<p>Does anyone know anything about the making of stained glass? Curious because ZS is thinking of doing that in her art class. Students are allowed to provide their own supplies, but she’s not sure if it’s feasible to do stained class in school. Obviously, she’ll talk to the teacher, but I’m curious on my own because I know nothing about it. I’ve done a little bit of research and it seems that the procedure isn’t too complicated, but I’ve also not been able to find any indication that it’s ever done in school.</p>
<p>Are they actually making the glass itself, or are they cutting and soldering glass into works?</p>
<p>I know nothing about the first, but a friend of mine is quite accomplished at the second.</p>
<p>The second. It wouldn’t necessarily be they, it would be she, it it’s possible. Each has to choose his/her own medium and they do have a ceramics program which would be nice, but her first choice is stained glass if it’s even possible at the high school level.</p>
<p>I think there would be some safety/liability issues involved in a high school stained glass project, but probably no more than in wood shop. You work with some very sharp and very hot things. If you’re making your own designs, you sketch and then make patterns as you would designing clothes. You use the patterns to score the glass and then break it into the pieces you want. There are a few techniques for joining the pieces, but they usually involve fitting metal bands or frames around the pieces and then soldering them together. Students start with straight-line geometric designs and then progress to curved pieces of glass and then irregular pieces. You can also paint the glass once it’s joined. My friend was a very quick study, and he was making quite intricate objects within a few months.</p>
<p>My kids have done simple stained glass projects at art classes outside school, at vacation Bible school and also at Girl Scout camp, and at fairly young ages; it did not seem to involve fancy equipment, nor expensive materials, though I imagine the soldering iron might pose safety issues?</p>
<p>My room-mate in college made stained glass gifts on her bedroom floor at night.</p>
<p>One caution: working with stained glass increases your exposure to lead. It surprises me that this doesn’t get discussed more. Before I had kids, I was a stained glass hobbyist. When I had problems with my first pregnancy, one of the first issues checked by my doctor was my blood lead level. It was fine, but I never went back to working with stained glass. Sold all my tools and glass supplies.</p>
<p>Does ZS’s art teacher have experience with stained glass art? The type of projects feasible for her will depend on the teacher’s experience and equipment available to her at school. At one local school, stained glass is a big deal; I believe there is even a special art class dedicated to stained glass, and the school’s art department is well-equipped for various types of stained glass projects. Check out some student artwork:</p>
<p>[Mills</a>, Zane - Glass](<a href=“http://schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=46130&sc_id=1197997446&cms_mode=view]Mills”>http://schoolcenter.nsd.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=46130&sc_id=1197997446&cms_mode=view)</p>
<p>I bet the parents of those artists really liked their Christmas/Mother’s/Father’s day presents ;)!</p>
<p>Oh my goodness. Those things are gorgeous! I’m not sure what ZS’ school does with regard to stained glass – we’d definitely have to ask, but they have a huge program and might be amenable if they’re not already doing something.</p>
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<p>There are some alternatives to the lead solder that is commonly used in stained glass work… They talk about it in this article a bit, towards the end of the question.</p>
<p>[Stained</a> Glass: The Lowdown on Lead](<a href=“http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/stainedglass]Stained”>http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/ask/stainedglass)</p>
<p>Stained glass is a lot of fun, but it might be expensive to get started up with the supplies that ZS needs. I haven’t worked with it in a long time, but you do need to stock up on some tools (don’t forget the safety goggles!) and the glass can be pricey.</p>
<p>I would say the deal breaker on her choice is if the teacher knows how to do it. There are some tricks to the trade that someone will need to tell her. (with respect to cutting glass, soldering, etc.). </p>
<p>I found that working with copper foil was much easier than working with lead came. I don’t know much about the amount of lead in the solder…</p>
<p>My D took two semesters of stained glass last year (she found her medium!). She really liked it, it appealed to her. Her teacher knew how to do stained glass and my D made beautiful pieces culminating with a lampshade that is stunning. Like Karen Colleges my D class used copper foil. Our cost was not too much, most of the supplies came from the school and covered in a $40 supply fee, we only paid extra for the glass for the lampshade.</p>
<p>Wow you guys have great information. Now I know what questions to have her ask. Thank you!</p>
<p>There are ways to cheat and make ‘fake’ stained glass… e.g. a solid section of glass that is then painted with transparent paints (to simulate the colored glass) and a raised bonding compound (to simulate the lead connections). Apart from being up really close it looks very real. </p>
<p>Real old school stained glass work is much different and as mentioned there are some hazardous materials involved (although some modern substitutes available). </p>
<p>I would think that the ‘fake’ version is something that most artists with a bit of training could easily do, but the real version seems incredibly complicated and something that takes years to master and produce top quality work.</p>
<p>ZS may be able to start a little business, you know, little suncatchers, box covers. Pay for college. We have little stained glass items hung up all over the house, we’re suckers for 'em.
But make sure the ventilation is great or the kids where the proper respirator masks; the safety issue is so important.</p>