How Stained Glass Is Made
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.
More Articles
Light Is The Inspiration For Stained Glass Windows
Stained Glass Workshop Safety Tips
Stained Glass Scoring And Breaking
The Cost Of A Custom Stained Glass Window
Beginning Stained Glass Class And What You Should Expect To Learn
Mastering Difficult Stained Glass Cuts
Painting Stained Glass Is Not As Mysterious As It Seems
Products And Downloads
Free Videos
More Articles And News
John La Farge, American Stained Glass Artist
... Harvard University, commissioned to commemorate Harvard's Civil War dead, is considered to be one of his most significant works in stained glass. Other notable stained glass achievements include Watson Memorial in Trinity Church, Buffalo and the Church of the Ascension, New York. While his leading competitor ...
... project with silver stain. Silver stain will be applied to the back side of your stained glass project (the opposite side from your painting) and will actually change the color of the glass rather than simply cover it. Silver stain can be corrosive as it contains silver nitrate so use with caution and ...
What You Need To Know To Buy Stained Glass
... an idea of what the different types of glass look like. The stained glass suppliers' catalogs have color pictures of all the glass and colors they offer. The only problem is that you can't get a true feel of the glass and see exactly how it looks with natural light going through it. If you can visit a ...
... impression is made and it is also the first sight welcoming you home each day. Stained glass will add color and style to an otherwise boring door and window pane in your entryway. The stained glass will allow light in while adding very desirable privacy to your home. Modern stained glass comes in a variety ...
How To Properly Solder Your Stained Glass
... 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, ...
Russia returns stained glass to historic German church Catholic Culture - Russia on Monday completed the return of 117 stained glass window panels to the historic Marienkirche in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany. ... |
 BBC News | Russia returns stained glass to German church The Associated Press - FRANKFURT AN DER ODER, Germany (AP) — Six medieval stained-glass windowpanes looted by the Red Army during World War II were returned to a German church ... In pictures: German stained glass Russia returns stained glass windows to Germany Spoils of war return home |
Glassware and More at Pearl River Glass Studio show Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS - Church windows and architectural glass are the studio's standby, but new branches can reach new markets. "Not everybody can afford to buy a stained glass ... |
 Fulda Free Press | Fulda Free Press Fulda Free Press, MN - Crafting stained glass stepping stones, windows, sun catchers, dishes and jewelry is a hobby that, for Gail Gruis, Fulda, MN, has evolved into an enjoyable ... |
New Dunsmuir Mercantile restores historic building Mount Shasta Herald, CA - “I’m an antique collector and stained glass crafter. I was looking for a place to enjoy fishing, working with stained glass. Now I am embarking on the first ... |
Russia Returns Stained Glass Windows to Frankfurt Church Deutsche Welle, Germany - Russia has returned six medieval stained glass window panes looted by the Soviet Red Army in 1945 to a church in Frankfurt an der Oder, on the Polish border ... |
Hemet area church picking up pieces after vandalism Press-Enterprise, CA - Greg Hepner, was preparing for a service when he discovered a brick had been thrown through the church's 100-year-old stained-glass window. ... |
Ideal home phillyBurbs.com, PA - For Janet Briggs, who went to divinity school, and to her husband, a retired psychologist, this optimism literally shines through works in stained glass, ... |
Stained glass windows returned The Gazette (Montreal), Canada - Six stained-glass window panes missing since World War II returned home to a church in the eastern German town of Frankfurt an der Oder, 67 years after they ... |
 MLive.com | Hackley Public Library to celebrate stained-glass restoration MLive.com, MI - They work for Stained Glass By Shenandoah Inc. of Front Royal, Virginia. MUSKEGON — Now that the stained-glass windows at Hackley Public Library have been ... |