How to Buy Glass for Stained Glass Patterns

Stained glass, blown (made by hand) or rolled in sheets (machine-made), comes in an infinite variety, making glass one of the most exciting media in which to work. While no one should tell you what stained glass to buy, a basic knowledge of the types of stained glass will help you buy stained glass that will make your projects really stand out.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Know the different types of glass, beginning with the basic division: cathedral and opalescent. Cathedrals are transparent, while opalescent, or opals, are translucent. Put your hand on the other side of the glass. If you can see your hand, the glass is a cathedral. If you see a shadow, the glass is an opal. Most stained glass by far is cathedral glass. Online supply studios such as The Oak Tree provide starter kits of mostly cathedral glass.
2. Buy small amounts of specially treated glass for its dramatic effects. Coating with metallic salts produces iridescent glass that shimmers like the scales of a fish. Partial sandblasting produces the pattern in etched glass by etching, or marking, some of the surface of the glass. Mixing two colors in the same pane produces streaky glass. Specialty vendors such as Alpine Stained Glass carry these unusual glasses.
3. Look for art glass as well as stained glass. Art glass includes exotic effects such as the varieties of textured glass: full antique, semi antique, reamy, crackle and glue chip glass. Drapery and ripple glass contain dramatic waves of thicker glass. Glass Art World features a full line.
4. Remember to look for accents and highlights for your stained glass project. Small rounds of glass are called nuggets, globs, jewels or rondels, and Alpine and Glass Art World both feature many types.

Tips & Warnings

• All antique glass is blown glass. Molded and sheet glass are modern inventions.
• Full antique glass has been made by the antique, hand-blown method, but may not necessarily be old.
• Vendors and craftsmen may use terms unique to their shop.
• Beveled glass has been cut to produce an angled edge, or bevel.
• When cutting textured glass, avoid bubbles.