Cutting Drapery GLass

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Cutting Drapery GLass

by David
(Texas)

I need to use drapery glass in a restoration I'm considering taking on. Do you have any tips for cutting and soldering drapery glass? I do not own a ring saw and would prefer not to use one. The window needing repair has 2 or 3 different sizes of lead came and I'm not sure how the gaps created by the folds of the drapery glass should be properly finished.

Thanks again for all of the help you provide.

David

Answer

Sorry David, but in 36+ years I have never had the need to use or cut drapery glass. We've done plenty of restorations, but none of them needed drapery glass replaced. I'm hoping someone reading this has had that experience and can help you out. If so, they will answer in the comments section below.

Comments for
Cutting Drapery GLass

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Sep 27, 2011

Thanks, Bob.
by: David

Thank you Bob for your very detailed and helpful response.

Sep 22, 2011

Cutting & Leading Drapery Glass
by: Bob

I cut and lead drapery stained glass quite often both in lamps and windows and use no electrical tools except the solder iron.

Cutting: I use a carbide hand cutter and do not resort to a band saw or router or the like. Some drapery glass has the reverse side with the folds on the front side being hollows on the rear side, while other sheets of it have all or most of the "hollows" on the reverse side absent with the rear surface being flat ... and the glass being quite thick in places. If the reverse side is flat or nearly so, mark and cut the pattern pieces on the reverse side. If it is not flat, then mark and cut on the side which has the least number of surface irregularities, rilles, etc. Orient the piece of glass with the folds best representing the article to be depicted. Try to anticipate the direction/route which a scored piece will run as the break develops along and across the folds. Significant grozing will very likely be necessary.

Metal Work: In a lamp, copper foiling the glass edge with the normal slight overlaps on the front and rear side. Trimming irregularities of the adhered foil with an X-acto or single edged razor blade is likely necessary. If lead came is to be used, then a flat ribbon of the lead (or of copper foil later tinned) should run the edge of the cut pieces with no overlap onto the front or rear sides. Then a length of lead came (U-cross-section works better than H-cross section) should be cut down the center of the channel ... one of these will be placed on the front side of the cut following the surface folds and contours with the channel residue either extending into the glass edge reason or simply cut off. Adhering with some beeswax to the glass or tack soldering lightly if edge foil is ussed helps fis it while working. Do the same on the reverse side. Securely solder the foil/camed piece so that its metal channeling is fixed. Adjacent pieces of Drapery glass having a different edge profile and camed in this fashion should be snugly abutted against already prepared ones and the pieces should be soldered together ... either a continuous bead of solder along the seam will do, or else a low profile of solder tacking along the edges in contact with a cannibalized flat lead came strip placed over the tacked seam and DISCREETLY soldered along the edges contacting the came overlapping onto the fron and rear sides.

This is time consuming and glass breakage and resultant waste is larger than normal, but the results look great. Seams can be made as narrow or wide as the project's aesthetics and the glass weight and size dictate. Doing it all with copper foil and leading the result is much easier than the came route and the seams can be made to appear as much like the edge profiles of lead came as the glass artist/artisan wishes in terms of expended time and effort. Good luck. Bob

Sep 13, 2011

Cutting Drapery Glass
by: Patrick

According to Wikipedia article on Tiffany: In order to cut drapery glass, the sheet may be placed on styrofoam, scored with a carbide glass cutter, and broken at the score line with breaker-grozier pliers, but a bandsaw or ringsaw are the preferred tools.

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Cutting Drapery GLass

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Cutting Drapery GLass