use lead came as well as copper
foil, the
choice becomes which is better for any given artwork. For me, the
decision to use lead came is the correct decision about 95% of the time. That is
why I am about to show you how a leaded artwork in stained glass is
done.
The
design is worked out on the computer and submitted in one or more
drawings to the client via a private web page. Once the final version
of the design is set, it is printed out on paper to aid in creating a
very precise full size drawing of the artwork.
While the full
size design is being constructed, the choice of which glasses to use is
discussed. Photos are often submitted to aid this discussion. |
 |
The green glass for the border is
chosen. |
| Glasses for the sun and moon are
considered. |
 |
 |
The full size drawing is cut into
separate pieces of paper, the paper is glued to the glass, and the
glass is cut to size. |
 |
After these
paper patterns are used to cut shapes from this large piece of white
glass, all of the glass pieces will be ground smooth along their edges
on a diamond-bitted router. |
 |
Once all
the glass is cut and ground smooth, putting it together is like
assembling a jugsaw puzzle. Here, my son is helping his dad by figuring
out where each piece goes. |
 |
Once the
glass jigsaw puzzle is completely laid out, the paper patterns are
removed and the first true glimpse of the artworks is seen. You can see
circles of glass left out where faceted glass jewels will be added in
later. |
 |
With zinc
along the outside edges for strength, the interior of the artwork is
constructed one leadline and one piece of glass at a time. Pieces are
held tightly in place with nails and scrap bits of lead. The hammer and
the needle-nose
pliers
are the most commonly used tools. |
 |
The border design begins to take
shape. |
 |
Although
most artisans build a stained glass panel on top of a full size paper
pattern, my methods for shaping the glass pieces are so precise that no
full size template is necessary. |
 |
Figuring
out the proper order in which elements of the design should be leaded
into place is crucial to avoiding leading oneself into the proverbial
corner. |
 |
Sometimes, fitting in the last
pieces into one section of the design before going on to the next
section is tricky. |
 |
Finally, the construction is
complete and the panel is ready to be soldered where one leadline meets
or touches another. |
| Once
the artwork is soldered on both sides, it is washed. Then, the zinc,
lead, and solder are darkened with a chemical patina that
turns
all of these metallic parts to a charcoal gray. |
The final artwork can be seen here.
|
