How to Make Stain Glass Windows

Stained glass is much more simple to make in modern days because of all the available resources at craft and hobby stores. The art is an ancient therapeutic process that results in beautifully crafted windows for your home or business. You can draw out your own measured design beforehand, or else just come up with the glass design as you go along.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Thick work gloves Short glass Different colored and textured glass Window pane Sheet of glass measured to window pane Pliers/glass clippers Soldering iron Wax Copper strips, measured to fit Cementing mixture Cementing brushes

1. 

   Decide on the size of your window and colors of glass you want to use. Depending on the type of design you want to use, you can choose from complex or simple designs that each use several colors of glass. You can do this easily by drawing out a life-size sketch with the color combinations, then purchasing this color of glass in the certain amounts that you need.

2. Break the glass up in multiple pieces in a safe area while wearing the gloves. Use the clippers or pliers for thick pieces. Fit it together to create certain patterns, shapes, or color correlations on a flat piece of glass that is the same measurements for the window pane. Make sure this pattern fits within the measurements.

3. 

   Trim and sand the edges of the cut glass one by one while keeping the pattern intact. Once completed, secure the glass pieces together by inserting wax between the cracks to separate the glass sheet from the cementing mixture in the next step.

4. Use the cementing brushes to carefully apply the cementing mixture between the cracks of the colored glass. The wax should prevent the cement from attaching itself to the glass sheet underneath. Quickly wipe away any cement mixture that gets on the colored glass.

5. 

   Let dry. Remove the underlying glass pane from the stained glass and all the wax stuck behind.

6. 

   Insert into the window pane and solder using copper strips. Seal it permanently into the window. Clean regularly.

Tips & Warnings

• Always be cautious when working with sharp or hazardous materials or chemicals.