You may have mastered stained glass construction, but stained glass painting seems like a mystery and looks difficult. Most stained glass crafters know little about the process and the materials needed for painting stained glass; but it should be just another step in the whole process of creating beautiful stained glass windows.
You will need several items handy to do stained glass painting. Obviously you will need paint and paintbrushes, if you cannot afford the specialized stained glass type you may be able to improvise with regular artist's paintbrushes. You will also need access to a kiln to set your work. Many professional studios will allow you to use their kiln for an hourly rate. Next, you will need a palette for mixing your paint. A piece of sandblasted glass is the most suitable choice for mixing you stained glass paints. A palette knife is a helpful tool in mixing the paint. The paints are made from a mixture of powdered oxides, gum arabic and water.
If you do you will cause the paint to bubble and separate (fry) when the glass is fired in the kiln. You should not touch the line at all once it has been painted, although you may correct some mistakes and overages by gently scraping the paint off with a toothpick AFTER it has dried completely. Next, your stained glass trace paint is fired in the kiln at approximately 1150? F.
Your work area does not have to be large. It could be an area set aside in your stained glass workshop with a good source of natural light from a window. You need plenty of storage including a palette box for storing the color palettes you make. You will need squares and rectangles of scrap clear glass, ground and rounded on the edges to prevent cutting yourself. These scraps will be for practicing your stained glass painting and tracing technique.
A few good brushes, spatulas, a small easel with a thick-plated glass surface, a light box and an inexpensive small, electric kiln would be a good start on supplies needed to do stained glass painting. In order to save money, you could build your own easel and light box and purchase a used kiln from ads in stained glass magazines or online. You can also make your own unique sticks and bridges which are wooden supports for your hand and arm for helping with paint stroke technique.
Your workshop safety tips
When carrying sheets of stained glass, wear gloves that help you have a good grip on the glass. The gloves should protect your hands from cuts from the razor sharp edges of the stained glass. Grip the glass on each side. Carrying it with one hand on top and one on bottom creates a hazard that the glass could snap in two. If you grip from each side and the sheet of stained glass breaks, you have a better chance of letting the glass slip away from you without being cut.
While grinding your stained glass, wear goggles that shield your eyes from all sides to prevent glass particles from getting in your eyes from underneath since the grinder is below eye level. It would also be a good idea to wear a paper mask to prevent breathing in the glass particles and dust that could be harmful to your sinuses and lungs.
Make sure that your area is well ventilated when you are soldering. Fumes from solder and flux contain harmful lead and acid. Solder scraps should be kept in a special container for taking to a recycler.
Don't take safety precautions for granted. So what ever you do, do it with care, do it safe and you will enjoy the rewards.

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