What kind of glass do you use for stained glass?

Category: hobbies and interests beadwork
4/5 (142 Views . 37 Votes)
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of types of glass, with their different colors and textures, used in stained glass work. They all start out being one of the 2 basic types, cathedral or opalescent, then expand from there. Cathedral glass is clear glass that you can see through.



Thereof, what type of glass is stained glass?

As a material stained glass is glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. The coloured glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures, held together (traditionally) by strips of lead and supported by a rigid frame.

Secondly, what is opalescent stained glass? Opalescent Stained Glass ("American glass") A milky glass of mixed streaky colors. Glass developed in the late 19th century by John LaFarge and Louis C. Tiffany, in which streaks of coor, when fused, give a milky, iridescent appearance.

Also asked, what materials are used in stained glass?

Raw Materials Glass is made by fusing together some form of silica such as sand, an alkali such as potash or soda, and lime or lead oxide. The color is produced by adding a metallic oxide to the raw materials. Copper oxide, under different conditions, produces ruby, blue, or green colors in glass.

Can you use fusible glass for stained glass?

Perhaps the most successful manufacturers of fusible glass are Bullseye Glass. Their glass has a CoE of 90, and is compatible with both dichroic and Uroboros sheets. If you use this for stained rather than fused glass, the single-rolled version – as opposed to double-rolled – is cheaper and just as wonderful.

36 Related Question Answers Found

Why is stained glass so expensive?

There are several reasons why stained glass work can seem to be very expensive . The glass itself used can be crazy expensive. The ingredients used to make the stained glass can be exotic. For example, to get that really beautiful transparent red glass it takes using actual gold in the ingredient used.

What are the different types of glass?

There are four main types or strengths of glass:
  • Annealed Glass. Annealed glass is a basic product formed from the annealing stage of the float process.
  • Heat Strengthened Glass. Heat Strengthened Glass is semi tempered or semi toughened glass.
  • Tempered or Toughened Glass.
  • Laminated Glass.

What is clear stained glass called?

Stained glass” is the popular term used to describe what is more properly calledleaded glass,” because the materials used can be colored (stained) or not. Clear is currently the more popular of the two choices for residential or commercial clients, but a bit of color can be very nice for an accent.

Why do churches have stained glass?

Medieval stained glass is the coloured and painted glass of medieval Europe from the 10th century to the 16th century. The purpose of stained glass windows in a church was both to enhance the beauty of their setting and to inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism.

How much is a sheet of stained glass?


From Tiffany style glass to the latest colors and styles, choose from top manufacturers including Bullseye, Spectrum, Uroboros, Wissmach, Youghiogheny and Kokomo.

Oceanside Orange And White Translucent Streaky - 96 COE.
Unit Size* Price
small 8" x 8" $10.65
medium 12" x 12" $23.15
sheet 24" x 24" $92.55

Why is red glass more expensive?

Depending on the metal, the glass takes on a particular color. In early glass production, the rarest of colors was red. This is because red required the most costly of additives – gold. Today, chemists have found other ingredients that produce red, but you will not see much red glass in truely antique stained glass.

Is lead still used in stained glass?

Lead in stained glass. Lead is a toxic substance that can affect people of any age. Unless handled carefully, lead cames and solders used in stained glass and lead lighting can be a health hazard if lead dust is swallowed or inhaled.

Why is it called a rose window?

Rose windows are also called "Catherine windows" after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was sentenced to be executed on a spiked breaking wheel. A circular window without tracery such as are found in many Italian churches, is referred to as an ocular window or oculus.

How long does stained glass last?

about 75 to 150 years

What color is glass naturally?


The color in glass comes from impurities most commonly iron oxide which gives it a light blue cast. Low iron glass has less color to it and is a premium product but even low iron glass has a slight hue which can be blue, grey or green but it is a very slight coloring.

What is the most famous stained glass window?

Here, then, are some of the most famous works of stained glass in the world.
  • Stained Glass of St.
  • The Windows of Sainte-Chapelle (Paris, France)
  • Resurrection Cemetery Mausoleum (Justice, Illinois)
  • Glass Windows of the Grossmunster (Zurich, Switzerland)
  • The Skylight at the Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona, Spain)

What is flux used for in stained glass?

Flux is that nasty liquid/creme/paste that's first applied to metal (lead, copper, zinc, brass) prior to soldering. Flux cleans the metal and the soldering iron of corrosion and promotes even heating of the metal.

What is glass made of?

Believe it or not, glass is made from liquid sand. You can make glass by heating ordinary sand (which is mostly made of silicon dioxide) until it melts and turns into a liquid.

How do you make Coloured glass?

The recipe for producing colored glass usually involves the addition of a metal to the glass. This is often accomplished by adding some powdered oxide, sulfide, or other compound of that metal to the glass while it is molten. The table below lists some of the coloring agents of glass and the colors that they produce.

Can you see through stained glass?


A stained glass window, for instance, may glow with all the colors of the spectrum — but we can still see through it. Remember, an object's color depends on which wavelengths of light are absorbed and which are reflected. Because some visible wavelengths pass through colored glass, we can still see through it.

What is mottled glass?

Ring Mottle Glass. An opalescent glass in which rates of crystal growth have been controlled to create ring-shaped areas of opacity. The effect is a visual surface mottling. Ripple. A surface texture, often dramatic, consisting of linear or irregular ripples.

What determines the color of glass?

The color is caused by the size and dispersion of gold particles. Ruby gold glass is usually made of lead glass with added tin. Silver compounds such as silver nitrate and silver halides can produce a range of colors from orange-red to yellow.