Types of Stained Glass
From thousands of years ago, man has been using various types of stained glass for the purpose of decorating cathedrals and churches. Of late, new types of stained glass have been discovered which have helped in creating lampshades and they can also be formed to create intricate art objects.
Stained glass – cut into smaller pieces
However, most types of stained glass are made in glass sheets which need to be cut into smaller pieces and then arranged into various patterns by the stained glass artist. According to tradition, the stained glass pieces will be held together with the help of lead solder strips. If you wish to use a variety of colours and you want to vary the thickness as well as texture in order to create a mosaic then you need to use different types of stained glass.
Antique stained glass
Antique stained glass is one of the better known types of stained glass and these items are also referred to as cylinder glass. The term antique is used to describe these types of stained glass because of the antiqueness of the method used to create such glass. These glass items are the ones that were most commonly used in ancient times when windows in churches were being made from stained glass.
Antique stained glass is actually formed after molten glass is rolled into the shape of a ball and then this is hand-blown to create a longish cylinder. The thickness of the cylinder varies according to the thickness of the stained glass. The cylinder can also be cut into a couple of pieces (lengthwise) and then after these are placed in ovens they can be flattened and annealed. Most antique stained glass is highly transparent and this concept is often employed in the making of lampwork beads.
Cathedral Glass
Cathedral stained glass is another one of the different types of stained glass that is being used these days. This glass needs to be poured in a hot and molten condition and on to a table and then it is rolled by machine or even by hand. It must have a uniform thickness and this type of stained glass is commonly also referred to as table glass. However, this glass was not used too much in cathedrals but today such glass is normally decorated with the help of engraved rollers that create various patterns on the stained glass.
Flashed glass
Flashed stained glass is one of the other well known types of stained glass. This glass is made up of a clear glass base that needs to be coated with coloured glass – but only on one side. Then it needs to be heated till it fuses and after that the glass is left to be cooled and then some portions of the coloured glass will be removed which makes the clear glass easy to see through. Artists can also draw shapes and figures as well as other images and then these will shine out quite brilliantly through those areas that were etched.
