It is important to clean and polish your stained glass to remove any tarnish or residue from the solder seams and capture the deep luster stained glass should have. For proper cleaning and polishing you will need finishing compound and polish. Finishing compound will remove tarnish and residue from solder seams. Polish is used to compliment the finishing compound. It provides a protective film and a shine that begs to be noticed.
Steps for Applying Finishing Compound
- Pour finishing compound on your stained glass project. The project must be completely dry before applying finishing compound. Use enough finishing compound to lightly cover glass, solder seams and frame.
- Use a clean cloth to spread the finishing compound over the stained glass piece.
- Once the finishing compound dries and turns to a white film, use a soft scrub brush or cloth to buff off the compound.
- Turn the piece over and repeat this process
Steps for Applying Polish
- Apply a small amount of polish to solder seams and frame.
- Allow the polish to dry, then buff to a brilliant luster with a clean soft cloth.
- Repeat this process for the backside of the panel.
Tips and techniques for Cleaning and Polishing Stained Glass
- To remove white crusty areas on stained glass, use baking soda and water to remove white crust, then rinse, dry and re-apply finishing compound.
- The frequency of cleaning stained glass can vary depending on the location of the stained glass piece, but a good general rule is to clean stained glass pieces yearly. This cleaning can be done with a clean damp cloth or with finishing compound. Do not use commercial window cleaners as they can damage the stained glass panel.