About this Product
LEADED STAIN GLASS AA DISC PANEL
This disc panel in the form of the AA logo, feature a bevel glass triangle at the center and framed by beveled glass rails. The circle surrounding the triangle is fission from wavy baroque glass. The outer board is 12 pieces of hand-blown glass with streaky lines of ambers and creams alined to look like rays emanating from the center.
The panel is constructed in the classical leaded came and mortar technique used in church windows for centuries, giving the panel a heavy industrial look. The disc is 8.75” in diameter and weighs in just under a 1 1/2 pounds.
The lead rials, outer frame and solder elements have been treated with a dark patina to give a well aged look, protected with Carnauba wax and buffed to a high polished shine. All pieces are studio quality, cathedral glass that will never fade in color. Sturdy rings have been soldered to the panel for hanging.
This listing is for the disc panel only. All other items in the photo are not included. Stained glass keepsake is available in our store as a separate listing.
Like where we are going? This design can be adapted to fit a custom size or be done in custom colors and textures to fit your exact needs. Just click the “Message Brian” button below and let’s create the perfect stained glass piece for you.
Thank you for stopping by my shop!
~ Brian / SCW Glassworks
SCW Glassworks
Meet the Maker
Photographer, graphic artist, web developer and tech professional turned stained glass artist and following his dreams.
Some of my earliest memories are of Sunday mornings, looking at the patters and colors of the large windows in our church; observing the changes week to week the weather and the seasons had on them.
My step father pass the time during long Ohio winters painting with oils, a pastime that was just not me. Instead I found joy in photography. This began with capturing the right images with the right combination of lens, aptitude and speed. This then evolved to hours in darkrooms fine tuning exposure merinos to achieve mi vision. I called it “painting with light”.
Career life found me working with digital media often joking that PhotoShop was my second language. While it paid the bills, what I was created was limited by a computer monitor and not meant to last. I feel compelled to create something that would feel real, like old photo prints of my youth, something that would bring joy for years like this old church windows. This lead me to walk into my first stained glass shop….my world would never be the same.
This journey of eduction in the stained glass craft, has been an amazing one with tips from hundreds of artists in online communities and one on one guidance from local expert glass artists with decades of experience. The completion of each project lead to another. This excitement was only out shown by the joy of someone purchasing my work and hearing the stories of how that work brought joy others.
It is often said that you have to give something away in order to keep it. This is why I am proud to be part of goimagine.com and their commitment to helping children, giving the next generation the opportunity to follow their dreams too.
How it’s Made
Crafting stained glass art is a balance of art and mechanics that when done right result in a price that will last the test of time, bring years of joy. I take each project to heart knowing the intended owner has invested in stand glass for both it’s unique beauty and it’s ability to stand the test of time.
My process begins with the design itself, built both for beauty and for strength; each line is purpose built; to render the form and support the image it creates. Once the design is finalized, the right method of contraction is chosen. This panel uses the “Leaded Glass” following a similar process used for centuries, a method you have likely seen in countless churches and public building. This ancient technique seats each glass elements into an”h” shaped piece of pure stretched lead. Gaps between the lead and glass are filed with a cement mix hat when sured creates an air tight glass panel. using copper adhered to each glass element that is then soldered together.
I next select the glass, taking into account the opacity, colors & textures needed to fit the design I have imagined. Next I meticulous score and break and refine each glass element; shaping each piece to the exact shape needed. These elements are placed on the bench, checked and rechecked to assure accuracy.
After quality checking each element, they are all cleaned and then painstakingly assembled by cutting and molding pure lead came around each glass element. Once the pule is fully constructed the lead joints are solder together with using 60/40 solder (60% led & 40% tin).
Next a carefully blended combination of cement, whitening and linseed oil is carefully mixed then applied to the panel pushed between the gaps where the glass mesh the lead came. This mix is then left to set for several days. This bond gives the panel great strength and when properly maintained, will allow the panel to last for decades.
Next excess cement is methodically scraped away from each glass element leaving clean straight seams. This is followed by many passes over the glass with a wire brush to future clean the glass. This process is often related two or three times before the panel is truly ready for the next step.
Darkening agents are applied to the lead to bring out a rich finish to the lead. The panel is protected with Carnauba wax that is applied and buffed many times over until to a high polished shine is attained.
