Stain glass art?

Question:

Stain glass art?

Does anyone know about stain glass...and how it is considered art? What it takes to do it?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Stained Glass is a very wide field. Most people think about windows. But there is more to glass than just windows....vases, molded and blown, jewelry, boxes, kalidoscopes, dishes, vessels, slumping, fusing and a ton more.
I've done Stained Glass for about 30 years and teach the Stained Glass window type in my studio and the local university.

I teach the copper foil method first(sometimes referred to as Tiffany method) and then have my students do some lead method if they want.

I prefer the copper foil method because I find that I can do more intricate and stable piece using this method. It is stronger just by the nature of the process and I don't have to putty the pieces. (I hate that part)

First you need a good cutter (I like the pistol grip) a couple pair of pliers (combo and metal runners)
A good cartoon (pattern, 2 copies) some glass. It is also nice to have a grinder to smooth the edges so you don't have to do it by hand. Flux, solder (60/40) and a soldering iron. There are lots of other fun stuff to make it easier and you can add them later.

This is one craft I think is easier to learn if you have a teacher to walk you through the hard parts. There is a learning curve so don't expect miracles on your first piece.

Be careful at each step.
1) 2 copes of your pattern (one is to cut up if needed and still have a good whole pattern
2) transfer to your glass accurately
3) cut glass accurately
4) grind and fit accurately (on the extra pattern)
5)copper foil neatly
6)solder smootly
each step is important to the quality of your finished piece.

Find yourself a good book. It's impossible to give detailed instructions in this format

Some people think glass is expensive but I don't. Most of your cost is in the labor. After you get your tools and you can spend from $100 to $400. I'm a tool nut so I have everthing. Then it's buying the expendables, glass, solder, copperfoil. And TIME. Don't do glass pieces for your friends for free. Be sure they are paying you something. I charge $150 to $200 per square foot and I DO NOT INSTALL. And when I give a piece it is a special gift.

But glass is fun, fun, fun As long as you don't have kids and cats who want to help you. i was lookin in to it at one time. I went to the library took out some books. Stores like the hobby lobby have all you need to get started Stain glass art is very beautiful. It involves obviously staining glass with different colors, then binding them with lead or some other metal. I was going to take it up at one point in time, because it is alot like mosaic art, which I'm interested in too. But the startup costs deterred me from persuing it. When I was in Chicago at the Navy Pier their was an excellent stained glass musuem. Chicago is kinda the stained glass capital of the U.S. anyways, because that is where Tiffany Co. was out of, you might be familiar with their stained glass "Tiffany Lamps". IT IS ART, YOUR CUTTING AND PUTTING COLORED GLASS TOGETHER AND CREATING A PICTURE.

IT IS AN EXPENSIVE HOBBIE,YOU NEED TO HAVE THE PROPER TOOL'S,GLASS GRINDER.ETC .GLASS IT SELF CAN COST YOU ANY WERE FROM $5.00 TO $100.00 AND EVEN MORE DEPENDING ON THE TYPE,AND SIZE YOU WANT..

BEEN CUTTING GLASS FOR OVER 20 YEARS stain glass art is amazing extremely fun but you tend to burn your self often and burn wholes through your clothing but it is really fun. Stain glass is easy to do join an art group that dose it or do it at home all you need is a sodrening iron, some glass, stain glass tape and stain glass wire