To make stained glass, you will first need to get the tools and materials ready. You'll need a worktable and a few tools. These will include a glasscutter for cutting the glass, pliers, shears, and soldering iron.
The first thing that you'll need is a pattern for cutting the glass. Make the pattern on tracing paper and cut out the templates. It's a good idea to make two copies of the pattern so that you can use one copy to cut the templates and the other copy to place on the work piece to see how it fits. You can also directly draw the patterns on to the glass using a ball pen.
Place the pattern pieces on the glass, using an adhesive to secure them in place. Cut the glass along the lines of the pattern. Cutting takes care. If necessary, practice on waste glass. Going back over a cut should be avoided, as this would damage the wheel. Gently tap or pull to separate the pieces.
After cutting, the edges of the pieces should be ground or rubbed with emery paper to make them smooth. Place the pieces according to the pattern and ensure that they fit together properly.
The next step is to cut and fit strips of lead around the cut glass pieces. Ensure that there are no gaps between lead joints.
The next step is to solder the pieces. Clean the joints and apply flux to the joints. Solder the pieces with the soldering iron. First solder one side of the panel and then turn it around and solder the other side.
Finally, the panel needs to be thoroughly cleaned. Use a suitable cleaning medium and a scrubbing brush to clean and polish the surface so that it looks sparkling clean. You may also want to or have to paint the stained glass piece.