Most of the windows and panels in the Galleries are either on hand (those designated Available Now) or can be special ordered, in which case we will build them to your design, color and size specifications. There may be a few items that we cannot reproduce and sell, usually due to copyright issues.  Those items are in our galleries because we like them and they are examples of our workmanship.

 

To purchase an "Available Now" item just go to the Gallery Page and click on the image of the item you wish to purchase. This should take you to that item's page where you may click on the Buy Now button to make the purchase. At the current time we use PayPal to process payments, primarily for security and convenience.

 

 

Using PayPal means that we never see your credit card or other financial information. If for some reason you do not want to use PayPal but would prefer to use a check or money order please contact us by using the Contact Us link and we will get back to you to make those arrangements. Items paid for by check will not be shipped until the check has cleared. Items paid for by Money Order will be shipped within 2 business days of receipt of the Money Order.

 

To purchase an item that is not marked "Available Now" or for custom designed orders please get in touch with us by using the Contact Us link.  We will then get back to you to obtain the needed information.

 

 

 

Pay special attention to the following workmanship aspects when purchasing a panel or window. I think these are important not only for appearance but also to insure that the panel will be structurally sound and last for generations. Take what I say below with a grain of salt, things that are not structural issues are truly "in the eye of the beholder" issues. In those cases all that matters is that the purchaser or future owner is happy with it.

 

 

1) The copper foil 'lead lines' display a uniformity of width unless a variance in width is desired for artistic effect.

 

2) The width of the finished 'lead line' is proportional to the size and design of the panel (this is a subjective judgement).

 

3) The solder bead is relatively smooth unless it is decorative soldering.

 

4) The finished 'lead line' should not have jagged edges.

 

5) Intersections of 'lead lines' should line up both ways unless the design calls for them to be offset. Many times this will be most noticeable in the borders and corners of panels or if the panel has a background of rectangular or diamond grids where you have many intersecting lead lines.

 

 

1) Straight lead lines are straight, they don't have little jogs or slight arcs in them. Curved lead lines flow smoothly around the curve.

 

2) Solder joints are smooth with a possible slight crown and are relatively small.

 

3) Where lead lines cross each other, they line up on both sides.

 

4) Where lead lines merge into one line, the juncture is visually smooth.

 

5) The panel is properly glazed (puttied).

 

 

1) Should have a zinc, copper or brass came border (NOT LEAD or FOIL) unless they are very small or the design prohibits this. Foil or lead came borders are likely to pull apart if not framed or special precautions taken in the design and construction.

 

2) In my opinion any panel greater than 4 or 5 sqr. feet should be constructed with lead came unless the design dictates otherwise. This is my personal preference. It does not mean that, when constructed properly, a large foiled panel cannot be structurally sound.

 

3) All work should be thoroughly cleaned and polished when completed!. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an otherwise nice project look terrible because time was not taken to properly clean it.

 

 

I take great pride in my work and do all I can to make sure the quality and workmanship meet the highest standards.

 

 

 

There are many commercial putties and recipes available for stained glass glazing putty and each one has it's proponents. I'm not going to get into the pros or cons of any available putty or recipe I will just tell you what I use and leave it at that. It's much cheaper to make your own than to purchase it.

 

calcium carbonate (whiting)

plaster of paris (optional)

lamp black

12 cups of calcium carbonate (you can substitute up to 4 cups plaster of paris but I prefer all calcium carbonate).

1/8~1/3 cup lamp black for coloring (quantity depends on how dark you want the putty to be but it doesn't take much) you can leave this out if you don't want gray putty. Note: You do not need to use the quantities of ingredients I mention above just keep the proportions about the same.

Mix the above ingredients well and store in a moisture proof container, I use a plastic pail with a sealable lid, size depends on the quantities mixed.

 

Boiled Linseed Oil

Mineral Spirits or Turpentine (I use odorless mineral spirits).

I generally mix about 1 1/2 cups of linseed oil to 1 cup mineral spirits. You can go as high as a 50% to 50% ratio but it does not produce as good a putty. The more mineral spirits the faster the putty will dry but the weaker the putty will be, to much mineral spirits and your putty will turn to powder when dry. The higher the ratio of linseed oil the slower the putty will dry but it will be a much better putty. If you go to a much higher ratio of 1 1/2 parts linseed oil to 1 part mineral spirits the putty may dry excruciatingly slow, if this happens sprinkle some of your dry ingredient onto the panel and work it into the putty. Remember the linseed oil is the binder (glue) that holds the putty together. I usually mix up about a gallon of liquid and store it in a used mineral spirit or linseed oil container, be sure to label the container.

When I need a little putty I take what I think is needed of dry material and add an amount of liquid to get the consistency I want. I like my putty about the consistency of yogurt that way I can apply it using a stiff brush and be relatively sure it fills the lead channel.

