Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Top Tips For Making Stained Glass Windows New Jersey

By Douglas Schmidt


If you like the look of stained glass and are interested in having pieces in your own home you may be put off by how much they cost. Making stained glass windows New Jersey can be fun and a great way to add personal touches to your home. Here are some top tips that you can use if you decide that making a piece like this is something that you want to try and do.

Regardless of how the designs differ the manufacturing process is always the same. A craftsman will take sheets of colored glass and cut them into smaller sections. They are then wrapped with foil and set into a pattern. Once this has been finalized, the pieces are soldered together. Older windows often had thick lines of lead running between the sections although now less toxic materials are being used more and more.

If you have a very modern home design you may want to choose a pattern that is very simple and which may use the play between different colors to make the window stand out. If you have a home design that is more classical in nature a pattern that is more highly ornamented may be a better choice. If you are making the piece yourself you may want to see how many individual pieces you will need to cut and fit together in order to tell whether you will be able to finish it properly.

Collecting the right tools is important. Working with this kind of delicate material requires some special tools and materials that you may not have laying around your home. You will needs tools that can cut the larger sheets into the shapes you need and which can sand or smooth the edges so that you don't hurt yourself. You will need special tape that wraps around the edges of each piece. Solder, flux and a soldering iron will fix the pattern pieces into place permanently.

A store that specializes in this art form can be extremely helpful. You will be able to buy materials and patterns there, see what different colors will look like when they are placed side by side, and will also be able to get advice and tips from the staff in the event that your project does not go as well as you had hoped it will. There may even be classes that you can attend or work space that you can rent.

If you do decide to work from a pattern instead of buying a window you may want to look for one that is clear and easy to follow. If you need to change the dimensions to work in your own space it will be easier to do if you are working with a simple design as well.

Make sure you get comfortable transferring patterns to glass and learn how to make accurate cuts. This is where a simpler pattern may come in handy. Over time you can work on more complex designs as your confidence and skill increases.

You may be frustrated by the length of time that it takes to complete a single piece especially if you have a complex pattern or are working on a large window. While it may take time to finish, once you see how beautiful your window looks you will consider your labor to be time well spent.




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