As most people should know, the windows which you commonly see in churches and cathedrals are made using stained glass. A beautiful piece of art created with some engineering efforts,
you can actually learn some “stained glass - how to” tips yourself and start producing your own assorted ornaments. Depending on what you are aiming for, the entire process can be as affordable as it can get.
Stained glass - how to handle safely
Before you even begin working on cutting and crafting the stained glass, there are a few handling tips which you should educate yourself with. For starters, when you are carrying a sheet of glass, you should keep in mind never to move it in a horizontal manner. Instead, you should always grip the top edge with both of your hands and carry it in a vertical position if it is not too heavy. Otherwise, you can place one of your hands at the bottom edge in order to support the entire weight properly.
When the glass is in your hands and lifted manually, you should avoid brushing your hand along the edge. If there is any chip on the glass, no matter how small it may be, you run the risk of getting your hand cut and can get infected if the glass is dirty. You can choose to wear gloves with proper grip to protect your hands against such incidents. In addition, you should check the glass visually and see if there is any crack. Take an extra step in verifying by tapping your fingertip on the glass and watch for any dull clanking sound, which is a sign for cracks existing. If a glass is found to be cracked, you must not carry it by yourself.
Stained glass - how to make it
There are two main ways of making stained glass being utilized today, so if you are interested in trying out yourself, you should learn about these methods and see which one is the most suitable for your project.
- Copper foil – This method simply involves cutting a piece of glass into your desired pattern, and subsequently affixing copper foil on the edges of all the smaller portions. Once you are done with the copper foil, you can proceed to apply solder to create and form the final pattern on the stained glass. Stained glass window panels are usually created using this technique.
- Lead came – Instead of using copper foil, you can use lead cames, which are metal channelings, to create stained glass. How to apply these cames to the creation process? The cut pieces of glass will be fitted into the cames, and then the joints will be soldered together. This ensures that the finished product is sturdy, though the whole method can be really long and tedious.
Creating stained glass has become a popular hobby today, thanks to the many online guides and tutorials available to teach one how to create these attractive pieces of ornament. As long as you observe the proper safety measures, you can also start producing your own stained glass today! |
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