Stain Glass Class

Before children and homeschooling I used to do Stain Glass art.  However I somehow allowed that hobby to go by the wayside as my life took on some new and interesting detours.  Now the children are older and I am slowly finding more free time for myself I decided to get back into my old hobby.  I took a refresher class with a friend and found I still had the skills needed to begin again and more importantly I have the desire to restart my old hobby.

Tools and a very simple pattern to begin

I was the first in the class to have a cut...just to remind myself that glass is SHARP;)

Instructor reviewing how to cut and break glass correctly.  It was very interesting to see the differences from the English way of doing things versus what I learned in the US.

Circle cutter, I hadn't seen this before and I liked it:)

My completed panel.

Showing the class how to stretch lead

Opening the lead with a lathe

Making miter edges for the frame.

Not bad for my first try in 12 years:)

This step was different from what I learned  before, here the instructor had you put the lead came into the frame work, prior to this I had always butted up to the frame

building out my window using lead came. 

My lead work done I now await instruction in soldering

Another new technique using tallow candles to flux the seams.  I had always used a liquid flux before.  This however did not stink as much as the liquid flux so I liked it:)

Soldering my seams

Using a wire brush to brush away the flux.  If you leave it on it will stain the lead came eventually

Puttying the window to seal the glass inside the lead came

This weather proofs it and also makes the glass fit tighter into the lead came

Using a lead nail to scrap away excess putty

Usually you would also add a whiter to the clay to harden it but this step was skipped in this class due to the mess it makes.  Soft brush to clean up the window

My completed panel--I need to wait a couple of days to thoroughly clean the window with newspaper (waiting for the putty to dry completely)

I so enjoyed myself that I plan on doing a class of some type just for myself at least once a month.  This location also does fusing and painting on glass.  I plan  on looking into those classes in the very near future!