Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-08-05
ART GLASS WINDOWS.
Why Lead Is Used For Binding the
Pieces Together.

In the making OF drC glass VIII
dows one of the most important
things is the lead used for binding
the different sized pieces of glass
together. If two pieces of glass OF
different color or tint are placed
side by side and viewed from the
dark, the light passing through the
glass into the spectators eyes, the
effect will be very unsatisfactory.
Like magic this changes when a
strip of lead is laid between the two
pieces, each being luminous with its
own individual color, yet blending
beautifully with its neighbor.
1t is customary for the art glass
painter to- make cOlored sketches
for windows, drawn to one-half or
one inch scale. After these sketches
have been accepted as satisfactory,
if it is for a figure window, he
makes a full size cartoon on paper
in crayon, showing all lights and
shadows as well as the outlines.
Early Italian painters used smooth
whitewashed boards for this pur-
pose, but now it is done on so called
eggshell surface paper.
The full sized drawing is laid on
thin and heavy sheet of detail
paper. Between the design and mid
die, as well as the lower paper,
there are thin sheets of blackened
paper. All these are fastened to
The drawing table with thumb tacks.
Then all the lines are run over with
a finely pointed ivory pencil. When
done the drawing appears on the
thin as well as on the thick paper,
the former being the working draw
ing for the leader, while the latter
is cut up by the glass cutter for his
patterns to cut the glass to correct
Size and shape. If the paper were
cut with an ordinary knife or scis-
sors the glass with the lead would
work out too large. To allow room
for the lead two bladed knife, with
the blades set nearly one-eighth of
an inch (the thickness of the core
or heart of the lead) was formerly
used, bat the cutting is now done
with three bladed scissors.
When the various kinds of glass
have been cut the pieces are set to-
gether with came or glaciers lead.
These are strands of lead with
groove on either side. The artisan
who sets the pieces of glass together
does this on the outline tracing or
working drawing by first placing
each piece in its proper position.
He nails straight edge along the
edge of his work table nearest him,
along which he places a strand
or border lead, pressing the glass
into the groove of the same and
keeping the glass temporarily in
place with wire nails tackled into the
table. These he draws out when
placing the inside lead and tacks
them alongside the next piece Of
glass, and so on to the finish.
When the entire panel is thus
loaded together the joints are SOL
dered first on one side. Then the
panel is turned, and the other side
is treated in the same way. Next
the cementers take the light in
charge and rub in the cement thin
putty with brushes and clean it
off with sawdust, which is also
manipulated with brushes, but these
are Of somewhat sitter bristles. The
cement fills up all spaces between
the lead and glass, binding the two
firmly together and making 1t
weather proof. Strengthening or
saddle bars are placed horizontally,
so that the lights will withstand any
windstorm.
The leading of all styles of art
glass is done in the same manner
William Schroeder in Western Jour
nal of Education.