DIY stained glass windows

Patterns of multi-colored glass, gaping in the sun's rays or mysteriously flickering at night - a very beautiful sight. Stained glass decorates not only windows, but also screens, ceilings, and doors. This decor transforms your home and also gives it a unique atmosphere.

How to create a stained glass window yourself

The most commonly used technologies are:

1. Fusing. It is made by fusing small colored pieces of glass in furnaces. Before fusion, all parts are polished and then placed on a glass base to form a pattern. Processing in the oven is the final stage of stained glass manufacturing, after which the multi-colored elements are combined into one whole.
2. Faceted stained glass window. It involves making stained glass according to the principle of classical technology. The difference is that certain elements are cut. This is done to improve aesthetic properties due to better play of light.
3. Tiffany. The manufacturing technique involves fastening glass particles with a metal strip or soldering. Due to this, the main elements are intricate patterns, original shapes and bright colors.
4. Painted stained glass window. A technology that involves applying a pattern to a glass base with further processing in an oven.

Preparatory work

Before you make a stained glass window, you need to develop a sketch. In this case, a number of conditions must be observed:

1. To increase the resistance of stained glass to mechanical action, the sketch must have many cross-shaped connections.
2. If, when developing a sketch, wide joints will be used for connections, you need to discard long and narrow pieces of glass, this will avoid the formation of cracks when heated.
3. After choosing a pattern, you need to make a list of the required elements and number them based on color. Print out the designed project, remembering to leave a small distance (1.28-1.29 mm) for the seams, which is required for the tin solder.
4. Place the printed drawing on the mounting table, securing it along the contour with a bead.
5. Then select the glass to assemble the stained glass window. Today there is a large assortment of different types of glass and related materials for the manufacture of stained glass products. To choose the right glass elements, you will need a color sketch. If there are no differences in the glass, you can choose the same glass in thickness and color.
6. Then the glass is cut, for this a sketch is applied to it and a line is drawn with a pencil along the contour of all the elements. Don't forget that all the parts are numbered, and you only need to circle those that match the required color.

Stained glass on the window: step by step

Then, when cutting is completed, all chips at the ends of the elements are removed using a grinder. Having done this, all the parts around the edges are wrapped with foil. This is an adhesive tape that is applied like adhesive tape:

1. Next, place all the particles on tracing paper in the order that matches the sketch, keeping a distance of at least 1 mm, so the tin will better hold all the elements together.
2. Using a brush, treat the joints with soldering flux, this will allow the tin to reliably connect the individual pieces together.
3. Then soldering is done.Tin wire is melted with a stained glass soldering iron. Solder is applied along the seam, without staying in one place for a long time, so the glass will not become very hot.
4. Now, using flat soldering, you need to process the perimeter of the created pattern with a brass frame. Afterwards, rinse the finished product well with water and begin processing the patina, which is done with a brush. This will create a decorative effect of gilding or bronze coating. Let the stained glass dry and polish it.

This stained glass window will fit into any type of interior design. Will add brightness to plain surfaces of the home. You can use bends to decorate windows or flat lampshades, the façade of transparent furniture, and thus hide the contents of the wardrobes.