by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: January 05, 2007   Last Updated: February 21, 2009

LEADED GLASS WINDOWS

We can't all afford the luxury of real leaded glass windows in our homes, although retaining the traditional in places like churches is important. I learned the skills of leaded glass, and because of the difficulties of technique and time consuming nature of the work, tried to find alternative ways of producing the same effect.

The original leaded glass windows were pieces of glass placed into an H shaped lead, soldered together and firmed up with a special putty. Nowadays, manufacturers have realised that hobbiests such as me want similar effects, without the complications of the craft, and here, they have produced lead in manageable strips with a self adhesive backing that can be used to create doors and windows that enhance the home.

The Process

The tools that are required to do this work are as follows :

1)A boning tool (plastic spatula type tool supplied by leaded strip manufacturers. 2)A sharp craft knife 3)Paper to make template 4)Fine felt tip pen to trace out design 5)Glass Paints. (These should be good quality paints that are solvent based).

On the paper, you work out the design of the window that you wish to make. Here, being very complex is not a good idea at first because it takes time and practice to be able to turn corners with the lead, and to get accustomed to handling it. The drawing should be the exact size of the window in question, and allow for the rebated area of the window which won't be in view when the glass is put in place.

Once the design is drawn, place the glass you have bought for your project onto the pattern, and here it is a good idea to make sure that it won't slide around. I personally cellotape both ends of the glass to the paper so that nothing budges. At this stage, it's a good idea to clean the glass thoroughly, as inevitable traces of grease will be found that are left there when the glass shop cut the glass to size.

Working from top to bottom of the piece, lay the lead over the areas to be leaded, and use the boning tool to make sure that the lead is properly flattened against the glass surface, so that the glue adheres. There is a paper strip attached to the back of the lead. Only move this, when you are sure that you have formed the shapes desired, and here, be very careful not to stick the lead in the wrong place, as removing it will leave glue marks. That is why I always work with the paper backing still on the lead to minimise this risk.

Strip lead is relatively easy to use, although intricate designs

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