THE PROCESS

There are two methods used in stained glass work.  These are the copper foil technique and lead came work.  Craftsmen have used both of these methods for over a hundred years and we still use them very successfully today.  Below are brief descriptions of the two methods used to produce our beautiful stained glass products.  We hope you find you find this interesting and informative.

THE COPPER FOIL METHOD

The copper foil method can be used to create very detailed and varied pieces of work such as light catchers, intricate tiffany lamps, and even fine detailed window panels. The famous artist Louis Comfort Tiffany pioneered this method at the turn of the 20th century.  This is very painstaking labour intensive work that requires great patience, skill and a steady hand, but the rewards of the beautiful work produced are well worth it.

Each piece of glass has to be cut very precisely to match its pattern piece, which often requires some grinding work on a diamond wheel grinder.  The piece of glass has its outer edges wrapped in copper foil tape, which is then crimped flat onto the glass using a tool called a fid.
 
When all the glass pieces have been prepared in this way they are assembled together like a jigsaw puzzle.  The pieces can then be soldered together either on a flat surface, or in the case of lamp, on a moulded form.   The solder is a lead and tin mix and flux is applied to help the solder flow smooth. 

Once the soldering is complete, the piece of work is cleaned thoroughly.  If you choose to you can change the silver appearance of the solder by applying a patina.  The silver finish can be changed to copper or grey/black finish.  For the copper finish we would the patina made from the chemical copper sulphate.  The piece of work is finished off with a good polish.

THE LEAD CAME METHOD

The lead came method is used mainly to produce stained glass windows.  Each piece of glass is cut out using a pattern then laid out on the design, or cartoon, as it is known.  Once all the pieces of glass are cut we start to assemble the panel.

The work is assembled in a jig cutting the lead came to the desired length to encase each piece of glass.  We start in the bottom left hand corner slotting the first piece of glass into the H section lead came then work our way to the top right hand corner of the jig.  Sections are held in place using horseshoe nails.

When all the pieces are assembled, the junctions of the lead cames are spot soldered on the front and reverse.  The panel is now ready for cementing to seal the glass into the lead came.