Guides for anyone who wants to understand stained glass or try creating it. They are written in plain language and run from the first question, whether the craft is right for you, through the tools and skills to the history. This section is the Create part of the site: Discover is covered by the glass types and the gallery, and Commission by the guidance on commissioning decorative glass.
Getting started
Is Stained Glass Right for You?What the craft involves, how long it takes and roughly what it costs.Read the guide →
Tools and EquipmentThe basic kit for cutting and joining glass.Read the guide →
Working Safely With GlassSharp glass, lead, fumes and chemicals.Read the guide →
Common Beginner MistakesWhat goes wrong most often, and how to avoid it.Read the guide →
Skills
How to Cut GlassScoring and breaking straight lines and curves.Read the guide →
How to Cut Lead CameStretching, measuring and cutting came for a leaded panel.Read the guide →
How to SolderJoining lead came or copper foil neatly.Read the guide →
How to Grind Glass and Apply Copper FoilShaping edges and wrapping them for soldering.Read the guide →
How to Build a Leaded PanelBuilding a panel in lead came, from cartoon to cement.Read the guide →
Copper Foil Stained GlassThe Tiffany method, how it is made and how it compares with lead came.Read the guide →
Materials
How Coloured Glass Is MadeWhat goes into coloured glass, and why gold makes red.Read the guide →
Overlay Colour Films, UV Protection and DurabilityColour films, UV filters, durability and double glazed units.Read the guide →
How Bevelled Glass Is MadeGrinding, polishing, clusters and the thin edge for came and overlay lead.Read the guide →
Roundels and Bullseyes in Leaded LightsWhere they come from and how they are made and set.Read the guide →
How Painted and Silver Stained Glass Is FiredPaint, silver stain and enamel temperatures and schedules.Read the guide →
Firing Temperatures and Schedules for Fused and Kiln Formed Glass90 COE and 96 COE fusing glass, float and Murano glass.Read the guide →
Care
How to Clean Decorative Glass SafelyEvery glass type, and what to avoid.Read the guide →
Does Coloured Stained Glass Fade?What changes colour and what only looks faded.Read the guide →
History
A Short History of Stained GlassFrom the first windows to today.Read the guide →
Medieval Stained Glass and the Origins of Leaded LightsHow the first leaded windows were made.Read the guide →
How Window Glass Was Made: Crown, Cylinder, Plate and FloatCrown, cylinder, plate, float and toughened glass.Read the guide →
Stained Glass from the Gothic Revival to the Twentieth CenturyThe Victorian revival, Arts and Crafts and the twentieth century.Read the guide →
Opalescent Glass, Tiffany and the Copper Foil MethodThe American developments of the 1880s.Read the guide →
The History of Acid Etched GlassFrosted and embossed glass from the 1850s.Read the guide →
The History of Sandblasted and Deep Carved GlassFrom the 1870 patent to carved glass today.Read the guide →
The History of Fused and Kiln Formed GlassFrom ancient casting to modern studio glass.Read the guide →
Where Overlay Stained Glass Came FromHow a modern single-sheet look developed.Read the guide →
Reading and understanding windows
How to Read a Church WindowSaints, symbols, colours and heraldry.Read the guide →- Types of Stained Glass SheetAntique, cathedral, flashed, opalescent and more.Read the guide →
Stained Glass Styles by PeriodHow to tell the age of a window.Read the guide →- Famous British Workshops and MakersShort profiles of the main firms.Read the guide →
- Stained Glass Tour of the UKWhere to see the best windows.Read the guide →
Not sure what a word means? The glass glossary explains over 250 terms used in stained glass, decorative glass and glass making.
Choosing glass for a home or business: glass for a front door, etched glass for homes, bevelled glass for homes, decorative glass for kitchens, bathrooms and stairs and decorative glass for pubs, shops and restaurants. Curious about history? Read where the oldest stained glass is.
See also Stained Glass in the USA: Places to See.
See also The History of Stained Glass in the USA.
For a quick overview of how decorative glass developed, see the timeline of decorative glass.
Location Articles, written after a day spent at a cathedral or studio, are planned for this section. See Invite StainedGlass.co.uk To Visit You.