An Improvement in the Manufacture of Stained Glass Windows or Panels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 18,3
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Manufacture of Stained Glass Windows or
Panels.
I, HENRY CLIFFORD Hughes, of 15, Marlborough Road, St. John's Wood,
London, N:W., Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
what manner
This invention has for its object the protection from atmospheric influences of
the vitreous painting of stained glass windows constructed in the ordinary way of
pieces of glass separately fixed in leaden frames called "cames."
Heretofore the artistic work of such windows has been liable to become
deteriorated after exposure to the air for a more or less lengthened period, and to
avoid this injurious effect I cover the painted surface of each separate piece of
glass with a correspondingly-shaped piece of plain glass, the two pieces of glass
being united by welding together at the edges and more or less over the whole
surface so as to hermetically seal up the painted surface and prevent all contact
of air therewith, thereby indefinitely prolonging the durability of the artistic
work.
In carrying out my invention, each separate piece of glass to be protected is cut
out to the proper size and shape according to the part of the picture which it is to
occupy and is painted on with the pigments ordinarily employed in glass painting.
Upon the painted surface is placed a covering piece of similar glass of corresponding
shape, a transparent vitreous flux having been, preferably, first applied between
the two pieces near the edges thereof, and the superposed pieces are then placed in
a kiln or furnace and heated until the glass is softened sufficiently to enable the
marginal portions of the two pieces and more or less of their whole surface
become united by the welding together of the glass.
In the accompanying drawings,
"
Figure 1 is a face view of a piece of painted glass protected by a covering piece
welded to it and fixed in the leaden " cames which are partly broken away.
Figure 2 is a cross-section, the painted and covering pieces being of slightly
different size as also in Figure 1.
A
Figure 3 is a cross-section, both pieces being of exactly the same size.
Suppose the piece of glass painting to be protected be the representation of the
head of a figure, the piece of stained glass a is cut out to the shape of the outline
of what is known as the "cut-line" cartoon and is painted and fired as usual.
second piece of transparent glass b, which is usually white, but may be tinted, is
cut out of precisely the same shape as the painted piece a and either of exactly the
same size or it may be a little smaller. This covering piece b is superposed upon
the painted piece a and some transparent vitreous flux having been applied between
the two pieces a b near their edges, the superposed pieces a b are placed upon sheets
of mica laid upon a bed of whiting in furnace, covered over with mica, and heated
until the glass is sufficiently softened to weld together, the union being assisted by
the pressure of a superincumbent weight.
It is generally preferable to fire the artistically-painted piece a in the oven one
or more times, according to the nature of the work, in order to vitrify and fix the
colors before applying the covering sheet 6 thereto, but this separate firing is not
always essential as in some few cases the artistic work may be fixed by the same
firing as that at which the union of the two sheets is effected.
By interposing mica between the glass and the bed of whiting in the furnace I
am enabled to effect a perfect union by heating the glass to a point at which if laid
directly on the whiting the latter would adhere to and obscure the glass, whereas
the mica is easily detached.

page_text: "
If the covering piece be of the same size as the piece a to be protected, the
united edges of both will be enclosed within the leaden " cames c when fixed as
shewn in Figure 3 and this is to be preferred unless the painted glass a is so thick
as to render the double thickness at the edges objectionable in which case the
covering piece b may be a little smaller than the piece a, as shewn in Figures 1
and 2, so that the edge of the one piece a only will be held in the leaden "
which merely abuts against the edge of the covering piece h.
"
came C
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The improvement in the manufacture of stained glass windows or panels which
consists in covering the painted surface of each separate piece of glass with a
similarly-shaped piece of plain glass, the two pieces being united by welding
together so as to hermetically seal up the painted surface, as specified.
Dated this 26th day of June 1893
H. C. HUGHES,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.