Building a Stained Glass Window

Here are all the pieces, painted and ready to assemble. Note the silverstain in the monogram.

Below are the tools of the trade, and the lead cames which will be fitted around each piece of glass. You can see the lower left corner has been started.

When the window is assembled following the exact pattern it lays upon, the joints of the lead are soldered to hold the lead cames in place.

Then a cementing mixture is applied to the window which fills the gaps underneath the lead edges, and when it sets up, stiffens the window and gives it structural integrity. In the cleaning process, the cement also conditions and burnishes the lead to a lovely dark glow. This is the time-honored method by which stained glass has been created in Europe for more than a thousand years. Nothing much has changed.

Tomorrow, the frame will be built, and then the final completed project can be photographed. Delivery is Wednesday and we hope to hear lots of oohs and aahs. :D