Some Great Tips on Stained Glass Painting and Workshop Safety
Penny Maseko
You may have mastered stained glass construction, but stained glass painting seems like a mystery and looks difficult. Most stained glass crafters know little about the process and the materials needed for painting stained glass; but it should be just another step in the whole process of creating beautiful stained glass windows.
There are many techniques that can be used to create beautiful and interesting works of art in stained glass. This article deals with stained glass painting. This technique has been used for centuries and was the most popular form of stained glass during the Renaissance era due to their keen aspiration for intricate details in artwork. Painting of stained glass became so popular, in fact, that the earlier stained glass arts of using "pot metal glass" almost disappeared entirely.
You may also wish to enhance the look of your project with silver stain. Silver stain will be applied to the back side of your stained glass project (the opposite side from your painting) and will actually change the color of the glass rather than simply cover it. Silver stain can be corrosive as it contains silver nitrate so use with caution and please use clean brushes for this portion of the project. The effect of silver stain is a lovely yellow to amber-colored hue to the stained glass and provides a lovely background to your stained glass artwork.
Stained glass paint is a high-fired permanent paint which actually has glass (called the vehicle) in it. Stained glass paint also contains lead and has coloring agents like sand, alumina, clay, red or white lead oxide, boric acid, potassium and sodium. The lead in the stained glass paint refracts light. The matt (paint) can be applied, taken out in the tracing, fired, and then applied again, depending on the lighting, detail, and textures you want to achieve in your stained glass painting.
A few good brushes, spatulas, a small easel with a thick-plated glass surface, a light box and an inexpensive small, electric kiln would be a good start on supplies needed to do stained glass painting. In order to save money, you could build your own easel and light box and purchase a used kiln from ads in stained glass magazines or online. You can also make your own unique sticks and bridges which are wooden supports for your hand and arm for helping with paint stroke technique.
Your workshop safety tips
When carrying sheets of stained glass, wear gloves that help you have a good grip on the glass. The gloves should protect your hands from cuts from the razor sharp edges of the stained glass. Grip the glass on each side. Carrying it with one hand on top and one on bottom creates a hazard that the glass could snap in two. If you grip from each side and the sheet of stained glass breaks, you have a better chance of letting the glass slip away from you without being cut.
When scoring and breaking stained glass at your workbench, wear protective eyewear and gloves. Be careful not to use your hand to swipe glass shards out of your way. Keep a bench brush and dust pan handy so that you can frequently brush off your workbench. This will reduce accidents and also keep a smooth surface to work on. The tiniest glass shard under a piece of stained glass that you are scoring can cause the piece you are working on to have an unwanted break.
Sometimes new stained glass crafters don't have a workshop and think they can begin by working at their kitchen table or counter. That is a definite risk of exposing you and your family to lead poisoning, chemical contamination, and hazards from the shards of stained glass. It would be better to set up a space in your garage or an unused room. Some stained glass shops will allow you to rent bench time.
Common sense and a clean stained glass workshop will help keep you safe and add to your enjoyment of the art of stained glass.
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