AGHERTON PARISH CHURCH
Stained Glass windows a brief how to....
Background......
A leaded stained glass window or other object is made of pieces of glass, held together by lead.
The pieces of glass are about 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) thick and bound together by strips, called "cames" of grooved lead, soldered at the joints.
The entire window is secured in the opening at regular intervals by metal saddle bars tied with wire and soldered to the leads and reinforced at greater intervals by tee-bars fitted into the masonry.
A faceted glass panel differs slightly from traditional leaded stained glass in that it is made up of pieces of slab (dalle) glass approximately 8 inches square, or in large rectangular sizes, varying in thickness from 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). These slabs are not held together with lead; rather they are embedded in a matrix of concrete, epoxy, or plastic.
Raw Materials......
Glass is made by fusing together some form of silica such as sand, an alkali such as potash or soda, and lime or lead oxide.
The color is produced by adding a metallic oxide to the raw materials.
Copper oxide, under different conditions, produces ruby, blue, or green colors in glass.
Cobalt is usually used to produce most shades of blues.
Green shades can also be obtained from the addition of chromium and iron oxide.
Golden glass is sometimes colored with uranium, cadmium sulfide, or titanium, and there are fine selenium yellows as well as vermilions.
Ruby colored glass is made by adding gold.
Manufacturing Processes......
1 Large manufacturers of stained glass mix the batch of raw materials, including alkaline fluxes and stabilizing agents, in huge mixers.
The mix is then melted in a modern furnace at 2500°F (1371°C).
Each ingredient must be carefully measured and weighed according to a calculated formula, in order to produce the appropriate color.
For cathedral glass, the molten glass is ladled into a machine that rolls the glass into 1/8-inch (3.2mm) thick sheets. The sheets are then cooled in a special furnace called an annealing lehr. The glass is then inspected, trimmed to standard size, and packed into cases.
At a typical factory, eight to ten different color runs are made per day. Some manufacturers cut a small rectangle of glass from each run in order to provide a sample of each color to their customers. There are hundreds of colors, tints, and patterns available, as well as a number of different textures of cathedral glass. Different textures are produced by changing the roller to one having the desired texture. Glass manufacturers are continuously introducing new colors and types of glass to meet the demands of their customers.
Creating the window pattern......
Though some of the tools to make stained glass windows have been improved, the windows are still hand crafted as they were centuries ago.
The first step of the process involves the artist creating a small scale version of the final design.
After the design has been approved, the craftsperson takes measurements or templates of the actual window openings to create a pattern.
This pattern is usually drawn on paper or cardboard and is the actual size of the spaces to be filled with glass.
Next a full-sized drawing called the cartoon is prepared in black and white. From the cartoon, the cutline and pattern drawings are made.
The modern cutline drawing is a careful, exact tracing of the leadlines of the cartoon on heavy paper.
The leadlines are the outlines of the shapes for patterns to which the glass is to be cut. This drawing serves as the guide for the subsequent placing and binding with lead of the many pieces of glass.
The pattern-drawing is a carbon copy of the cutline drawing. It is cut along the black or lead lines with double-bladed scissors or a knife which, as it passes through the middle of the black lines, simultaneously cuts away a narrow strip of paper, thus allowing sufficient space between the segment of glass for the core of the grooved lead. This core is the supporting wall between the upper and lower flanges of the lead.
Cutting and painting......
The painted pieces are fired in the kiln at least once to fuse the paint and glass.
Glazing and leading.....
The next step is glazing. The cutline drawing is spread out on a table and narrow strips of wood called laths are nailed down along two edges of the drawing to form a right angle.
Long strips of grooved lead are placed along the inside of the laths. The piece of glass belonging in the angle is fitted into the grooves.
A strip of narrow lead is fitted around the exposed edge or edges and the next required segment slipped into the groove on the other side of the narrow lead. This is continued until each piece has been inserted into the leads in its proper place according to the outline drawing beneath.
Finishing......
The many joints formed by the leading are then soldered on both sides and the entire window is waterproofed.
After the completed window has been thoroughly inspected in the light, the sections are packed and shipped to their destination where they are installed and secured with reinforcing bars.
For faceted glass windows......
the process begins the same way, with the cutline and pattern drawings being made with carbons in a similar manner. The pattern drawing is then cut to the actual size of the piece of glass with ordinary scissors since there is no core of lead to allow for. The thick glass slabs next are cut with a sharp double-edged hammer to the shape of the pattern. To give the slab an interesting texture, the worker then chips round depressions in the glass with the same hammer. This is called faceting.
Instead of glazing with lead, a matrix of concrete or epoxy is poured around the pieces of glass. The glass pieces have first been glued to the outline drawing, which is covered with a heavy coating of transparent grease so that the paper can be removed after the epoxy sets. The whole piece is enclosed within a wooden form, which is the exact size and shape of the section being made. The worker must wear gloves during this process, since epoxy resin is a toxic material. After hardening, the section is cleaned and cured prior to shipping and installation.
The process for making an entire stained glass window can take anywhere from seven to ten weeks, since everything must be done by hand.