How To Make Stained Glass

• Organizing Your Work Area
  Fighting to find your tools and materials takes the fun and creativity out of creating stained glass. Organizing your work area and studio is the important first step to creating better stained glass faster and easier.
  
  There are many ways to go when you set up your studio, and the organization comes down to three basic things:
  
  1. How organized are you personally.
  2. How much space do you have
  3. How much money do you want to spend
  
  Obviously, if you are not an organized person, most of this section will not apply to you, but I would urge you to try and get a bit organized in setting up your work area, it will make life much easier when you can find things.
  
  If you are very limited on space, such as using a portion of a spare bedroom, then make sure to have a place to keep all of your tools and glass safely and securely. Remember, there can be glass shards anywhere, so if you can avoid a room with carpet, that will help. Also, you should try and keep pets and small children out of your work area for obvious reasons.
  
  The last factor, money, is something you may have little control over. So using recycled objects such as old book racks (as I did), coffee cans and other similar things, can be just as useful as paying for items specifically manufactured for a single purpose.
  
  
• Selecting Stained Glass
  The right choice of color and type of glass for a particular project is key to creating the best possible piece. There are so many different types of glass, such as basic clear window glass, solid opaque glass, drapery glass, cathedral glass, opalescent glass, glue chip glass and so much more.
  
  After working with the different types of glass, you will begin to understand the nature of each type. Some glass is much "softer" then others when you grind it, this means that the glass grinds easily which is good and bad. If you know which types of glass are softer, you can adjust your grinding so that you don't accidentally grind too much away. If you know the glass you are working with is "harder", you will know that you have to apply more pressure when you grind.
  
  If you are using drapery glass which is a sheet of heavily folded glass that looks like the folds in fabric, you will have to understand how to properly cut and grind it. All of this comes with practice and being informed by articles such as the ones on our site.
  
  Glass can be expensive, some of the more esoteric glass can cost hundreds of dollars for a large sheet. Many stores will sell smaller pieces, usually around 12" square that can range in price from a few dollars to $40 or more depending on many factors. You should definitely shop around, a good starting point is our listing of online stores.
  
  
• Cutting Stained Glass Pieces
  Craftsmanship comes into play with each individual piece of a stained glass design and is reflected in the final outcome of the whole. By moving cleanly and efficiently through the finishing process for each piece, you will raise the quality of every project that you do.
  
  
• Foiling and Leading
  This is where it starts to come together and also the place where sloppiness and slapdash shows up the worst. Doing foiling and leading the right way can make all the difference.
  
  The width of your solder lines can help create a clean appearance. However, varying line widths can be appealing in some organic designs, an example of this would be some of the work coming out of the Tiffany studios. If you look closely at the Tiffany solder work, you will notice that it is hardly ever uniform, this adds to the organic feel of the pieces.
  
  A clean consistent soldering width looks good in most geometric designs where the patterns are often symmetrical and would look "off" with varying line widths.
  
  When foiling your pieces, make sure to use the same width of foil throughout the piece. If you run out of a certain width, get more of the same, don't try and substitute another width, it could be very obvious.
  
  
• Finishing Your Piece
  When you take a little extra time to do your last steps right, you can have a beautiful piece that will be a joy to all who see it for years to come. Also, if you plan on selling or giving your piece as a gift, the finishing stage can be the difference between a quality piece and one that may end up not being sold or ends up in an attic or garage.
  
  Finishing is obviously the last step in the creation of your stained glass project and you want to get it right because of all of the other time spent to get to this point. Whether you are using a patina or just a finishing wax, make sure to get quality materials and to dispose of any tools used in the application properly.
  
  
• Stained Glass Glossary
  Here are most of the terms and explanations of specific items used in the making of stained glass. You should be able to find answers for most of your questions regarding terms, tools and other related items.
  
  
• Stained Glass Tools
  The right tool can make your life as a stained glass artisan so much easier. Sometimes the difference between one tool and another can only be a few dollars, but the usability could be miles ahead with the more expensive tool. Find out more about the tools used in stained glass work here.
  
  
• Stained Glass Software
  Computer tips for Stained Glass designers plus reviews of stained glass pattern software and how to transfer files, re size, save and backup pattern designs.
  
  
• Finding and Creating Stained Glass Patterns
  You have to know where your going to get there! You can work from another person's design or create your own for the ultimate personal expression. Tips and tricks for using stained glass patterns.
  
  
• Soldering Stained Glass Projects
  Soldering your stained glass project may seem easy enough, but proper soldering technique can take a lot of practice and requires quality tools and supplies. A poor soldering job can ruin a lot of the effort put in to creating your project.
  
  Make sure to only use a quality soldering iron made be a reputable company. You should avoid cheap knock-offs whenever possible for many reasons such as poor heat transfer, bad consistent temperature and possible fire hazards due to poor manufacturing.
  
  You should always use fresh solder and flux and make sure to properly dispose of any unused solder or flux as they can be considered hazardous materials in some localities.