First steps in leaded light work

 I had the most exhilarating trip to the UK, where I was given the opportunity to get hands-on insight into the work of a stained glass artist, Elizabeth Beard. To introduce me into this complex and highly skilled craft, she guided me through the refurbishment of a small panel in a historic building, the Kings Arms in Amersham.

The kings Arms, Amersham

The window is in a door between the kitchen and the yard - even in such a modest setting, craftsmanship is prevalent throughout the building complex. Some of the central pieces of glass were broken, as was some of the leadwork, requiring complete dismantling and reconstruction. 

The panel before removal showing the broken section in the right centre

With quite a bit of help and much instruction from Elizabeth, I cut away all the old lead so that we could reuse the original glass as far as possible. This is one of the challenges with historical work, as glass colour and texture has changed significantly over the years, so one tries to reuse as much as possible and then try to match the original glass for the broken pieces.

Laying out the panel to measure for a template on robust paper

While some of the glass artist's tools are quite specialised, some are quite standard, such as wire cutters and pliers. Some tools Elizabeth has crafted herself, often transforming everyday household implements, such as a table knife cut down to make a delicate chisel.

Cutting away the lead to free the original glass

Once all the pieces of glass are free, they need to be cleaned of lead and putty sometimes centuries old - gloves definitely a recommendation! 

First pass cleaning the glass - still not good enough!

Most of this can be removed with a scraping tool, being careful not to scratch the glass, but the finishing touches need a scouring paste to make them perfectly clean. 

The cleaned glass laid out on the template.

Throughout the cleaning process, we made sure that the layout of the different pieces were preserved - not critical with this panel as there was no particular design of the various colours, but obviously essential with a pictorial or patterned design. The template is carefully lined up on the workbench and secured so that the panel will retain a precise geometry when it is reassembled. New pieces of glass need to be cut to replace the broken ones - a high level of precision is essential, so much work needed on the glass grinder to get them perfect. A millimeter out here and there soon translates to an error that would prevent the diagonals lining up.

Starting the leadwork

Two of the side pieces of lead are measured and cut with a precisely mitred corner to create the one side and top of the panel. The lead, which has an H profile, first has to be straightened to ensure complete accuracy, a real skill needing an experienced hand for exactly the right amount of force. The one side of the profile, facing in to the panel, is opened out slightly so that the lead for the diagonals can be slipped in neatly. No lead goes to waste - the longer pieces are kept for possible reuse, some of the shortest pieces are kept to hold the glass in place while building up the panel, and the rest, even the tiniest scraps, are salvaged for recycling. 

Almost finished with the lead

Working with diagonal pieces is quite a challenge, as the glass tends to slip out of position as one adds each new piece, so this needs gentle tapping to correct. The small pieces of lead are wedged into place with special square nails and removed one by one as each new piece of glass is inserted. To complete the leadwork, the edges are located, ensuring that the diagonal pieces of lead are neatly tucked in. Once again, precisely mitred corners are used on the outer frame.

Soldering the joints

Then the lead is flattened and smoothed, and each joint is rubbed with flux of sheep tallow to acidify the lead for a better grip for the solder. Here a fine nosed solder iron is used, requiring skill to ensure that just enough solder is used and a smooth finish is achieved. The panel is the removed from the template and reversed to solder the other side.

The tinted putty being pushed in between the glass and the lead

While there is quite a tight fit between the lead and the glass, the small gap needs to be filled with putty - normal glaziers lead putty, but tinted with black powder paint so that it blends with the colour of the lead. The putty is then trimmed off and the lead given a final flatten to squeeze out any excess putty.

Sawdust to remove excess linseed oil 

The panel is rubbed down on both sides with sawdust to remove any traces of oil from the putty and to give the glass a polish. The lead is then painted with nitric acid and buffed with a soft cloth to give it the final touches.

The restored panel installed

Unfortunately I had to leave before the putty was firm enough for reinstallation, but Elizabeth sent this photo of it in place. Apparently she has a follow-on commission at the Kings Arms for a leaded light that has bowed outwards. This will also require complete dismantling and rebuilding, using the same process that I have described here. This exposure has given me a heightened respect for the art and craft of glasswork, requiring great skill, patience, experience and knowledge of the wide range of glass that has been used in the past and the range of glass now available, most of which is hand-made.