Kathie Jordan Design

Custom Designed Stained Glass

specializing in  STAINED GLASS DOMES

NOTE: We now ship Worldwide
THE STAINED GLASS PROCESS
	Drawing the Stained Glass Pattern The first step in creating a stained glass project is to choose your design and draw your pattern to the appropriate size.  If you are making a window that is to be installed in an existing frame, be sure of your measurements and that you leave about 1/16" space around the stained glass window and the window frame.
	Number and Trace the Stained Glass Pattern After creating your design, number every piece in the pattern and mark which direction the grain of the glass will go.  You will then need to trace another copy and number it for your template for soldering.
	Cut the Stained Glass Pattern Next, you will cut your pattern using a special pair of scissors called "foiling shears".  These special scissors will remove the pencil line.  The reason for this is to prevent the pattern from growing by the size of every pencil line.
	Glue the Stained Glass Pattern Pieces on the Glass After cutting the pattern, you will then glue the pattern onto the appropriate colour of glass.  Be sure glue each piece on according to the direction of the grain in the glass.
	Cut the Stained Glass Next, you can cut your glass pieces.  Glass will greatly vary in thickness and texture and hence will cut differently.  Glass cutting takes time and experience to learn how much pressure to use and to hone your technique.  When cutting inside curves, you must make several passes or else you will likely break the piece.  When beginning the craft, allow 15%- 20% for breakage.  As you gain experience, you should get this to below 5%. It is very important to use a high quality cutter as this will make the process easier.
	Grind the Stained Glass Since it is next to impossible to cut your glass to the exact size and have a smooth edge, the next step is to grind your pieces of glass to size.  The glass grinder uses a special diamond grit grinding head that is cooled and lubricated by water.
	Foil the Stained Glass The next 3 steps are a major differentiation of the "Tiffany Style" method to the "leaded glass" method.  Each piece of glass must be "foiled" with a special copper tape.  This is the material that the solder will adhere to weld your project together.  Be sure to press the foil very firmly onto the glass to ensure a secure bond.
	Smooth the Foil on the Stained Glass After applying the copper foil, you use a special tool called a "fid" to smooth the foil down to the glass.  If you don't do this, you will see the imperfections after you solder plus this helps to adhere the foil to the glass.
	Trim the Foil on the Stained Glass After smoothing the foil, you will most likely have to trim the foil where your foil starts and stops.  If you don't trim it, this will show when you solder and make your piece less attractive by inferior workmanship.
	Prepare to Solder - Use a Stained Glass Jig In order to keep your project to the appropriate size, it is recommended to make a jig to place your project into.  This will ensure your pieces don't go beyond the intended borders.  This is especially helpful when you have several of the same pieces to create, such as in the Stained Glass Dome.
	Prepare to Solder - Apply Flux Before you begin to solder, you must apply a chemical called flux to each of the solder joints.  This cleans the surface and ensures a good bond of the solder to the foil.  It is recommended when handling any chemicals, that you take the appropriate safety precautions such as wearing protective gloves and eyewear.
	Solder Your Stained Glass Project After applying the flux, the next step is to solder the piece together.  This is another technique that takes some time to perfect.   By taking the time to do an excellent job of soldering, will show others your level of workmanship.  For those with stained glass experience, the soldering is one of the first things they will look at to determine the level of workmanship.. Tack solder you piece first before soldering the whole seam in order to hold the piece in place.  Both sides of the piece must be soldered in order to strengthen the piece as well as for esthetics.
Picture to Follow	Clean and Neutralize Your Stained Glass Project After you are satisfied with your job of soldering, clean your piece thoroughly with warm water and a special neutralizing cleanser.  You want to be sure all of the flux residue is cleaned off your piece so that the patina you will apply in the next step will take.
Picture to Follow	Apply Patina to Your Stained Glass Project When your project is cleaned and neutralized and free of all flux, you can now apply a chemical called "patina".  This chemical reacts to the solder to turn your solder seams either black or copper depending on the patina you use.  After you apply the patina to all of the seams, clean your project again with warm water and neutralizing cleanser.
	Stand Back and Admire Your Stained Glass Project Now you've completed the process and you can stand back and admire the works or your wears!  Creating stained glass projects takes much time, talent, and patience but is well worth the wait in the end.