The French term stained glass reached Castilian as stained glass. It is a noun that refers to a stained glass window that displays different colors. It should be remembered that the concept of stained glass can refer to the structure that, together with the glass, allows a window, door or other opening to be closed.
Also known as polychrome stained glass, stained glass windows are made with pieces of glass of different shades. Usually these glasses are colored with enamels and then joined by rods. The origin of stained glass windows is very old: in times of the Roman Empire they were already used in religious buildings. From the 13th century, with the heyday of Gothic architecture, the use of stained glass windows became widespread for the representation of historical scenes or scenes belonging to the religious sphere.
Over the years, the characteristics of stained glass windows have changed. They are stained glass windows that enclose the images in ogives or temples, for example, surrounded by geometric mosaics. Even into the 20th century, renowned artists such as Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall continued to create stained glass window designs, bringing the technique back to life. The Cologne Cathedral, Germany, is one of the buildings that currently displays the most well-known stained glass windows. This temple, which is part of the World Heritage Site, began construction in 1248. In Spain, the Cathedral of León also stands out for its stained glass windows. In fact, its collection is one of the most important in the world in terms of medieval stained glass. Homemade stained glass windows, step by step Although in our homes we cannot create stained glass windows with the dimensions and complexity of the most famous in the world, nobody prevents us from making beautiful designs using practically the same materials. It should be noted that it is quite a risky process, so it is not recommended to do it near small children or pets. The first step is to choose the design. If we have never made a stained glass window, then it is advisable to look for a simple one, so that we can complete it and learn the rudiments of the technique before moving on to a more complex one. One of the points to take into account is to avoid motifs with sharp edges, so rounded figures are recommended. At this early stage, we also need to think about the number of pieces needed to form the design. For starters, it’s best to balance an attractive yet simple window with as few pieces as possible. Once chosen, we must capture it on a sheet of paper, either by hand or by printing, ensuring that the contours are thick and well defined.
Now is the time to buy the most suitable type of glass for our project. One of the most recommended for beginners is laminate, which is offered in its classes: opalescent and cathedral. Some of the aspects to take into account are the degree of transparency, the texture and, of course, the price. As for the tools, we will need: a glass cutter, pliers, a copper sheet, a soldering iron, an emery wheel and a pen or marker. Finally, the work itself begins. One by one, we must place the glass sheets on the drawing, to copy the shapes of the pieces with the pen or marker. With the glass cutter we begin to mark the outline of each piece, and then we help ourselves with the pliers to separate them. Sharp edges should be ground to make them smooth and smooth. Once we have all the pieces cut and polished, we must cover their edges with copper sheets, and these will be the ones that we solder to obtain the final design. As a last optional step, it is possible to frame the stained glass windows, which is very useful for the presentation of certain motifs that are difficult to maintain.
