Stained Glass Vintage 1955 Thunderbird Auto

My  husband Eric and I own a vintage car and we meet some fun people at weekly "cruise ins" and car shows. Our friend Paul has a gorgeous black and chrome 1955 Thunderbird.  I had the pleasure of creating it in stained glass for him.  Here's the process ..

Below is a (slightly out of focus) photo of the 1955 Thunderbird.  My computer rendition design of the car is beneath it. Its 23" wide by 10" high.

Here I'm starting the process by making the pattern.  I've placed the "cartoon" or full size paper design on top of carbon paper which is laid on top of manila folders which have been taped together, edge to edge.  Then I trace all the markings including the numbers and colors for each piece of glass.

The outer border of the pattern is cut using regular scissors.  The pattern pieces are cut with stained glass pattern shears.  These are double-bladed scissors which cut a small area between the pieces.  This will be taken up by the copper foil which will be applied later.  After all of the pattern pieces have been cut, I organize them by color into separate recycled envelopes.  I cut all of the same color at once and place them onto the cartoon after each piece has been ground and rinsed off.

Although I do most of my glass cutting by hand, some pieces have sharp angles or curves which must be cut by my Gryphon Omni saw.  Here, I've marked black glass pieces for cutting by using a silver Sharpie.  The saw is a wet saw .. It drips water onto the glass to keep the saw blade cool.  I coat each of the Sharpie lines with lip balm to prevent them from washing off during the cutting process.  

Below, I'm back at the saw, cutting the curves in the sky glass.

An amazing cut by the Omni saw, not possible to do by hand.

 The chrome on this car is especially beautiful so I wanted to capture that by using Silver Coats glass.  It is a mirror glass with a waterglass texture.  Its highly reflective and looks just like chrome.

This glass requires some special care to ensure that the blue mirror finish on the back does not flake off over time.  Below, I'm coating the backs of each Silver Coat piece with clear nail enamel.  If any scratches appear, a good tip is to use a silver Sharpie pen to cover the scratch and re-coat with the clear enamel.

 Now all of the glass has been cut.  Notice the metal border around the panel.  This is a "fence" or "jig" which prevents the glass from shifting. The shiny chrome brightens up the panel and shows up this important feature of this classic car.

Here I'm applying 7/32" adhesive copper foil to the center of the edge of each of the 93 pieces of glass in the panel.  The copper foil is pressed onto the glass, on all sides, using a "fid" or flexible plastic wand.  This is to prevent any chemicals or cleaning agents from getting under the foil.

After the foiling is complete, I use a metal acid brush to apply Blu-Glass Liquid Flux to all the copper foil lines as shown.

Next, I "tack-solder" the pieces together.  I affix a dot of solder to the intersections of the glass and random places to assure that when I remove the jig, the pieces stay together in place without shifting. In between some of the pieces, I also add some braided reinforcement wire to strengthen the panel.

 I sign each of my custom designs.  Here I'm using an (upside down) Dremel Tool to engrave my name, the month, and the year, into the lower right hand piece.  After I rinse off the black guide lines, the signature is barely visible.

Now that the panel has been signed and tack-soldered, I remove the jig and slide out the paper pattern.  This will protect it from the chemicals which follow.

Now I've soldered the entire front of the panel.

My husband Eric custom cut a metal frame for the piece.  Then he put the jig back on so that I can solder the frame to the panel. After I've soldered the frame, I remove the jig, turn the panel over and solder the back.

With the frame soldered to the piece, I'm now adding two hanging hooks to the top corners.  I do this by "tinning" the hook, which means I flux it and add solder to the entire surface, front and back.  Then I add a bit of solder below the corner where the hook will be affixed.  By pressing the hot soldering iron onto the hook, the solder will eventually melt and I can place the hook in the proper position.  I use needle nose pliers to position the hook while the solder is melting.

Next, I apply Novacan Black Patina to the solder lines.  It reacts instantly with the solder.

Each step requires a thorough cleaning.  Here I'm spraying Kwik-Clean Flux and Patina Remover onto the back of the panel.  Then I wipe the piece down with a towel.

