stained glass pattern book – The Art Of Stained Glass

Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 11:00 am

The Art Of Stained Glass
by: Keith Londrie

As with all forms of art, its beauty is defined by the sensations it arouses. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect in the art of stained glass is in its' versatility. It's durable, yet fragile, challenging, but yielding to the experienced hands of the artist. I discovered this form of art some seven years ago when my girlfriend and I decided to take a series of evening classes at a local stained glass retail store. We took six classes and I have been hooked ever since.

If you are in need of a way to take away the stresses of everyday life I would recommend stained glass as great way to download and at the same time get into a new hobby. It is a form of self-meditation. The steps you'll follow in arriving at your finished work of art will teach you self-discipline, and provide a great sense of artistic achievement. And if you're like me, you will not be able to get enough of it. That's when you'll want to expand out and begin doing projects for others.

But be careful, once word gets out that you're into stained glass, all of your relatives (you know the ones) will be the first to ask you to make them something. Actually, it's not so bad at first, because they make great test cases and you'll want to experiment.

Where to begin? I suggest a visit to your local stained glass retailer. While not all towns have one (here is a great business opportunity for you) a look into your telephone book should yield a location or two or you can perform an Internet search for local retailers. Start by inquiring into whether or not they run classes. Most retailers usually do because it's a source of increased revenues to them (they know that you'll probably be buying your supplies from them). Cost of classes will be relatively moderate for the same reasons. Check out your local County Colleges as well. My instructor also taught night classes there.

TIP: Bring a friend with you; it will add to the fun and you'll be able to compare notes.

The place you'll be taking the classes from will no doubt also provide you with the basic beginners kit, which will contain the tools needed to get you started. Expect to find a glass cutter; there a variety of types and you should choose the one that your most comfortable with. I have tried a variety myself but in the end settled for the basic non-oil filled type. A breaker, similar to pliers, is used to snap off the glass after being scored. A specially designed scissor is used to cut out your pattern, and of course a soldering iron is used to join the cut pieces of glass together. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.

There are other items that you'll need along the way, but they will be available to you during your classes, such as the grinder, which is used to grind down excess glass, not removed by the cutting process and to polish off the edges of the cut glass. This last part is important because of the foiling process that takes after the glass is ground down. Foiling is a process whereby the copper foil is placed around the edges of the ground glass. The foil is sticky on one side allowing it to adhere to the glass. The purpose of the copper foil is to provide a surface for the solder to stick too.

A word on foiling. Most of us are familiar with the traditional form of stained glass that we have encountered in churches which employ the use of a lead came between the glass pieces. Copper foiling is an alternative to the lead came and is no doubt the first place a new student to the art of stained glass will begin. Only after one has mastered the foil, should you proceed to the came. Besides, foiling is a much easier process, especially for the beginner. I still prefer this method over the came method.

There is a little more to the art of stained glass than what I have described thus far, but the fundamental steps outlined below will give you a basic outline on what to expect.

Plan your design; will it be for a window, skylight... the possibilities will astound you. Let your imagination take you,

Sketch out your design or use a bought pattern available through your retailer,

Cut out the individual pieces from your pattern using those special scissors I mentioned earlier,

Apply the cut pattern pieces to the glass to be cut,

Using the glasscutter, score and break (not in the literal sense) each piece

Grind off the excess glass

Foil each piece of glass

Solder the pieces together

Clean your work, and

Display your masterpiece!

You will soon come to discover your own favorite step in the art of stained glass. For some, it will be in the designing stages, that challenge of coming up with your own unique design. For myself, my love for the art lies in the cutting of the glass. There is a final moment of truth that comes after you have scored the glass with the glass cutter; this is the part where I hold my breath. As you force the glass to run (I'll explain that in another article), you'll begin to see the glass crack along the scored line as you hoped it would. With all things in the universe being wonderful, the glass breaks as you had intended. Occasionally it won't; that's the breaks! But don't worry, glass is relatively inexpensive and you'll get it the next time.

About The Author

Keith Londrie II has put up an informative web site about stained glass at http://www.stained-glass-info.info/

Please feel free to drop by the web site to learn more about stained glass.

