Cardinals in Stained Glass

Of all the birds I've made in stained glass, Cardinals remain the most popular.  They are often viewed as a memory of those who have passed on.  I was commissioned by my customer in Atlanta to create this panel for his father in Dallas, in memory of his mom.  It's a smaller version of a window I did in late 2015.  (Link appears at bottom of post).


Computer rendition of finished panel. 

Pattern making:  Here I’ve taken the white “cartoon” or original pattern, and overlaid it on Manila folders with sheets of carbon paper in between.  I work on Homasote boards, which is a spongy industrial soundproofing material which accepts pushpins and has some “give” for glass cutting.  Here I’ve push-pinned the “cartoon” in place while I trace all the markings.  Each pattern piece has a unique number and each one is marked with the color glass.

After the markings are transferred, I cut the outside border of the pattern with regular scissors.  When cutting apart the pattern pieces, as I’m doing here, I use specialized stained glass pattern shears.  They are double-bladed and leave a thin piece of paper between the pieces.  This will be taken up later by the copper foil.

Here is the glass color palette.  There are two main types of glass, Cathedral and opalescent.  You can see through most Cathedral glass and it often has a texture to it.  Opalescent glass is mostly opaque and is a denser glass. I’m using all Cathedral glass for this project so that you’ll be able to see through the panel.  The overall colors will also be brighter.  The border glass will be a textured rough rolled glass which is different clear than the background.  For that, I’ve chosen clear Artique glass which has a light texture of short lines.  Its nearly transparent.

 Here I’m tracing one of the border glass patterns onto the back of the glass.  Cutting is always done on the smooth side.

 I take photos with my left hand, but it would normally be resting on the ruler as I “score” or cut a groove into the glass.  Shown is an oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter which is used at a 90 degree angle to the glass.  As the cutting blade digs into the glass, it leaves a small amount of oil behind which helps the glass to separate.

Now most of the clear rough rolled glass border pieces have been cut.  I’m using these blue “running pliers” to snap the score in a straight line.

After I’ve scored the straight lines, I use the metal end of the glass cutter to tap repeatedly along the score, on the front and back.  This will eventually loosen the glass enough to separate, or make it easier to use the running pliers.

Next, each piece of glass gets the edges ground in the electric glass grinder.  Beneath the surface is a reservoir of water which is wicked up to the grinding bit by the sponge. The water serves to keep the grinding bit cool.

 Here is a stack of cut clear background glass with their patterns.  It appears clear like window glass, but it actually has a light texture to it.

 

I hand-cut the majority of the glass, but on some occasions, I use this wet ring saw.  Here I’ve cut out a deep curve for the male Cardinal. You can see the water spraying onto the glass.

At this point, all the colors are cut for the male and now I’ve traced the colors for the female.  The two shades of amber glass which I chose for this project are antique glass.  Both have a nice texture to them and a rich color.

Here’s a photo which shows some of the textures of the different color glass.  All the glass has been cut but some trimming still needs to be done.

Here’s a view from above the panel with all glass cut.  Notice that the “fence” is still in place, holding all the glass in.  This fence will be removed after I’ve completed the “tack soldering” process.  I call this the “ugly duckling” phase.  The true beauty of the piece can’t be seen until its fully soldered and patina-ed.

 Here I’ve begun the process of applying copper foil to the edges of each piece of glass.  The foil is adhesive, 7/32”, and black on the inside.  The reason for that is so when I’ve applied the black patina to the solder, the interior of the foil will not be visible.  “Black backed” copper foil is always used on clear and Cathedral glass such as I'm using for this panel.

Here I’m using a “fid” or flat plastic wand to press the foil onto the glass on all three sides.  This prevents any chemicals from working their way underneath.

 
Painting the birds’ feet and beaks was a better option than cutting separate pieces of glass, due to their small size.  I used Pebeo permanent glass paint.  After the paint was allowed to dry for 24 hours, I baked it in a 325 degree oven for 40 minutes to make it permanent.

 

 Now all of the glass has been foiled, and the beaks and feet are done.  Whenever I do animals of any kind, including birds, I make the eyes from clear gray glass.  When the light shines through, it gives them a lifelike look.

Here I’m etching my name and date into the lower right panel.  It can barely be seen when the piece is hanging.

Now I'm applying liquid flux to the copper foil.  This is a catalyst which helps the solder to flow freely.

Onto the “tack soldering” whereby I use small dots of solder at the intersections of the pieces, and randomly throughout the panel.  This serves to lock the pieces together.

Now that the panel has been “tack soldered”, I removed the “fence” and slid out the paper “cartoon”.

Then I cleaned the flux off the panel using a neutralizing spray.

First peek!

Here’s my husband Eric using a chop saw to miter-cut zinc framing in custom lengths for the panel.

Here, Eric is fitting the zinc frame onto the clear border of the panel.  Then he put the “fence” back on to secure the frame for me to solder it onto the panel.

Here I’ve soldered the lead lines to the frame, and also soldered all the corners. This is done on both the back and the front of the panel and instantly makes it stable and strong.

Here’s the panel, fully soldered and framed.

One of two hanging hooks soldered to the upper corners. 

 Here I’m brushing on black patina.  This chemical instantly turns the zinc frame and the solder black.  After it sets for a while, I clean the whole panel again using the neutralizing spray.

