Panel with Bevel Clusters and Blue Gems - Installed

Over the weekend, Eric installed the panel with the bevels and blue gems.  A wonderful asset of stained glass panels is that even when they are newly made, they already look old.  This one is no exception.  Once it was in place, it looked like it had been there for many years already.  Click on any photo to enlarge.  Here's the installation ..

Eric is installed primed quarter round molding to the front side of where the panel will be installed.  Thisi panel is high on the wall and Eric is on a step ladder.

Here's he's making adjustments to be sure the corners are at the correct angle and the molding is secured.  He's using nails on this side of the molding and screws on the opposite side.  This way, the homeowners can readily remove the panel should they move or wish to place it elsewhere in their home. Notice the top of the back door to the left for perspective on the placement of the opening.

Eric cuts all the molding on site with our compound radial arm saw.  Here he is in our customers'  backyard, cutting another piece for installation.

And here is the installed panel, as seen from the kitchen side.

 

 And here's the view from the powder room side.  You'll notice the beveled mirror on the right hand wall.  This was my inspiration for choosing the bevel clusters used in the panel.  The overall design was a good compliment to the shape of the mirror.

 Thanks so much, Geoff and Roberta!  We know this panel was a long time coming for you, and we're so pleased that you called it "spectacular".  Your compliments means so much to us.  May you enjoy your new stained glass 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!

Panel with Bevel Clusters and Blue Gems - Soldered and Framed

As of the last posting, each piece of glass had been copper foiled.  My next step is to add my signature. Below, I've etched my name and the month and date inconspicuously to the lower right hand corner glass.

Notice that I have not applied copper foil to the entire outer edge.  This is to make it easier for my husband Eric to install the metal channel frame later on.  There is no need to apply foil to the outer edge of a panel unless it is to be tinned instead of framed..

At random joints throughout the panel, I've inserted some flat, braided copper reinforcement wire.  Its visible in the seam between the glass pieces, below.  Once that seam is soldered, the wire virtually disappears. This reinforcement adds extra strength to the piece, and contributes to its longevity.

The next step is to prepare the panel for tack soldering.  Here I'm brushing on Canfield Blu-Glass Flux along all the seams.  On the left is my breathing mask which i use when I'm soldering.

Shown below is the joints tack-soldered.  This is a preliminary step to ensure that the glass stays in place when the "fence" or "jig" is removed from the border.

Since the pieces of glass are secured, I'm now sliding out the pattern or "cartoon".  This is to protect the paper pattern from the chemicals and the soldering process.

Below, the front of the panel has been soldered.

Here I'm spraying on Kwik-Clean Flux and Patina remover which I dry off with a towel.

The two blue gems in the center of the panel are dimensional and protrude a bit from the front.  Therefore, when I turned the panel over to solder the back, I rested it on two magazines so that the panel will lay flat and the solder will flow evenly.

Here, I'm soldering each of the seams.  I turn the panel frequently as I work so I can get the best angle for nice soldering lines.

I sprayed and dried the back side of the panel.  After both sides of the panel have been soldered and cleaned, my husband Eric measures and saws lengths of metal channel and installs them around the outer edge of the panel.  Then I solder the corners, and on the back only, I solder the lead lines to the frame for added strength.

After another cleaning, I begin applying the Novacan Black Patina to both sides.  I always work from the bottle cap to avoid risking contaminating the bottle.  It works instantly.  I let it sit for 15 minutes or so, then I spray and wash off the residue.

 

And here is the finished panel!  I usually photograph completed pieces outdoors to catch the natural light, but it is raining and I didn't want to wait for the "big reveal".

Here is a view from the side, lit so that the textures of the glass and bevels can readily be seen.  Click on the photo to enlarge for a better look. Around the outer border is classic glue chip glass.  The small medium blue corner squares are rough rolled glass.  And the clear glass around the bevel clusters in the center is called Artique.  My customer and i worked together to create a simple, yet classic pattern with appropriate glass for his older home.

Thank you Geoff .. It was a pleasure working with you!  Eric and I look forward to installing your new stained glass panel tom'w night!  (Photos to follow)

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!

Panel with Bevel Clusters and Blue Gems - Glass Cutting and Copper Foiling

In the previous posting, I had just begun the glass cutting process. After delays due to temporary glass unavailability and Labor Day Weekend, and Eric and I going away, I'm back with the near-final steps of the process.  Here they are ...  (Click on any photo to enlarge for a closer look).

Cutting curves such as those in this panel require a bit more expertise than a straight line.  Here's one way to cut a curve .. Below, notice the outer curve on the left.  This curve follows the line of the pattern.  You'll notice that I scored several adjacent curves next to it.  Here I'm "chunking" out each piece using grozier pliers.  By removing sections of the curve in this way, there is far less likelihood that it will break badly.  Its no guarantee .. Glass can be very unpredictable.  But its a reliable way to get a nice curve.

Since my inventory of clear Artique glass was low, I decided to fit as many pieces as possible onto a single sheet of glass and then cut them using my Gryphon Omni Wire Saw, as seen in the earlier post.  The saw pours water onto the glass as its cutting, in order to keep the blade cool.  Below I'm applying lip balm to my Sharpie lines to prevent them from washing off as I cut out the pieces.

