The St. Pedrog Stained Glass Window : How to make a new church stained glass window 

Stained glass is a traditional craft that has gone virtually unchanged for more than 1000 years. The ancient techniques of stained glass making, cutting the glass to shape, painting the individual pieces and joining the separate pieces using lead to form one panel are still practised by the crafts people and Artists at the Classical Glass Stained Glass Studio. There are a multitude of skills required to make a stained glass window with the craftsperson being a truly master of all trades.

  These photos are from the making of a new church stained glass window for St. Pedrog's Church in Llanbedrog, Wales. The design is of St. Pedrog, a celtic Christian Monk who founded many churches in Wales and England in the sixth century. 

Stage 1 Design :  This involves talking to the client and trying to find out what they want from the finished stained glass or leaded light window. This could take some time with an initial design being produced then modified after consultation with the client until the final design is approved.  So good communication skills are essential as well as patience and of course an artist hand and a vision for the finished stained glass window.

Stage 2 Drawing : The design is drawn the full size of the finished stained glass window. This demands excellent drafting skills to scale up the small design drawing to an accurate full size working drawing.

Stage 3 Choosing the Glass : All the different types and colours of glass and to cut all the individual pieces. The glass is hand cut using a simple glass cutter and the edges are finely shaped using special grozing pliers.

Stage 4 Painting and Firing : The paint is used to add any design or design details

onto the glass. The paint has to be fired in the kiln at 725°c to fuse the glass paint to the surface of the glass.

Stage 5 Leading : to join all the pieces of glass together by cutting and bending lengths of H section lead came around each piece. The lead is stretched to harden it before it is used and each intersection is lap-jointed together.

Stage 6 Soldering : each joint is soldered together by applying a gas or electric heated soldering iron to the joins in to lead on both sides.

Stage 7 Cementing :  involves leaded light cementing the panel using a special liquid black putty.

This waterproofs the window and makes it rigid. The cement is applied into the gaps between the lead and the glass and cleaned off with the use of a chalk powder. The leads are cleaned then finally polished with carbon black to a fine lustre.

Stage 8 Fitting : It only remains fit the stained glass window into place in wooden or stone surround. A stained glass window made using this technique should last many centuries.

This is the part I love best and makes the hard work worth while when you see the finish stained glass window in place.

Classical Glass Ltd are specialists in the design, repair, restoration and protection of traditional church stained glass windows.

See testimonials from our customers