How to Reinforce A Large Stained Glass Piece

Here is an article we received from an expert stained glass artist. Hope it helps as this question comes up quite often.

If you are creating a large stained glass piece, such as a window, you will need to take steps to reinforce it, so it will a thing of beauty that you can proudly display for many years to come.

You may also need to reinforce a piece if the seams are the same across the design. There are two different methods you can use to do this: the rebar method; or the newer technique which involves using copper strips. In this article, we will talk about both methods.

Using Rebar to Reinforce Your Stained Glass Piece

Traditionally, rebar was the material of choice for reinforcing larger stained glass pieces. The technique is relatively simple, but the results are great, giving you a finished piece that will last a lifetime.

Basically, bars of rebar are soldered onto the back of your large stained glass piece. Below is a quick how-to for using rebar to strengthen your stained glass windows and other large pieces.

Tools and Supplies You Will Need

• Rebar
  
• Soldering iron and 50/50 solder
  
• Flux and brush or q-tip for applying
  
• Wire, cut into pieces that are long enough to wrap around rebar

Technique

Before attaching the rebar to your stained glass piece, you need to prepare it, or “foil” it. You can easily do this by covering the rebar with a thin layer of solder. Now, you are ready to attach the rebar.

Lay the rod across one of the seams of your design, and mark the spot where the rebar and the seam intersect. Solder the wires to the spot that you marked.

Next, put the rebar back in place and solder it at the seams. Wrap the protruding ends of the wire around the rebar, and your window or large piece is now reinforced.

Using Copper Strips To Reinforce Large Stained Glass Pieces

Nowadays, many artists and hobbyists prefer to use copper strips for reinforcing stained glass windows and other large pieces.

It is a quick and easy method to use, and does not compromise the beauty and integrity of the overall design of your window, or whatever your large stained glass piece is.

Tools and Supplies You Will Need

• Copper reinforcing strip
  
• Small weights
  
• Soldering iron and 50/50 solder
  
• Flux and q-tip or brush
  
• Tin snips

Technique

Lay the copper reinforcing strip across the seams (horizontal and vertical) of your stained glass piece as you are putting the design together and preparing it for leading.

To avoid the frustration of your copper strip coming out of place as you are putting it into your window design, use small weights to hold it in place in various areas throughout the design.

Now it’s time to begin soldering. Brush the flux along the seams, and solder the seams with the copper reinforcing strip first. Bend the strip over the edges of the piece, and solder in place.

Finish soldering the rest of the piece as normal. Once you have finished, your piece will be ready to hang, or mount into a window frame, and it will be strong enough to last for generations.

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Reinforcing stained glass windows.