There are few things in this world more beautiful then nice leaded glass panels on your windows and doors. You basically have two options when it comes right down to it; purchase them from a store either ready made or custom-designed, or build them yourself which is not as difficult as you might think.
I’m going to talk about both of these methods in detail here today. Leaded glass windows bring style and elegance and any room of your house and they also have benefits to your furniture by filtering out some of sun’s harmful rays that can fade carpet and furniture and things like that. They can also raise the value of your home.
Do it yourself options do exist: not only does do it yourself options exist, but they’re actually much easier and even much cheaper than you might think. The most important part of the project is the pattern that you would like to put on the window. When starting out for your first project I recommend you use patterns with straight lines as they will be much easier to work with until you get the hang of things. Once you get a pattern that you like, cut the pieces out of it with scissors and be sure to cut enough space around each piece of the pattern so that you can put the lead and solder on successfully.
Next you need to get a hold of some bits of colored glass that you can find in any hobby store and probably even in a regular hardware store or glass shop. Make sure each piece of glass is clean, you may have to clean them before hand. Simply trace your pattern pieces onto the pieces of glass that you have selected. Once all the pieces have been traced, cut the shapes out with a glass cutter.
Now some people like to number the pieces of glass and use little arrows and things like that so that you know exactly where to place them on the window. I don’t find that this is necessary because I usually have a colored picture that I’m basing my design off of any way, and I can usually just refer back to it if I get lost along the way. But to each his own and if numbering your little glass pieces helps, then by all means go for it!
From here on out it’s just a matter of fitting the pieces together and soldering the whole thing up which can be difficult work but it gets easier the more you do it, I guess like everything else in life!
If doing it yourself is not your thing then I suggest you purchase your stained-glass panels directly from the store. There are a number of ways you can do this. You can purchase directly from a manufacturer or you can have them custom designed to fit specific windows in your house. Of course, the second method is more expensive than the first and both of them are more expensive than doing it yourself. But for those of us who aren’t artistically inclined, buying them ready made is usually the way to go. No matter what, one thing is for sure…and that is that leaded glass panels will really spruce up your place and give you years and years of enjoyment.