Oval window with Bevels and Gems - Copper Foiling

This posting will show the copper foiling process.  This is begun only after each piece of glass fits comfortably within the confines of the push pins on the outer border of the pattern.  There should be a small amount of "wiggle room" between pieces to allow for the foil.  If the pieces fit too tightly, they can crack during the soldering process.  Also, I will be inserting braided wire reinforcement randomly throughout the window, so allowance needs to be made for that as well.  Here's the process .. Click on any photo to enlarge for a closer look.

I'm using 7/32" black back copper foil for this project.  I chose 7/32" because its a nice, wide foil which will give strength to the project.  I chose black back because all of the glass used in this window is "cathedral" or clear glass.  As you can see from the photo below, the inside of the foil shows through the amber colored glass.  After the window has been soldered and black patina is applied, the interior of the copper foil will, in effect, be invisible.

It takes a certain amount of dexterity to apply the foil.  I'm using my left hand here while I take the photo, but you can see, hopefully, that the side of the glass is placed dead center to the foil.  This allows for an equal amount of foil to be wrapped around each side.

Here I'm pressing down on the foil to attach it to the sides of the glass.  Prior to this step, I pressed the foil into the edges of the glass using a "fid" or flexible plastic wand as shown in the next photo.

Using a "fid" to press the foil onto the sides of the glass.  Notice that I do not foil the outer border of the glass.  This is the side which will end up underneath the lead u-came that will be used to frame the piece.  Since this side will be hidden and not soldered to anything, there is no need to foil it.  Not having foil on that edge also makes it easier to install the u-came. 

The amber rough rolled glass is all foiled.  Now I'm moving onto the glue chip using the same process.  Notice again that the black interior of the foil shows through the glass.

Again, pressing the foil down onto the glass, followed by using a "fid" to adhere everything well.

I sign each of my custom pieces with a Dremel tool.  Below I've etched my name, the month and the year.  After installation, my signature is barely visible.

This is the braided wire reinforcement that I use for all larger stained glass pieces.  As they say, it "adds astonishing strength to any glass project."  Its easy to use, fits well between copper-foiled glass pieces and is in fact, undetectable after the piece has been soldered.

 Shown below are two lengths of braided reinforcement snaked along random pieces within the window.  I stuff in any stray ends with a sharp object.

And here is the window, copper foiled and reinforced with braided wire and ready for fluxing and soldering.

Just a few more steps to go!  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!

Oval window with Bevels and Gems - Glass cutting

After the pattern was cut, each piece of glass is then scored, cut, trimmed when needed, ground on the glass grinder, and placed onto the pattern.  Here is the process .. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

Starting with the outer border, I've traced the patterns onto a piece of rough rolled medium amber glass.  These pieces may also be cut one at a time so that less glass is used.  Note that each piece is numbered with a Sharpie pen and is placed on the smooth side of the glass, face down. The opposite side is textured rough rolled.  Cuts should always be made on the smooth, non-textured side.

Below, I'm scoring the glass with an oil-filled pistol grip cutter.

 The oil works its way into the score.  By tapping on the glass repeatedly with the brass end of the cutter, the glass "loosens".

Below I'm using "running pliers" to lightly press down on each side of the score to enable the glass to split as shown.

"Grozier pliers" are used to nip off small bits of glass.  Its better to use these pliers to tweak the glass rather than wear down an expensive grinding bit.

Wearing rubber finger tips from Staples, I'm grinding the edges of the glass.

 Below, a piece of cut border glass and three patterns.  Throughout the cutting process, its necessary to keep the work surface clear of glass debris. If even a small shard of glass is caught beneath the glass to be cut, it can snap.  Sweep the work surface often with a small brush and pan as shown.

 Each piece of cut glass is then rinsed off.  Try to keep the number on the glass.  In cases such as this where there are many similarly-shaped pieces, its a huge help when placing the cut pieces back onto the pattern.

 Here's a demonstration of how to cut curves.  One way is to score a curve as shown.  Glass will be more "obedient" if you give it less opportunity to "break badly." Cutting a large curve in one chuck is an invitation for wasting glass.

 The initial scored pieces are removed.  Now I'm working on the other side of the curve.  The smaller the chunks, the less chance of a "bad break."

 Using grozier pliers to snap off the pieces.

 And now the border is complete.  Notice that I've ringed the oval with push pins.  I've got two pins on the ends of each piece of glass. These pins will ensure that the oval stays static and will not shift as the pieces of glass are laid onto the pattern. 

 Now onto the clear glue chip textured glass. Same as with the rough rolled amber glass, I'm placing the pattern pieces face down on the smooth side of the glass.

 Below I'm leaning the cutter on a ruler to get a straight cut.  (I'd be pressing down lightly on the ruler at this point if I weren't holding the camera.)

 Again, tapping on the glass to "loosen" it.

 Snapping the curve with running pliers.

 Cutting out a curve with groziers.

 Grinding the edges.

 I recommend using this product in the water reservoir beneath the grinder surface.  Its EZ-Grind Advanced Formula Coolant. It makes the water "wetter" and keeps the grinding wheel readily moistened.

 A note about the bevels. Beautiful as these are, the clear centers were too transparent to comfortably used in this oval, which will be installed in a bathroom which overlooks a patio.  We did not want to compromise on privacy or the design.  With my customer's OK, I arranged to have the bevels sandblasted, front and back, as shown below.  The bevels are now white which will work very well with the decor of the room. For those in North Jersey in search of a great sand blaster, please see Peter at Armour Air on Industrial Avenue in Fairview. He's got 30 years of experience and is a joy to work with!

