Stained Glass Panels For Home Decorating

Stained glass panels have grown in popularity over the past few years. They are usually made a bit differently than the heavy leaded glass frames. There are gorgeous art glass panels found in gift shops, in stained glass shops and in numerous places on line. You can color coordinate the outside of your house if you are hanging a large piece in a window, or coordinate style and color with the inside décor depending on your needs and likes.

This is my third hub about the history of stained glass up to the present day. I also wrote about my personal experience with a stained glass home based business which I did for several years, but it is on hold for right now. I plan to return to creating and working with stained glass as it is so rewarding, and it feels wonderful to create something of beauty.

This is a quick overview of how a stained glass panel is assembled. If you are making a glass panel, you first choose a design; then choose your glass pieces that will work for that design. You must carefully consider colors and textures. Next, fit the pattern to your glass. You carefully cut your glass and grind the edges smooth, being careful to stay within the pattern markings.

The next step is adding copper foil to all the edges. It comes in copper, silver and black and you choose the one to match use a patina if you so choose on the finished piece so everything matches. It has a sticky back and is copper, silver or black color on the outside. Smooth the foil carefully around all the edges; then start assembling your pieces on a work board. Hold the pieces tightly together with stick pins.

The next step is to solder your seams, and it is a technique that takes practice to achieve a professional look. You have to decide on a way to frame the outside edges which can be done with zinc. You also can patina the solder to a black or copper color as your solder is silver. You may want to add a wood frame in addition to the metal frame. Last, you polish the finished piece.

When you view panels you will note many different types of glass used now that was not available some years ago. There are several new manufacturers of glass. Cathedral glass which is clear and comes in basically every color is the older, more common variety, but still beautiful. There is glass of various textures, opaque glass, and glass with a multitude of colors running through one piece. Beveled glass pieces are used quite often in many stained glass panels, and there is baroque glass which has a specific design that must be cut and matched perfectly for a good looking product. These are just a few of your many choices

Now, the widespread availability of colored glass, glass cutting and shaping tools makes it easy for even novice artists to create something beautiful.  Many people use jewels, shells, filigrees, and many other things to make their glass unique. Professional stained glass artists can look to new trends in modern art and the use of unexpected materials, like mirrors, to drive innovations in the stained glass of the future.

Making stained glass panels is a wonderful hobby and with numerous classes in most areas and easy accessibility to the required tools, it is not too hard to get started.

The copyright to this article is owned by Pamela Oglesby. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.