This beautiful custom window was created to match existing windows in the front door of a local home. Here is the process ..
Here's a night-time view of the oval window which is on the side of an upstairs walk-in closet. It faces the front of the home. The window is appx. 31" high and 19" wide.
And here's the stained glass design which is in the front door of the home.
I researched and presented several bevel options to the homeowners, and this was their choice. A good one! Its a nice complement to the front door.
Here is my computer-generated design of what the finished window will look like. Clear glass always reads as grey.
Before starting every new project, I made a point of thoroughly cleaning off my Homasote work surface. This is a building material used in sound-proofing. Even the smallest left-over bead of solder or shard of glass can affect the finished project.
We had already constructed an oval window identical in size and manufacture to this one. (See link to the other project at end of post). Therefore, we already had a template in stock from which to follow. Below, I've laid pieces of Manila folders side by side and taped them. This will become my working pattern from which I trace all the glass.
Here I've covered the folders with a layer of carbon paper.
With the oval template in place, I've already made extensive measurements to locate the exact center of the oval. After I've drawn those lines in, I centered the bevel cluster in the middle and outlined it. This outline becomes part of the pattern. Whenever bevels are used in any stained glass project, they must always be laid down first. They are not re-sizeable as all other glass, so they are the "master" glass pieces. For this window, the homeowners and I collaborated and decided to use clear glue chip for the areas surrounding the center bevel, and clear rough rolled glass for the border. Good choices!
Checking to see that the entire design has transferred onto the Manila folder.
The outer border of the pattern is cut with regular scissors.
All internal pieces are cut with stained glass pattern shears. These are double-bladed. They leave a small space between the pieces which is later taken up by the copper foil.
After all the pattern pieces are cut and organized, its time to trace them onto the glass. Since we chose clear, textured glass for this project, the markings go on the back, or smooth side, of the glass. This means all the pattern pieces must be laid face down.
After the pieces are traced, I cut them with an oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter as shown, using even pressure at a 90 degree angle. (If my left hand were not holding the camera here, I'd be pressing the ruler onto the glass for stability).
The pieces will eventually separate after repeated tapping using the brass end of the pistol grip cutter.
A challenge in cutting curves is being able to do so without the piece breaking into a straight line. Here I've scored a couple of curved lines and I'm using "groziers" to pull off the glass. Sometimes it needs to be coaxed. It takes practice to know how much pressure each kind of glass will tolerate.
The glass doesn't always cut perfectly. In this case, I'm using the groziers again to nip off small pieces of glass. This saves the grinding bit later.
Using "running pliers" to snap off a piece of straight glass.
Glass is then brought to an electric grinder. This serves to smooth the edges of the glass for safety and it also gives the copper foil a good surface on which to adhere. Notice I'm wearing rubber fingers, found at Staples.
After I cut each piece, I run it under cool water, trying to avoid washing off the number. Even though glass pieces may look similar in size, they generally are not. The right piece of glass is then laid onto the paper pattern in its proper place.
First cut piece of glass is in place. I've also added a few push pins to the border to prevent the glass from shifting as more pieces are added.
Now the border is cut, the push pins are in place and the center bevel is in position. I've taped it together so that I can prepare the remaining pattern pieces without being concerned about the bevel shifting.
Here I'm applying 7/32" wide self-adhesive copper foil to the edges of each piece of glass. The challenge is to have the foil at mid-center of the sides.
After each piece has been foiled, I use a "fid" or flat, flexible plastic wand to press the foil onto the glass on all sides. This prevents chemicals from leaking under the foil and weakening the bond.
Here's the oval with the border pieces cut and foiled, and the center bevel cluster in place.
Now I've cut the right side clear glue chip glass. I've temporarily taped together the center bevel cluster to assure that it doesn't shift while I'm making adjustments to the glue chip patterns.
For every project, there are always a few pieces, sometimes more, which do not fit exactly in their place. Here I'm using a fine Sharpie to draw in a thin area where glass needs to be "chipped off" using groziers. I'll re-grind that part of the piece when done.
And here is the oval with all of the glass cut, grinded and foiled.
At random places within the oval, I've inserted lengths of braided copper wire as shown. It sits between the pieces of foiled glass to add extra strength to the overall piece.
To prepare for soldering, I'm applying Canfield Blu-Glass Liquid Flux to the copper foil using a metal acid brush.
After fluxing, I "tack solder" the pieces together at the joints.
When the window has been tack soldered, I remove the border push pins and slide the paper pattern out from underneath as shown. This protects the pattern from the chemicals which follow.
At this point, I've fully soldered the front of the piece. My husband Eric is attaching a bendable lead came frame to the outside for a finished look.
Using a small soldering iron on low heat, he attached the frame to the lead lines as shown. This gives the piece a lot of strength and stability. The frame is attached to the window itself on both the front and the back.
These are my "go-to" products for stained glass projects. Kwik-Clean Flux and Patina Remover is used after the application of flux and patina, obviously, but its easy to use, particularly for larger windows such as this one. There's no need to bring it to the sink or scrub it. And the other project is Livia Stained Glass Finishing Polish. It protects the solder and gives the glass a nice shine.
And here is the finished window outside in the light. The textures of the glass can clearly be seen. The window affords the right amount of privacy while also letting in a lot of light.
Another view of the finished window, with the computer-generated preview on the left.
Here's Eric, installing the window.
And here's the result! Thank you so much, Linda and Warren, for the opportunity to create this beautiful window for you. It was a pleasure working with you .. We'd love to do it again. Best of luck in college, Kelly! Happy Holidays!