If you have putty left over store it in a jar or other container and cover it with about a half inch of water then put a lid on the container, this will keep it from skinning over and drying out. It works when using boiled linseed oil amd mineral spirits, I cannot vouch for other recipes. When you want to use it pour the water off and mix, if needed you can add more dry material or liquid to get the right consistency.

 

 

 

 

Re-Strip - Available in various sizes, generally made of copper, brass and zinc/copper plated steel. The most common form is a copper strip 10mil thick by 9/64" or 5/32" wide or a copper plated steel strip 20mil thick by 9/64" wide; both of these come in 25 and 100 foot long rolls. There is also a braided copper strip that is 1/32" thick by 1/8" wide. This material is used in copper foiled panels where it is placed in-between the foiled pieces of glass and becomes virtually invisible once soldered. It can also be used in leaded panels and is placed in the lead channel. Because of its size this material has limited reinforcement strength and in my opinion other methods, such as rebar, should be used on panels or windows larger than 24" x 24". As always there are exceptions to this, and the design of the panel and other factors must be considered. Wider versions of re-strip are also available.

 

Recently a few of us had a bit of a debate on the best way to use re-strip in a panel. I was of the opinion that one could use straight pieces of re-strip within the panel. These straight pieces of re-strip would cross hinges (intersect other solder lines) within the panel thus breaking the hinges and adding strength. Another individual in the discussion was of the opinion that these straight re-strips would do nothing to increase the panel strength. He felt that in order for the re-strip to have any effect it needed to be weaved (zig-zagged) through the foiled pieces of glass. I was sure that my method was at least as effective as his, but my opinion, and I think his, was based on experience and a perception of what was the best method. As with many things "it is the way we have always done it" so it is the best or only way (I'm as guilty as anyone of this). I had no real data so the only way to find out would be to do a little testing.

 

The experiment consisted of 4 foiled panels each 9 inches square containing 9 3"x3" pieces of glass. Each panel was raised 3/4" above the table top, supported on about 1/8" of all edges. Prior to placing any weight on the panel a straight edge was placed across the panel and a baseline measurement taken. Then two 1lb. rolls of solder were placed in the center of each panel. See illustration below.

 

 

Subsequent measurements were always taken at the same location on each panel. The picture below demonstrates how measurements were taken.

 

 

Panel "A" had no re-strip installed. Panel "B" had 4 6" pieces of straight re-strip installed. Panel "C" had a single 12" piece of re-strip weaved through it. Panel "D" had 2 12" pieces of re-strip weaved through it. Below are illustrations with the re-strip shown in yellow and green.

 

 

Amount of Deflection

 

Observations:

 

Adding re-strip to a panel, as long as it in some way breaks a hinge or crosses another foil line, will add some strength though it may be minimal.

 

Going by the observed measurements panel B had the least amount of deflection with panel D running a very close second. This outcome seems logical since these panels had the most re-strip installed. I think these two panels could be considered equal in strength even though the amount of deflection was slightly different.

 

As one would expect panel A with no re-strip had the most deflection.

 

Panel C with one weaved (zig-zagged) piece of re-strip performed better than the panel with no re-strip but had more deflection than I expected.

 

It does appear that when weight is applied, or additional weight, there is a short period of rapid deflection then the increase in deflection slows or stops. Perhaps enough tension is built up in the solder lines and re-strip that it will support the weight better. I'm sure additional deflection would occur given more time.

 

Draw whatever conclusions you wish, the numbers are what they are!

 

 

 

Always carry and store stained glass panels on edge; never carry or lay them flat without rigid support under them! Mishandling a stained glass panel or window can be the cause of cracked glass or worse.

 

To lay a panel on a table place a towel, large enough for the entire panel, onto a table hanging about 1/3 over the table edge.

 

Holding the panel along the top and bottom edges place the panel against the towel and table edge approximately half way up along its longest dimension; this will support the center of the panel when tipping onto the table.

 

Tip the panel onto the table making sure the panel is supported by the edge of the table and slide onto the table surface.

 

To remove and/or flip the panel reverse the above steps.

 

 

First place the panel on a table using the above instructions.

Generally I do not recommend using cleaners that contain ammonia or other harsh chemicals as they may have a negative effect on the lead, patina or glazing compound used in the construction of the panel.

If the glass is painted test your cleaning method on a small inconspicuous spot first. If the paint was improperly applied or fired you risk chipping or removing it! It's unbelievable some of the things used to touch up paint on windows.

Take a dry towel or soft brush and dust the panel off.

Then lightly moistened a clean cloth with water, preferably distilled, and gently wipe the glass; dry with a paper towel or cloth. If further cleaning is necessary spray some non ammonia glass cleaner onto a cloth (not directly onto the glass) and repeat cleaning and drying the glass. I do not recommend waxing panels once they have left the studio.

The same cleaning process as above is used for installed windows and panels but be extremely careful not to apply to much pressure on the glass when cleaning.