These four panels are calling on all the skills and knowledge
about stained glass construction that I have learned since I first started
working in glass in the 1960’s. In
addition, these panels are requiring many new approaches with new
solutions. Because the Heisey glass is
not flat but actually three dimensional, there is the challenge of fitting the
pieces together while maintaining the design and having the entire panel fit
within the required depth dimension allowed so that the panels may be sealed
between two layers of plate glass for installation in the new doors.
One goal for these panels has been to use glass from the
Museum that was broken or damaged. Many
pieces have chips, cracks, major scratches – all of which turn them into
“scrap” glass. For my purposes, a great deal of this glass can be re-purposed
through careful cutting and grinding into quite useable pieces for the
panels. Often times a third of a plate
will clear the imposed depth while the full piece will not, it is too deep to
fit. The base of a goblet can become a
roundel and slices of a goblet’s bowl and be flat enough if properly trimmed.
The internal strengthening created using zinc calming
(caming) as an integral part of the overall design also defines the internal
sections, helping to control the fitting of the glass into the overall allotted
depth.
Having completed the upper two panels to the point where they
can be put upright for a full visual inspection, two things are immediately
apparent. These panels are very sturdy –
the internal barring is quite strong and the glass itself (much of it is
amazingly thick) adds strength. The
second thing is that the high quality of Heisey glass – its shear clarity and
sparkle – makes these panels impressive.
They seem to glow.
Another area of discovery is working out the adjustments to
each piece so that the pieces may be soldered together after they have been
foiled in the Tiffany style. Some of the
individual pieces require over an hour of special grinding to get the proper
fit. In most cases, variations in the
three dimensional geometry allows for a good fit through physical contact. Occasionally there are larger gaps to
bridge. Since the panels are enclosed,
some of those gaps can be left open, accent the three-dimensionality of the
panels. However, all this non-flat
surfacing will make the final cleanings of the panels quite an
undertaking. This too, will be an
adventure.
I have taken great care to include as many of the various
patterns, etchings and colors of Heisey glass as possible. The panels have the same theme and basic
layout but each one has its own variations,
Look for the Diamond H in many pieces; notice the differences and the
similarities; and mostly enjoy these door panels.