The panel is now almost complete.

I coat each panel with Liva Stained Glass Polish.  Its a light wax which protects the patina and gives the glass a nice shine.  No further maintenance will be needed for the panel other than a light dusting now and then.

Below are three photos of the finished 1955 Thunderbird, photographed in different lighting conditions. I'm very pleased with the final results.

This was such a fun project, Paul .. Thanks so much for the opportunity! See you soon at the next cruise-in!


Do you own a classic car? Please contact me if you'd like to see it rendered in stained glass!

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks! 

Shipping a Stained Glass Window

If you don't live in New Jersey but would like Boehm Stained Glass Studio to custom-make a window or panel for you, its no problem.  We can easily work long distance.  By the easy exchange of occasional emails and a telephone conversation or two, we can collaborate long distance to create, and ship, a stained glass window to your own specifications.

For example, below are photos showing the shipping of the 26" x 20" custom-designed stained glass window which we sent from northern New Jersey to Omaha, Nebraska.  It arrived in excellent condition.  Here's how we pack, crate and ship a window.

Here is my husband Eric, building a custom-made box of pine and plywood.  He's making it several inches larger on each side to allow for packing materials.

 Here he's fitting the sides of the shipping crate.

Now the custom stained glass window is in the shipping crate, resting on top of a slab of 3/4" styrofoam.

The inside of the crate is lined with more styrofoam and another slab is fitted to the top so that the window is secure. (I added a personal note to my customer as well as two complimentary Boehm Stained Glass Studio pens).

Eric has screwed on the lid of the shipping crate and is now sanding the edges for a smooth finish and a nice presentation.  We affixed a note to the top so that the customer will know which side is "up" when it arrives.

We placed the custom wood crate inside a larger box and surrounded it with a few bags of packing peanuts.  This ensures that any bumps along the way will not travel through to the glass.  For extra security, we glue several stickers to the box "Fragile-Glass", "Glass-Handle with Care", and "Top Load Only".

UPS and FedEx cannot insure "one of a kind" items.  So we did not insure this shipment.  This is another reason to be sure that the window is well packed.  We shipped the window from northern New Jersey on Monday and it arrived, safe and sound, in Omaha that Thursday afternoon. To read about the design and construction of this Mountain Bluebird-themed custom stained glass window, please click here.

Soon after its arrival, I received this lovely note from my customer:

Kathy,
I wish you could see it here.  It is the centerpiece of the kitchen and is so beautiful.  I will take a picture and send it to you when we get it in.  Thank you so much for doing this for us.  We love how it has made our kitchen so special.
Thank you again - it has been a pleasure working with you.
Connie

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!

Mountain Bluebird Stained Glass Window - Foiling, Soldering, Framing and Patina

This lovely Mountain Bluebird stained glass window is now on its way to Omaha.  Here are the steps covered since the prior post.  They include applying copper foil, soldering, framing, and applying the patina. 

At this stage, all the glass had been cut, trimmed, fitted, ground and copper foiled.  There were 193 pieces of glass.  Here I'm applying Canfield brand Blu-Glass Liquid Flux with a metal acid brush.  This flux is less caustic than standard flux.  Always a safer choice.  Note that I am taking it from the cap of the jar.  The excess should never be returned to the jar, as it can get easily contaminated.

Below, I'm "tack soldering" the pieces together while they are still in the "jig" or metal fence.  This assures that the pieces will not shift when the jig is removed.

Here I've tack soldered the entire front of the window and removed the jig.  Now I'm carefully sliding the "cartoon" or paper pattern out from under the window.  This assures that the pattern is kept clean from the chemicals which will follow.

At this stage, I've soldered the entire front of the window.  Here my husband Eric is placing custom sized zinc framing to the outer border.  When the framing is complete, he'll secure it in place with a series of push pins along each side.  Then I'll solder the corners and solder the lead lines of the design to the frame, for added strength.

Here is the framed piece with the front soldered.  I then turn the window over and flux and solder the back.

