Multiple usages of stained glass

Stained glass is available in many ways: fixed or suspended stained glass window panel, decorative panel, rose window, mirror, sky light, lantern and lamp. It is used to hide a poor view, to preserve the privacy of a room, to beautify a window or a door, to reduce a too bright lighting or to create a captivating and cozy atmosphere, conducing to meditation. The pattern of a stained glass can be figurative or geometric or a combination of both.

A stained glass project starts with a meeting with the client to gather information about their needs and their tastes. Measurements are taken and an estimate is given. A sketch is made to continue the discussion. When the artisan and his client agreed about the sketch, design of a cutting and assembly plan is performed. The craftsman's know-how is important at this stage to observe the technical and structural elements that ensure the soundness of the window. Then, the colors of the glass sheets are selected and the pieces are cut by hand and carefully polished. They are then wrapped up with a copper foil and soldered together. A uniform black finish is made with patina on the solder joint to prevent tarnishing.

Technical advantages of stained glass made by Atelier Rodrigue

The glass thickness used is 3mm. Thick enough to be strong, thin enough to be light and bright. The stained glass window is not likely to sag under its own weight with age.

Opalescent glass is a non-transparent colored glass. Colors with a white base lets a lot of light to go in and have a nice effect continuously changing along with the time of day.

Fine solderings of 3 to 4 mm wide yield the surface entirely available to the glass. Such stained glass lets a lot more light go in than the old large joints windows.

The solder joint is carefully applied in a rounded shape, abraded, polished and coated with a patina finish for smooth, safe to the touch and easy to clean.

For your peace of mind, lead-free stained glass assemblies are available. In that case, the solder used is an eutectic alloy of tin and copper. The frame and the reinforcement elements are made of zinc, zinc-plated steel and copper. No plastic is used in the manufacturing of a stained glass window.

Atelier Rodrigue also makes the wooden frame of the stained glass when required and the installation at the customer site.

The price of a window is quite expensive because of the time invested in manufacturing and materials used in a proportion of 2/3 and 1/3 respectively. It is calculated according to the size of the project, the number of pieces per unit area and the level of difficulty of the installation.

Each custom project is well documented with assembly drawings, the part numbers of glass manufacturers, the wooden frame construction details, stain and varnish, etc., so that it is possible to add a unit well-matched to a set of existing stained glass windows. Lamps and lanterns that are not made on customized order are unique colors units because they are partly made with the inevitable glass scraps that accumulate over time and projects.