Here’s the panel after its been patina-ed, propped up for it to dry. The lighting affects how the stained glass appears. I love the bright colors in this panel.

Here’s a view of the finished panel prior to waxing.  It’s up against a white wall.

And here it is after waxing, with the setting sun behind it. Now you can see more of the texture of the various pieces of glass. Before we packed it for shipping, I gave it another buffing. 

And here it is, double boxed and securely packed for its journey to Dallas.  Thank you Jeff for calling upon me to create this panel for your dad.  I'm honored for it to take its place among the rest of his art collection.

To view the larger version of this window, please click here.


For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

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Clear Stained Glass and Bevel Bath Window

Sometimes the simplest designs and choice for glass make for the prettiest windows.  Here's an example of a recent bath window we created.

My customer needed inspiration for a design, so I brought her several pattern books from my extensive library.  This is the one which caught her eye.  It features clear textured glass, rectangular bevels, and a central bevel cluster.  This was a good starting point. Her window is 19" wide by 54" high.

There are hundreds of bevel clusters available from several companies.  I chose a variety of them for her to consider, and here was the winner.   This bevel cluster has 13 pieces and measures 9-7/8" wide by 18.35" tall.

 Here is my computer rendition, scaled to fit her window.  For the outer border we decided on clear swirly Baroque glass.  Inside that border is a box of 3/4" bevels.  Then for the larger squares, we opted to use clear glue chip glass.  And then the bevel in the center is the focal point.

 The pattern making begins by taping together Manila folders as shown.

 Onto the Manila folders goes a layer of carbon paper, then the “cartoon”.  This is the original pattern with all my markings on it.  I trace all the markings onto the Manila folders as shown.

 

Here I’m applying copper foil to the edges of each piece of the bevel cluster.  You’ll notice that the inside of the foil is black.  This is so that when I patina the solder in black, the inside of the foil will not be seen through the clear glass.

Now all of the bevel cluster pieces have been foiled.  I’ve pinned them down securely on my work surface.  I’m now applying liquid flux to the foil.  This is a catalyst which enables the solder to flow freely.

Here you can see the progression of the soldering.  On the left side of the bevel cluster I’ve done “tack soldering”. This is to lock the pieces together so they don’t shift. On the right side, I’ve competed much of the full soldering.  I turned the cluster over and fully soldered the back as well.

After the pieces are locked together, I took out the push pins and slid the pattern out from underneath.

I set the bevel cluster aside and turned my attention to the “pencil” bevels.  Here I’ve got them push pinned against a straight edge.  I’ll solder then where they join and lay them as a unit onto the “cartoon”.

Back to the pattern .. After all of the markings have been transferred from the original “cartoon” to the Manila folders, I cut the border with regular scissors.  I use specialized, double-bladed pattern shears to cut out the individual pattern pieces.  These shears leave a small space between pieces.  This is taken up later by copper foil.

Now all the pattern pieces have been cut out.

This is the “cartoon” or pattern on which all the cut pieces are laid in preparation for soldering.  You’ll notice that there’s an aluminum “fence” that’s push-pinned against the border.  This is to prevent the cut pieces of glass from shifting as I work.  At this point, The bevel cluster is soldered and in place, as are the pencil bevels.  As I’ve mentioned before, the bevels are the “boss”, so they go down first.

Here I’ve traced the pattern for two pieces of Glue Chip glass and I’m using an oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter to cut the glass.  If my left hand weren’t holding the camera, I’d be pressing down on that yellow ruler for stability.  (That’s how I normally hand cut glass with straight edges).

As each piece of glass is cut, I bring it to the electric grinder.  This enables the copper foil to adhere better and it also makes the glass safe to handle.

I’ve cut two pieces of the clear glue chip glass and all of the bevels are in place.

Another view showing the whole window.

Etching my signature and date into the piece at the lower left corner.

Here I've inserted one of several lengths of copper reinforcement.  It will serve to strengthen the window. It is fitted between the pieces of glass and becomes invisible after soldering.

At this point, all the glass has been cut and all the copper foil has been applied.

Brushing on the liquid flux. This is a chemical which permits the solder to flow freely over the foil.

Tack soldering.  At this point in the process, I apply small amounts of solder to random areas to connect the glass together.

After the front has been tack soldered, it’s safe to remove the metal “fence” which served to lock the pieces in place.  I’ve done that here and am in the process of sliding out the “cartoon” or original pattern.

My husband Eric is using a tool which creates the angles for the zinc frame.

Here Eric has put the side frames in place.

After all sides of the frame is cut, he puts the fence back on to hold them in place.  Here I’ve soldered the corners and the lead lines to the frame.

In one of the final steps, I’m applying black patina to the solder. This chemical works instantly.  After it sets for a bit, I wash off the remainder with a neutralizing chemical spray.  After it dries, I apply stained glass finishing compound, which is a light wax.  This helps to protect the patina and give the glass a nice shine. 

And here is the window, prior to the final cleaning.

Here's a view after the evening installation.  You can clearly see the textures in the glass.

Another view taken at night, from outside my customer's home. 

And here is a photo taken the following morning, courtesy of my customer.  Thank you Linda, for having Eric and I work with you on this pretty window.  May you enjoy it for years to come!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!