Make Stained Glass Mosaics

Have you ever looked up at the glorious stained glass windows of large churches or cathedrals and admired the craftsman ship and beauty of the windows. If you have, then perhaps you should think about taking up the art of stained glass mosaic. Traditional Stained Glass crafts are quite difficult to learn and are also very expensive to start out in. The main expense is the glass itself, the larger the sheets the more costly. With mosaics you can buy off cuts and smaller cheaper sheets of glass, you can also use mass produced glass water tiles which are quite economical.

Stained glass mosaic is basically using pieces of colored glass and sticking them onto a clear glass surface (picture glass is good to use). You need a high quality clear drying glue such as weldbond to adhere them. Because the glue is clear light will still pass through and illuminate the stained glass when placed in a window.

When gluing the pieces you need to always leave a few millimeters gap, this is where the dark tiling grout will go later, to finish off the mosaic. Designs at first should be simple, with perhaps three colors used. Place the drawn design beneath the clear glass at the start and use it as a guide for arranging the mosaic pieces.

Once the mosaic pieces are totally dry, you apply the grout with a spreader, pressing it into the gaps. As it dries, you should gently wipe off the excess with a damp sponge, until the grout is dry and has created a stone like effect around the stained glass pieces. If you have used old picture glass, you can reuse the old frame, to frame your finished stained glass mosaic. Place it in front of or hanging up in a window and you will see the beautiful colors of stained glass in your own home.

By: John Cool

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See some examples of this technique and some unique Stained Glass Mosaic A Step by Step Guide to creating a Stained Glass Mosaic A look at the history of Stained Glass