Stained Glass and Leaded Lights - Traditional kiln-fired painting

Kiln-fired Painting

Traditional kiln-fired glass painting adds detail, texture, shading and depth to a design. The paint (a powdery mixture of metal oxides, flux and finely ground glass) is mixed with water and applied by hand. It is then fired in a kiln to a temperature where it permanently fuses to the surface of the glass. Several firings may be required to build up the various layers of fine detail, pattern and shading. The final firing is reserved for Silver Stain, which requires a lower temperature. This finely powdered metallic compound reacts with the glass in the kiln to produce a beautiful clear golden yellow colour, and it is from this that the term “stained glass” originates.

In many original Victorian domestic windows, a central motif would have been painted - these were usually birds, flowers, trees or rural scenes. I have a large stock of examples of these or I can copy any design.