Triumph TR6 in Stained Glass

I completed this stained glass panel this winter as a (late) Valentine's Day gift for my wonderful husband, Eric.  I'm posting it now in honor of the "Touch of England" vintage British Car Show which is hosted annually by the New Jersey Triumph Owners Association.  It is being held tomorrow, Saturday, June 13th at the historic Hermitage near us in Hohokus, New Jersey.

Here's an announcement for the show.

This is our third summer with our bright yellow 1974 Triumph TR6 which we call "Lil Bee".  Early on, we had several months of the usual troubles with British motor cars including a few trips home on a flatbed.  But those days are behind us .. We hope!  Now it's very reliable (knock wood) and we have a blast with it!  We bring it to local cruise-ins and car runs and have met lots of fun-loving fellow vintage car owners along the way. 

I grew up around cars .. My father owned an auto body repair shop and my mother's favorite car was the Excaliber, though she never owned one.  She had more speeding tickets and points on her license than anybody I know.  My family and I spent a long summer driving cross country in the 1956 Chevy Bel Air that my father restored himself.  Every vintage car has a story and I love hearing them all.

Here's how I created the stained glass rendition of our little car .. Here it is~!  Eric has done quite a bit of work on it.  Its still has lots of little quirks which give it a real personality.

Below is the computer rendition of the car which I created.  This becomes my guide for glass cutting as I work.

After I've created the computer rendition, I print a full-size, numbered pattern or "cartoon".  I made this stained glass panel 23" wide and 12" high.   Below I've laid out file folders, side to side and taped together. On top of that goes side-by-side sheets of carbon paper with the "cartoon" on top.  I use the full color rendition of the car as a guide.

Here I'm tracing the design from the "cartoon" onto the file folders.  I include all lines and numbers and I also write in the glass colors for each piece.  All of the pattern pieces are then separated by color and placed into recycled envelopes. 

Here I'm using the pattern to trace onto the glass using a silver Sharpie marker. 

 I generally cut my glass by hand but in cases where there are sharp angles, such as with this piece of glass, I use an Omni Gryphon II saw.  Its a wet saw .. Water flows onto the glass and keeps the blade cool.  Its very loud and takes some skill to master, but in many cases, its the best option for cutting glass.

Here's an example of a cut made with the electric saw.

When I hand cut glass, I use an oil-filled pistol grip cutter shown below.  I rest it against a flat ruler to get a straight score. (I would actually be holding the ruler down with my left hand but I'm holding the camera here).

Every piece of hand cut glass must be grinded on the edge as shown here.  This makes the glass safe to handle and also facilitates a firm bond with the adhesive copper foil which will be applied later.

Here's the car so far, with the yellow, blue and green-brown bottom cut. Notice the "fence" or "jig" which surrounds the panel.  This serves to keep the glass contained within the border and more importantly, keeps it square to prepare it for framing later.  I work on a sheet of Homasote, which is building material used for sound proofing.  It accepts thumbtacks well and absorbs spills easily too.

I use mirror glass for the chrome on cars.  Its a great look but it requires special handling.  Here I'm tracing the patterns for the round rims onto the glass.

Again, I use the electric glass cutter.  

You simply can't get a cut like this by hand.  

During the cutting process, small flakes will come off the edges.  To fix that, I simply coat the areas with the silver Sharpie pen.

For added protection, I coat the back of each piece with clear nail polish.

Back to the saw again to cut out a tire.

Another amazing cut.

And here's the car now, with all the glass cut.

Close up of the mirror glass for chrome.  I love the way it shines.  Notice the black dots.  They are painted on with Pebeo 160 glass paint. More on that in a bit.

Another view of more "chrome"

For details on the car, I've used Pebeo 160 glass paint.  This paint is permanent on glass but must be baked in a 375 degree oven, then cooled. Here is the fender with an orange side light, and the door with a black handle. 

  

And here are the tire elements and the bumpers.  The black dots and lines will become bonded to the mirror glass once they're baked and cooled.

Now that the glass is all cut, its time to sign the piece.  I use a Dremel tool with a grinding bit.  I sign and date the piece.

After I've signed it, it blends into the glass and is not obtrusive.  

The next step is to apply 7/32" adhesive copper foil to the edges of each piece of glass.  I remove one piece of glass at a time, foil it, and then replace it.

After each piece of glass has been foiled, I'm applying liquid flux to the foil, as shown.  I'm using a metal acid brush.  The flux enables the solder to flow evenly on the copper.  I take flux from the bottle cap and discard any remainder, so as not to contaminate the bottle.

Next, I do the "tack soldering".  I use a small amount of solder at random places on the panel, particularly at the intersections of the glass pieces.  I tack on enough so that each piece of glass is locked securely in place.  Then I remove the "fence" or "jig" from around the border, and I slide the "cartoon" out from underneath. This protects it from the chemicals which follow.

Now the panel has been soldered fully on the front. After the soldering is done, I clean it using Kwik Clean flux and patina remover spray.

Eric does all the frames for my stained glass panels.  Here he's custom-fitting the frame to the panel.  He uses a sturdy zinc "channel" which I solder directly onto the panel at all the lead lines which reach the border.  I also solder the corners.

Here I'm soldering on a hanging hook, after I solder the back of the panel.  The solder bead connecting the lead line to the zinc "channel" can be seen in the upper left.

Now that the frame has been installed, I'm applying black patina to the solder.  Again, I'm working from the bottle cap and discarding any remainder so as not to contaminate the bottle.  The patina turns the solder black instantly. After it sets for a little while. I use the Kwik Clean again to thoroughly clean it.

When the panel is clean and dry, I apply a light wax called Livia.  This serves to protect the patina and brings out the shine in the glass.  From this point on, the only maintenance needed will be a light dusting every once in a while.

And here's the finished panel!  Eric loves it .. We have so much stained glass in our home that he still hasn't decided where to put it .. But it will be at the show this weekend.  Stop by and say hello!

I will also have renditions of several other classic cars at the show tom'w.  If you'd like your car made up in stained glass, please contact me .. I'd love to make one for you.  (A great gift too!)

 

 If you enjoy classic cars, you might enjoy reading about the 1955 Thunderbird I made in stained glass ...
Click here.


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 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!