The saw is messy and loud but it does the job.  Below, I started cutting in between the pieces, first from one side, then the other.  I left about 1-1/2" of glass attached in the middle.  I carefully extricated the sheet of glass from the blade, scored that small segment of glass with a pistol grip cutter, and snapped it.  Voila!  Two pieces of glass with lines I could easily cut by hand, and a big savings in the amount of glass used.

Whenever I cut a large number of rectangular pieces, I lay the patterns side by side and do them production line style.  Here I've cut all the border pieces.  As I cut each piece, I mark each pattern with an "X".  When pieces are similar, its easy to accidentally re-cut the same pattern.  Marking them with an "X" avoids re-cutting.  Next, I grind each piece in the Glastar Grinder, rinse them under the faucet, and place them onto the pattern.

Now all of the bevels are laid in place and all the glass around it has been cut.  To get each piece to fit exactly, some tweaking is almost always needed.  Even though the patterns have been cut accurately, glass can sometimes be too large or too small for the space.  Since glass is not flexible like fabric or other creative media, it has to be trimmed or ground down if its too large.  A handful of pieces required extra care to fit.

Below, I'm applying the adhesive copper foil to the edges of each piece of bevel and each piece of glass.  I'm using "black back" 7/32" foil.  It takes some dexterity for this step because the foil has to be placed dead center on the glass in order for the sides to be even.

The next step is to use a "fid" or flexible plastic wand to press the copper foil onto the glass.   This smooths it out and prevents chemicals from making their way under the foil.

Copper foil comes in a few different styles .. The sticky side can be copper colored, black or silver.  The choice of interior color is made based on what color patina will be used.  Since I'll be using black patina on this panel, I'm using black back foil.  Notice in the photo below that you can see the interior black through the glass.  When using opal (or non see-through) glass, this is not an issue.  But when using clear glass, as in this panel, using black back copper foil is essential.

And here's the latest .. Each piece of the panel has been cut to fit and then foiled.  Notice that the "fence" or "jig" is still in place.  It will remain there until the next step to follow shortly, tack soldering.

Almost done!  Stay tuned for the final steps and the installation this week!

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!

Panel with Bevel Clusters and Blue Gems - Pattern and Glass Cutting

My current project is a custom window being created for an opening in the wall between a newly renovated powder room and the kitchen.  My customer and I started discussing this project a few months ago, before the space was even ready, so its a pleasure to finally be working on it.  The panel 29" x 15" and features clear Artique glass, two beautiful bevel clusters, a border of clear rectangular bevels and complimentary pops of blue glass.  Here's the progress so far:  (Click on any photo to enlarge)

Here's the space for the panel, looking from the kitchen into the powder room.

Though not a great rendition, here's a color representation of the finished window.  Clear glass shows as gray, so the glass around the two center bevel clusters will be clear Artique.  Its a gorgeous antique-looking glass, very appropriate for this older home.  I've replaced the original clear circular bevels in the clusters with blue gems, and added 1" squares of medium blue rough rolled glass to the corners as a compliment.  The panel will be bordered by 1", 3" and 8" long clear bevels.

The pattern making process begins by laying manila folders side by side, taping them together and then adding a layer of carbon paper on top.  Next, the paper design is pinned to the layers and the design is traced onto the folders.

Below I've pinned the paper design onto the Homasote work surface.  I've begun taking exact measurements.  Whenever bevels are part of a design, they must take first consideration since they can't be cut or re-sized as glass can.  Inevitably, due to the variances in proportions in a computer-rendered paper design which includes bevels, much of the pattern needs to be re-drawn as I'm doing below.

At this point, the bevels have been traced, several lines re-drawn, and now I'm numbering each piece.

Here's a view of the "pattern sandwich".  

Another view of the upper layer on which I'll build the panel.

The outside edge of the manila pattern is cut with standard scissors.  The pieces themselves, though, need to be cut with specially designed stained glass shears which are double-bladed and cut out a small piece (as shown) to allow for the application of copper foil to the edges of each piece of glass.The glass has to fit snugly, but not tightly, and this small space allows for this.

Since the Artique glass has a light texture, I'm tracing the pattern onto the glass face down so that I can cut the glass on the smooth side.

To conserve glass, I'm cutting some of the pieces with an Gryphon Omni Wire Saw.  Its loud and a bit intimidating, but its very accurate.

The Omni saw cuts and grinds at the same time.  For pieces that I'm cutting by hand, though, I need to grind the edges with my Glastar Grinder as shown.  I'm wearing Staples rubber fingers to project my fingers from cuts and to allow for a better grip on the wet glass.

And here's the beginnings of the pattern being covered piece by piece.  Notice the metal "fences" which are push-pinned in place along the outer border of the panel.  These will stay in place until all of the glass has been cut, trimmed, copper foiled, and tack soldered. The "fences" prevent any of the glass from shifting during the construction process.

 Stay tuned as the work progresses ... Its going to be beautiful!

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!