Questions on Stained Glass

[Les]

OK..... so I got most of my SG kit sorted out now.... I know I still have to buy some flux.... but there are sooo many types of sheet glass out there, I just looked.... what would you SG folkies recommend to begin with

[HedgelandsGlassLas]

OK..... so I got most of my SG kit sorted out now.... I know I still have to buy some flux.... but there are sooo many types of sheet glass out there, I just looked.... what would you SG folkies recommend to begin with

Hi Les, are you near an SG shop? It would be good for you to see what was around. Also another good reason is to rummage (very carefully) in their offcuts boxes.

If you just want to have a play then I would suggest the cheaper glass makes. Spectrum (uniform and easy to cut as well as being widely available and relatively inexpensive, some of the Chinese glasses are good too if you can find a supplier. There are some really awesome art glasses around Youghihani and Uroborous to name two. And English art glass of course (very expensive but fab). And Bullseye of course.

Have you sources a supplier for mailorder yet?

[Les]

Not yet Michele.... I haven't.

There aren't any stained glass shops anywhere near me really... well.. none that I know of and could get to , so it'll have to be mail order for me I'm afraid.... I would much rather have a look and feel of the glass before I go ahead and buy it though.. never mind ...

Thanks for the info though... I'll see what I can find on the net...

Cheers Michele....

Les xx

[HedgelandsGlassLas]

Not yet Michele.... I haven't.

There aren't any stained glass shops anywhere near me really... well.. none that I know of and could get to , so it'll have to be mail order for me I'm afraid.... I would much rather have a look and feel of the glass before I go ahead and buy it though.. never mind ...

Thanks for the info though... I'll see what I can find on the net...

Cheers Michele....

Les xx

These are my main suppliers. I can visit Creative Glass Guild as they are only 60 miles away! But they are bit more expensive mail order as they are a smaller supplier but well worth it for the Tatra Glass alone

http://www.creativeglassguild.co.uk/catalog/index.php

Tempsford is quite good and the prices are reasonable for the most common glasses. They don't do the Chinese glass (Kansa does but I have yet to order from them) http://www.tempsfordstainedglass.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

Come back if you want any observations on the glass makes.

Happy Hunting 

Michele

[Les]

Ooohhh.... cheers Michele

Off to do a little shopping ....

[Les]

I just shopped.... just a sample pack of spectrum... and a couple of whispy bits too....

hehe.. can't wait

[shafeenan]

I'v just started fusing glass and learning slowly. However last week I tried copper foiled glass(?)/stained glass at a craft fair and want to combine the two.  I have a lot of the things your list suggested, however, you stopped short at advice on which solder and which foil - look on ebay at copper foil and there are hundreds of different types!  Should one get the quick flowing solder and is 1/4in copper foil best for working with the average 2mm glass (sorry about different cm/ins, that's how the info has come to me!) also what is the right sort of copper foil called?! I was hoping to buy it from somewhere other than a craft glass supplier where prices always seem to be more expensive (apologies to all glass suppliers!)
Any help fantastic and if anyone has tried using fused pieces within their stained glass projects I'd love to know the pitfalls....
thanks all

[Pat from Canvey]

I used to use black backed 1/4 inch copper foil for most things but never incorporated fused pieces in my glass. One negative I think is that the fused piece would be thicker and heavier than the surrounding glass so you might have to use a wider foil to make a structurally sound join. This would also mean a thicker solder line which might detract from the piece. But what would be the pluses of incorporating fused pieces. You could get more detail by using stained glass enamels and silver stain without getting the added weight. Here's a panel I did about 25 years ago. It's called the Orange Lady. Not a good photo but you get the idea.