 After the front and back are fluxed, soldered and cleaned, and the frame is in place, I begin applying  Novacan brand black patina to the solder with a metal acid brush.  The patina reacts instantly with the solder.  I let it set for a while, then I use Kwik-Clean spray to remove all of the chemical residue.  The final step is to apply Livia Stained Glass Finishing Compound to the entire piece, including the front, back and frame.  This protects the patina and gives the glass a nice shine.  No further care will be needed for the window except for an occasional dusting.

Here again is the original design ...

 And here is the completed window!  (Note that the background is clear windowpane glass.  It was photographed against a white wall in my studio).

Connie, its been a true pleasure working with you these past few months on your bird designs!  Even though there are many miles between us, I'm especially pleased that we were able to collaborate almost entirely by email to create your 15 bird panels and this lovely window for your newly renovated kitchen.  May you and Rod enjoy them all, for many years to come!

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!

Mountain Bluebird Stained Glass Window - Design to glass cutting

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on an original design of Mountain Bluebirds for my customer in Omaha for whom I also did the 15 smaller bird panels.  (Click here and here to see them.

After discussing her ideas, I presented the initial design, and through emails and a phone call or two, we collaborated together to arrive at the winner .. (Note:  Designs are all copyright ©Boehm Stained Glass Studio.  Permission required for posting, publishing or use.)

Here is the initial design .. The size is 26 ¾ inches by 21 ¼ inches.

That design evolved into this one ..

 And then finally to this  design .. My customer requested clear windowpane glass for the background rather than Artique.  Based on her request, I also changed a few other pieces of glass to provide the greatest transparency.

 Below, using sheets of carbon paper, I've traced the full size "cartoon" or design onto side-by-side pieces of manila folder.

Here I'm taping the manila folders edge to edge, to cover the entire cartoon.

Following my color guide, I'm now tracing the cartoon onto the manila folder beneath the carbon paper.  All markings are transferred, including numbers, colors, and glass texture.

Below, using stained glass pattern shears to get that slim area between pieces for the copper foil which will follow later.

Pattern pieces before organizing them by color into recycled envelopes.  Since this window is so large, I cut about 1/4 of the pattern at a time.

Here the glass has been cut for the weathered bird house in the lower left.  Notice the metal fence or "jig" which surrounds the cartoon.  This will remain in place until the window is tack soldered.  It prevents the glass pieces from shifting.

A handful of multi-shaded pink petals ready for placement on the roof.

An example of the complicated cuts that my Gryphon Omni Saw has made for this project. I coat the markings with lip balm so that the water in the saw won't wash them away.

Note the small lines on the pattern to guide me when cutting glass which has a noticeable horizontal or vertical texture.

 More glass cut ..

 More petals ..

To get the most out of every sheet of glass, I've traced several patterns onto this sheet of clear windowpane glass.  It takes some skill in using the saw, but its a great time saver.

 To make the flower petals more realistic, I'm using two different variegated sheets of pink glass.  Pink is the most costly glass since it is made with gold.

 Another progress photo ..

 Another example of saw cutting ..

Here I'm sliding a pattern for the clear glass under the petals so I can make adjustments to it.  At this stage, a lot of "tweaking" takes place.  I carefully trim pieces and in some cases, re-cut them for a better fit.

Here I'm using Pebeo brand Vitrea 160 glass paint on the birds' feet.  After drying for 24 hours, I bake it for 40 minutes to make it permanent.  These painted pieces won't get foiled until after they're baked.

 And here's the window with all the glass cut.  The next step is applying copper foil.  Stay tuned ....

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!

Stained Glass Backyard Wild Birds - Video

This little video shows the 15 birds created for my customer in Omaha .. Enjoy!
(All images © Copyright Boehm Stained Glass Studio or Chantal Pare)

To learn more about their construction, please click here for blog post ... or here for another blog post.

Please visit my website to see my custom windows and repairs (click here).  And if you are on FaceBook, become a fan and I'll keep you up to date on all my stained glass projects.  Call me any time at 201-600-1616 or email with your questions. Thanks!