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The pieces of glass are taken off the glass easel, the Plasticene removed, and they are slotted together in an intricate jigsaw of glass and strips of grooved lead. |
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Essential tools: the lead knife for cutting the lead strips, the oyster knife for easing the glass into the lead (both have weighted bases which double up as hammers) and the lathekin - in this case a piece of driftwood found at Pennyghael - which is used to open up the leads. |
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A bowl of horse shoe nails stands ready; they hold the pieces of glass in place while leading up. Their flat edges spread the pressure on the glass, making it less likely to crack. Note, too, the most fundamental, and essential, bit of equipment - a mug of coffee. Curiously, coffee was discovered around the 8th century and there is no known stained glass before that time. Mere coincidence? |
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Rona Moody Stained Glass |
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Making a window 4 |
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Unique windows for every situation |
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Dods of cement - a mix of whiting, oil and turps, for which each stained glass artist has his or her own favourite recipe - are dolloped on the window then pushed under the leads, making it waterproof. Useful to have a Trained Assistant for this messy task. |
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Whiting (calcium carbonate) is scattered on to the surface of the cemented window to soak up excess oil and speed the drying process. |
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When all the leads are in place, both sides are soldered. I follow tradition, using a gas soldering iron and fluxing with tallow . |