Whenever bevels are introduced into a project, they "rule" the fitting process because they cannot be trimmed.  Since I anticipated that some adjustments may be needed, I did not cut the small inner pieces of glue chip until all of the glass around the outer edges had been cut.  Below, I've laid down a piece of manila folder to trace new pieces for the glue chip to be cut for the interior of the bevels.

 Here are the pieces and the glass, traced and ready for cutting, grinding and rinsing.

 And here's a view of the oval with all the glass cut.  The darker bevels will be a gorgeous purple when the oval is lifted from the work surface with the light shining through. 

 Another view of the window showing some of the glass textures.  This oval is a combination of rough rolled amber, frosted glue chip, flat bevels, and sparkly round gems.

 The next step will follow shortly, applying copper foil to each of the pieces.  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!

Oval window with Bevels and Gems - Design and Pattern Making

This series of postings will chronicle the design, pattern making, glass cutting, foiling, soldering, cleaning, building and installation of a gorgeous 19" x 31" oval window.  I am creating this custom window for a newly-renovated bathroom.

My customer loves bevels and gems and asked me to create designs using each of these elements.  Since the bevels were the focal point, I started there by creating two original designs from which to chose.  I presented seven different color combinations of each design, based on my customer's preferences. 

Here's her choice .. I located this beautiful bevel cluster through one of my suppliers.  My idea was to use two of them, point to point, as the center of the oval. I also suggested replacing the clear center gem, which is 1-12" wide or approximately 40mm, with a colored gem to match or complement colors which would appear elsewhere in the design. 

Here's the bevel.  Its 7" x 9", and below are the gems in the amber and purple colors chosen by my customer.

Below is a computer rendition of the chosen design and color combination, which is not exactly to scale.  The background glass, which appears gray in the rendition, is clear glue chip.  It is the top choice for use with bevels.  It is a good privacy glass and also lets in a lot of light.  For accents, she chose a medium amber border in a rough rolled glass, and added two amber gems to the center of the bevels as shown.  For more color, six purple gems were added as shown, around the bevels.

After my husband and I took a long weekend in Florida, and after a couple more days to wait for the arrival of the glass and bevels, I got down to work on the pattern making.  Here's the process.

For windows which are non-standard sizes, such as this oval, my husband Eric makes a paper template of the opening.  Normally, I build a window on top of a paper pattern, which is a full-size version of the computer rendition above.  But since this is a non-standard size, I will build the window directly on top of the template.  Below is the template. 
Eric marked the inside edge of the existing window and cut in, and taped, the inserts at the sides of the window where there is a small "bump in".  To start, I carefully folded the template exactly in half, and then lengthwise, in order to establish the center point.  Its marked below with a push pin.
Then I make a carbon paper sandwich with a side-by-side taped-together layer of old manila folders, then a layer of carbon paper, then the template.  Every mark I make on the template will now be transferred to the manila folders for use in the pattern making process.
My work surface is a large piece of Homasote, which is a sound-proofing material used by builders. It is readily available at any Loew's or Home Depot and can be cut to size.  It accepts pushpins well and has just enough "give" to be a good surface for cutting glass.

To establish the scale of the window and draw out the rest of the lines, I laid down each of the bevel clusters on the template which was provided with them.  Notice that I've already replaced the provided clear gem with amber ones.

I've marked the center line, top to bottom, Now I'm marking the top segment of the window by measuring down from the top of the oval as shown.   

 I drew a parallel line from the midpoint of the top of the oval from the top of the bevel.

 With that line established, I did the same measurement and drawing on the bottom of the template.  Here I'm measuring between those two lines to establish the distance for the three segments which fall between.

 With the horizontal lines drawn, I'm now outlining the bevels.

 Eric stepped in at this point, and cut in the outer border 1/8th" to allow for the lead u-came which will frame the piece upon completion. 

He used short lengths of balsa wood pinned onto the work surface in order to get a uniform measurement all around the oval.  Then he traced each segment through the carbon paper onto the manila folders below.

I'm back now, using a 90 degree ruler to trace in the segments around the border which will be medium amber rough rolled glass.  While I'm doing this, I'm careful to avoid creating "hinges" or straight lines which go from one end of the window to the other.  By "breaking" the straight line with a solid one, "hinges" are avoided and the overall piece will have far more strength.

Now the full design has been transferred onto the manila folder pattern beneath.  Notice that I've numbered each piece and added notes regarding the location of the piece (right, left. top, bottom) and type of glass as well.

To resolve the issue of the "bump-ins" on the right and left of the existing window, I'll be curving the glass around rather than cutting a sharp edge.  This will also add to the strength of the window and transfer the overall weight more evenly.

Since everything has been marked, I pulled up all the push pins and lifted the manila pattern out from under the carbon paper and the paper template.  The next step in making the pattern is to use standard scissors to carefully cut around the entire border, as I'm doing below.

The rest of the pattern must be cut with stained glass pattern making shears, shown below.  These special scissors are double bladed.  They cut out a small "breathing space" between the glass.  This space will be taken up later by copper foil and is essential to the proper fitting of the pieces.

 Below, all of the pattern pieces have been cut and set aside in re-purposed junk mail envelopes.

Next, I will begin cutting and grinding the glass .. Stay tuned as this beautiful window comes to life!

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!