TERM

DESCRIPTION

EXAMPLE

Acid Etching

 Surface of the glass is removed by the application of hydrofluoric acid. A variety of resists are used to selectively protect the glass surface. The techniques is often used with flashed glass. The resulting surface is smooth.

Acid Frosting

 Using a paste of hydrochloric acid to abrade the surface of glass. Resulting surface is smoother than sandblasting.

Airbrushing

 Pigment is applied by spraying onto the surface

Beveled Glass

 Glass that is faceted along the edge to enhance its optics

Cartoon

 A design for a window showing all of the information needed to construct the panel

Color Selecting

 Matching sheets of glass to the design. Often Pattern pieces are used to identify where the glass is to be cut.

Curtainwall

 Exterior wall of a building usually constructed of 1" insulated glass units (IGU's)

Dichroic Glass

 A highly reflective glass with a metallic coating that splits light, reflecting one color and transmitting another.

Enamels

 Transparent or opaque, brilliant colors. Fires in the kiln below 1250 F. Not resistant to atmospheric acids

Flashed glass

 Glass created with a thin layer of colored glass on the surface. Decorative effects can be realized by selectively removing the flash layer.

Frit

 Finely ground-up particles of glass

Fusing

 Various pieces of glass are melted together in the kiln

Glass Painting

Process of applying vitreous pigments to glass for the purpose of creating imagery, modulating light or applying color. The technique predates the medieval period

Glass Stainer's Colors

 Opaque earth colors (black, browns,grays). Used for Tracing or Matting. Fires in the kiln above 1250 F. Resistant to atmospheric acids

Kiln Formed

 Generic term for shaping glass by heating it in the oven. Kiln cast and slumped have similar meanings and are often used interchangeably.

Laminating

 Gluing one piece of glass to another. Also two or more glass sheets can be joined with a plastic film interlayer to create "safety" glass. Like the front windshield of an automobile this glass holds together when shattered.

Leading

 Assembling a stained glass panel using channels (cames) of lead. The cames are shaped in cross-section like a structural I- beam with a groove on each side that the glass fits into. The panel is built on top of the pattern. Solder is used to join the leads.

Matting

 Glass is covered with pigment and details are created by removing the dried pigment with a variety of stiff brushes or needles

Pattern Pieces

 Paper templates cut for each shape of glass that makes up a leaded glass window

Photo Resist

 A masking material generated by a photographic process that can create finely detailed stencils for sand blasting or acid etching glass

Sand Blasting

 Surface of the glass is removed by a pressurized abrasive. Surfaces can be lightly frosted or deeply carved. The resulting surface is rough.

Screenprinting

 Pigment is printed onto the surface by pushing it with a squeegee through a stencil mounted to a fabric support

Silver Stain

 An oxide of silver that, when fired in the kiln, migrates into the glass surface, replacing sodium molecules and changes the color of the glass. The resulting color range varies from pale yellow to dark amber depending on the concentration of silver and the chemical make-up of the receptor glass. This technique first appeared in European stained glass windows in 1350 AD. However its use in the Middle East predates this by several centuries..

Slumping

 Glass is heated to the softening point and bent over a form

Soldering

 Using a hot iron to melt an alloy of tin and lead to join the lead cames, or channels, used in building a leaded glass window.

Tempering

 Heating then rapidly cooling glass in the kiln to toughen its surfaces. This process makes the glass 6 to 10 times stronger. Like the side windows of an automobile, when broken the glass shatters into square edged pieces. Tempered glass panels are strong enough to withstand the pressure of strong winds,extreme changes in temperature and the stress of drilled mounting attachments (Bayonne Rail Station shown)

Tracing

 Hand application of line work with a long-haired pointed brush usually to outline forms and details. Paint is applied with a wet medium.

Vitreous Pigments

 Made from crushed up particles of glass and metallic oxides. The resulting paints can be transparent or opaque (shown).