When you install stained-glass windows, you will feel like you are living in another world. Air of your house will be kaleidoscopically colored, when sun will glance at your place. There will be no gray sky and sad mood already!
Any room requires its own color filling. We are used that as a rule carpets, wall-papers, pictures, posters fulfill this function. But even our ancestors knew that stained glass could make the most modest interior fascinating. It turns out, that these "colorful glasses", attributes of Gothic cathedrals and art exhibitions, are quite appropriate in our homes and apartments.
Fine art fine arts inform: stained glass window is a decorative composition of color glass or other materials, which let pass light. Stained glass art – is one of the most conservative. A beautiful toy made of pieces of color glass, braided with metal, still charms us, although it was invented centuries ago.
There are several stained glass techniques
In classic stained glass window pieces of color glasses, cut according to a certain drawing, are combined with a lead, copper or brass profile between each other.
In these stained glass windows plot is on the second place. The main in them is material, ie glasses, which are chosen the way they would give that very color spectrum while peek-a-boo. And then sun beams, being refracted, make glass burning with bright sun colors.
Typesetting stained glass window will really serve you during whole life. While draw one (varnished pseudo-stained glass window) will last much less, as even most persistent colors become fading in 6-7 years. But there are situation, when typesetting stained glass window looks heavy and bulky and suits not every room or furniture. So, instead of boring transparent glasses you can insert those draw stained glass windows in doors of your sideboards and cupboards, they will look lighter by sight.
In the end of a century before last a new technology in style "Tiffany" was invented, named in honor of its creator (a jeweler, who is also known for his wonderful stained glass table lamps). According to this technology, every glass plate was set in foil and glasses were soldered together. Refusal of a hard frame allows using these items not only as elements of décor in embrasures, but also as shades for lamps or decoration for ceilings.
Beside classic, there are several modern techniques of making stained glass windows. One of them is according to American technology SGO. A steadfast surface is applied on a transparent sheet silicate glass, this surface adds color and structure to a future stained glass window. This technology has several pluses, which contribute to its popularity.
Firstly, application of sheet glass makes possible using of such stained glass windows in insulating glass units with observation of all technological norms. Agree, sometimes it is just vitally important to close unattractive view.
Secondly, not only silicate, but also acrylic glass can be a base for such stained glass window, and this reduces its weight significantly, and thus widens opportunities of usage.
And, thirdly, such stained glass window is twice cheaper, than a classic one.
Technology of making "fusing" stained glass windows in home conditions is complicated, as this process means fusing of a future stained glass window, composed on pieces of color glass, glass granules, charge, in a special stove at the temperature up to 850 C Such stained glass windows have different form, thickness and texture. And this allows using them as effective elements of interior: in the form of partitions, blocks in wall, as tabletop.
There is also "casting" technology. In this technology they use metallic forms with relief hollows, in which melted color glass is poured.
But, unlike stained-glass windows in "fusing" style, draw and texture on stained-glass window in "casting" style are restricted by that metallic form, of which it is produced.
If doors, windows, ceilings of color glasses are not appropriate for you at all, you can limit yourself with a small mini-stained-glass window on your window.
The way stained-glass windows are made
Materials, necessary in work:
Stained glass
Soldering tin
Leaden profile
Chopping-knife
Steel-wheel glass cutter
Soldering iron
Scale
Base-support (you can use veneer)
You can buy stained glass and profile in artistic shops, specializing in selling materials for making stained glass windows.
Let's examine production of stained glass window of bought stained glass.
Firstly you should make a full-scale draft of a future stained glass window.
Then choose glasses, considering thickness of profile, and cut fragments of necessary form.
Cut glass is broken off without tension. Put glass under rib of a bar and then you can break it off accurately and precisely with two fingers.
Put T-shaped profile between glass fragments, and frame a window with P-shape profile, which serves also as frame.
Leaded profile can be cut off with a knife easily.
Another variant, when instead of profile they use soldering tin (stannic wire
2-3 mm thick in diameter).
Tabs for scaffolding are made of thin wire and soldered – your stained-glass window is ready.