The texture of a stained glass panel could be wavy pebbled, rough or smooth. The different metallic salts and other impurities intentionally left in the glass were used for coloring since they helped refract light at different wavelengths. The artisans used lead to hold together the pieces of glass, shaping them into designed pictures.

After World War II, the art of stained glass panel making experienced a revival as modern designers and glass makers worked to help rebuild the churches and cathedrals that were destroyed.  What was once considered a dead art soon became popular again thanks to modern glass makers like German master Ludwig Shaffrath and Tiffany, one of the premier makers of stained glass.

Customized Stained Glass Panel

While you can still find stained glass panel in churches, they can also be a great addition to any home or office. Customized stained glass pieces are available from many different artisans and companies and can be used to hide a hideous view or to help personalize a new home. They can even be customized to look like a particular picture, idea or photograph. Many stained glass panel makers work closely with their client in order to recreate a personalized scene. A permanent installation such as a skylight, window casing, or door can help increase the value of the property and a framed or hung stand alone piece could even appreciate over time. The price of customized stained glass panel depends upon what is wanted or needed by the costumer and is determined by detail, panel size type of glass used and the artist commissioned.

Vintage Stain Glass Panel

You can also choose to buy a vintage stained glass panel piece to use to refurbish a window or door.  Many panels are salvaged from old buildings about to face the wrecking ball and are refurbished and sold by vintage dealers.  Stained glass will last a century by itself and several hundred years if properly refurbished when it ages.
Refurbishing a antique stained glass panels can be considered an art in its own right. It involves more than just general preventive maintenance which is done every twenty years. When the lead that holds the glass pieces together begins to weaken, it may be replaced. This will extend the life of the glass for another hundred years. Since glass is a viscous material, it will also need to be maintained, perhaps even removed and carefully flattened. Many classic designs are also reproduced by new artisans and sold in shops and online.

The most well known maker of these types of stained glass lamps is the Tiffany glass Company. The Tiffany Glass Company began producing stained glass pieces in the 1890’s. The company was started by the renowned glass artisan Louis Comfort Tiffany who made popular the idea of “Favrile” (homemade) lamp making. Because of the way they are made, no two Tiffany pieces are alike.

The Tiffany Glass Company still enjoys popularity today and sells many replicas of its most famous designs as well as newer models. Vintage Tiffany stained glass lamps can be found for sale in many antique stores as well as online. Because of their beauty and uniqueness Tiffany lamps can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.  While not exactly the price of a cheap lamp at Wal-Mart, Tiffany lamps offer more than just mere functionality.

While Tiffany made stained glass lamps popular, there are many other artisans who have also made their mark in this particular niche. Tiffany himself employed as many as 300 separate artisans during the studios heyday. Other great lamp makers include Bigelow & Kennard, The Mosiac Shade Company, Duffner and Kimberly, Roycraft, Suess Ornamental, and Unique art Glass and Metal just to name a few.

While not as ubiquitous as Tiffany, another maker of stained glass lamps who has gained quite a following among collectors is an artisan known as A.Hart. A. Hart lamps were all assembled by hand by a single artist from pieces of old church glass, using simple tools and templates. Many of these beautiful lamps seamlessly incorporated butterflies into their design as a sort of trademark of the artist. During the 60’s and 70’s A.Hart lamps could be bought at the fraction of the cost of a Tiffany piece, today these same lamps are highly collectable and considered priceless by many collectors.

The art of assembling stained glass lamps still thrives today with many different types of lamps available in a whole range of prices. For several hundred dollars, you can pick up a nice vintage replica of a classic Tiffany tabletop lamp or floor stand model made by artisans employed by the company. If you have a little bit more to spend, you may want to try to pick up an actual vintage leaded lamp assembled by a master artisan sometime during the middle half of the twentieth century when the art of making stained glass lamps was in its apex. Or, if you really feel inspired, why not try to make one yourself?

Patterns

A good pattern is probably one of the most essential stained glass tools that an artisan will need in order to start on his masterpiece.  You can get some patterns that are already full sized, but others may need to be enlarged. You should always make two copies of the pattern before storing it away for future projects. One of these copies should be used layout and assembly and the other should be cut apart using stained glass pattern shears.

Pattern Shears

Pattern shears are another one of those stained glass tools that a artisan needs to get before he starts. These special shears have three blades allowing for space within the patterns for the copper foil or lead came. If you do not allow for the space taken up by the lead or copper holding your glass panels together, it will not turn out right.

A glass cutter

Making stained glass panels or lamps involves cutting lots of little different pieces of glass so that they fit into your pattern. Of all the glass stained tools you need to procure, the glass cutter is not the one you want to skimp on. A dull or damaged glass cutter will spell trouble for any project, instead of scoring the glass making it easily breakable, it will only scratch it instead making the break uneven.

Pliers

You use pliers to break the glass after your score it and you may need several types in order to make your job easier. Breaker pliers are dual purpose pliers that you use to break a score and to remove the small sections of glass deep inside curves.  These pliers have both a flat jaw and a curved jaw. Breaking Pliers have just a smooth flat jaw and are used primarily to help break bigger pieces of glass. For really difficult scores, you may need a pair of running pliers. These have a curved jaw that applies equal pressure to both sides of the score line.

Grinder

Even if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget for your collection of stained glass tools, you still want to invest in a good grinder. A grinder is necessary if you want to make projects that look good. A good grinder will allow you to shape your pieces to fit better, making the overall piece more pleasing to the eye. Copper foil also adheres better to a grounded edge.

Soldering Iron

Another important stained glass tool is a decent soldering iron. After you cut and assemble your glass pieces, you need to solder the pieces together to form a single pane of stained glass. 80 to 150 watts is what you want to look for when picking out an iron.