DIY Network

Finishing and Installing Stained Glass The stained glass windows are finished and installed. From "Trade School" episode DTRS-206

With the same skills and process she learned on the small window project, student Carie Igel and her instructor Ron Rayer tackle two large stained glass window projects; a sidelight and a giant arch window that will frame the front door of Carie's boss' house. The scope of both of these projects is significantly larger than her first project, but the process is the same. We pick up with Carie as she finishes the soldering of the large arch window.

advertisement

Figure A

Once Carie finishes soldering her two windows they are completely intact, but not yet structurally sound. The step "mudding in" or puttying the window stabilizes each piece of glass by filling in any extra space in the lead channels. Carie and Ron mix up a batch of the brown putty and drop the balls of the mixture down onto the glass (figure A). With a natural bristle brush, they brush the putty into the lead taking care not to press down so hard that pieces of the glass break. In addition to strengthening the window, the putty cleans and polishes it and adds a brownish-gray patina to the leading--giving the window a more finished look.

Basic Tools:

putty
putty brush
paper towels
natural bristle rotating brush
glass cleaner
industrial strength double-sided tape
caulk
caulking gun
ladder
safety glasses

Safety Alert: When soldering or working with glass be sure to wear protective eye gear.

Using paper towels, they wipe excess putty off the windows and use a rotating round brush made especially for stained glass projects to polish the window to a shine (figure B). After sitting for several hours to allow the putty to dry, the window is finally complete and ready for installation (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

Page  1 | 2