Keith Londrie II

klondrie @ yahoo.com

http://www.stained-glass-info.info/

Stained Glass Floor Lamps: Bring Colorful Light Into Your Home!

People have been incorporating stained glass into home décor since the 11th century, when this colorful variation on the standard glass making procedure began to flourish as an art form. Glass was typically colored by adding metallic oxides to the glass while it was still in molten form. Copper oxides were added to produce green, cobalt for blue, and gold was added to produce red glass. This has continued into modern times, where stained glass is more prominent than ever, making its way into households in a multitude of accessories and furniture items. A popular example of stained glass home décor is floor lamps.

Available in a wide assortment of brilliant colors and elegant styles, floor lamps bring a touch of class into any room of your home. With a different lamp possibility for nearly any decorating style or motif, it’s no wonder that floor lamps are a contemporary mainstay.

Floor lamps are also an easy way to add beauty and a welcoming light to tighter spaces in a room. Slim and sleek, a floor lamp can stylishly go where a table and table lamp might not have fit. Some of the most desirable floor lamps on the market currently come from the popular Style @ Home with Margie Collection.

This collection offers a wide array of lamps to choose from, each with its own unique characteristics and spectrum of color. The “Allistar” Double Lit Stained Glass Floor Lamp is one of the most popular designs in the collection, standing 66” in height. It’s available in either a lovely blue or amber color.

Made with 918 individual stained glass pieces, Salina’s Floor Lamp is a beautiful rose-adorned lamp that transitions from a blue-black top into bright shades of light at the lamp shade’s bottom. The Lilydale Side-Arm Floor Lamp depicts an idyllic meadow and has an ornate scroll work side arm design.

Modern glass makers have discovered minerals that are less expensive than gold to create stunning red glass. In fact, they can produce many more shades of reds, blues, yellows and greens than ever before. The Rose Scalloped Stained Glass Floor Lamp has 452 individual stained glass pieces that come in a wide assortment of reds, pinks, and violets.

Or for those who are fonder of green, Olive’s Green Stained Glass Fl
1000
oor Lamp has an astounding 921 individual pieces and depicts white flowers and orange dragonflies across a brilliant green background. The Bermuda Floor Lamp’s colors are soft tones of blue and turquoise, carefully chosen for their color and texture. If a savvy shopper looks hard enough, they are bound to find a lamp with their perfect color scheme.

Another popular trend has been the advent of the matching floor lamp and table lamp. This offers the decorator the option of pairing the two lamps to complement each other in the same room, or splitting up the lamps to bring the same ambience to two different rooms. Margie Commerford has brought us an exquisite collection of lamps to choose from in her Style @ Home with Margie Collection. The “Solera” Torchiere & Table Lamp Set offers two elegant lamps that radiate a warm light through their tan, ivory and amber stained glass. A table and floor lamp set guaranteed to liven up any room, the “Costanza” Table Lamp & Torchiere Set is adorned with gorgeous pink floral arrangement. With a combined 987 individual pieces, this lamp set is an example of intricate craftsmanship.

Are you looking for a floor lamp, but want one with a style all its own? There are many stained glass floor lamp designs that can serve as stand-out pieces in any room. However, many of them tend to be shorter than standard floor lamps and torchieres. For example, at 45 inches tall, the “Vineyard Escape” Floor Lamp is smaller than most other floor lamps but offers rich and brilliant color from its almost vase-like design and beautiful depiction of a vineyard.

The “Floral Window” Floor Lamp looks more similar to the standard floor lamp design, but its shade offers six arched windows that shine with radiant color. At four feet in height, the Coliseum Vase Lamp is a decadently designed piece, complete with over 1,800 individual pieces of glass. Unique lamps like these are certain to make a visual statement in any room.

Once reserved for nobility and families of power, the beauty of stained glass is a luxury that everyone can afford in modern times. There are few better ways to display such beauty than with the aesthetic impact of a stained glass floor lamp. Available in a multitude of colors, shapes, designs and sizes, there is literally a lamp for every room, every season, and every mood.

By: Jacqueline1

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Keith Truman is a freelance writer who offers tips about how to shop online.