Stained Glass

December 12th 2018

Christmas tree stained glass panel

About five years ago I made contact with someone through facebook who had posted some beautiful stained glass panels on a craft group page I belong to.  I wrote asking if she would take a commission and create a piece with the theme of boats and the sea.  The response was affirmative but she suggested perhaps I should make it myself!  Somewhat daunted by this I put the idea to one side and instead began to learn how to fuse glass with her and one thing led to another, Judith became and is, not just a good teacher but a good friend.  If we are not glassing together, we meet for tea and coffee and have a good natter.  One of the positives of a technologiacal age bringing two people together.  This year, however, has not been kind to either of us and I think we will be pleased to say goodbye to 2018.

Over the past few years, Judith has occasionally asked if I am ready or have I  thought anymore about creating a piece for my front door and I make excuse after excuse.  For my Christmas present this year, she took the decision to teach me how to create a stained glass panel, with obviuosly a cunning plan to begin my journey into creating a piece for the door. Being very clever she used my love of Christmas to entice me to want to learn.

I loved every part of the process of this old historic crafting skill, I felt connected to history and delighted by the simplicity of it, simple does not mean easy.

I'll let the photos do the talking...

Judith's workshop, with the large blank
pieces of paper ready for our designs

After an initial 'simple' triangle shape is created
and divided up into smaller numbered pieces,
each piece of glass is cut 1 mm smaller than
the design (this is to allow for the
lead space between the glass)

Taking photographs as you work lets you see the
design from a different viewpoint and see if anything
needs changing before it is too late

Securing a piece of wood to one of the long sides of the stained piece holds
everything in place whilst working on it

Working from the top corner and using horseshoe nails each piece of glass is
encased in lead, an oyster knife is used to lift the glass and slot it into the lead gap,
I loved this process so much.  The horseshoe nails are vital as they hold everything in place

Some pieces of glass were easier to lead than other, coming to the triangular point and fitting
everything in was tight and tricky and a couple of pieces of glass
had to be trimmed to ease it all in

Once all the pieces were encased in glass, the piece needs to be knocked up.  I had no idea
this is where the expression came from.  This hammering gently on the wood on the
outside of the glass just pushes the glass into all the lead pieces and creates a tighter
structure before soldering.  Note my soldering leaves much to be
desired as it is too blobby!  

The panel is then ready for cementing.  this is to fix the glass into the lead and make
it waterproof.  The cement is applied with a brush.

Chalk is then sprinkled over the cement.

The cement and chalk are then scrubbed off, this ensures all the cement is pushed into the gap between the glass a
nd lead, the chalk helps remove any excess cement.

I loved some of the shapes the lead created within the panel

Once the panel was completed, we felt it needed something to make it more Christmassy
but I wanted to be able to leave the tree up all year.  It was decided to add a detachable star. 

This was a similar process but was called foiling

Foiling, the outside strips stick to the edge of the glass and unlike stained glass you
solder all along the edges not just at the joins.

Coming together after two and a half days of work, much coffee was drunk

Detachable star

I was so excited by my first piece of stained glass that I stopped on the way home to photograph it!

I'm not ready to create a piece for the front door yet, my skills leave much to be desired but I am well on the way now thanks to Judith and her generous gift of giving up her time and expertise to teach me this old craft.  something I shall always be grateful for.

♥  Presents that include spending time together or that are home crafted are just so special don't you think?  ♥