880 STAINED GLASS 



pieces, care must be taken to distribute the joinings, so that the lead frame-work may 

 interfere as little as possible with the effect. 



A design must be drawn upon paper, and placed beneath the plate of glass ; though 

 the artist cannot regulate his tints directly by his pallet, but by specimens of the 

 colours producible from his pallet pigments after they are fired. The upper side of the 

 glass being sponged over with guru-water, affords, when dry, a surface proper for 

 receiving the colours, without the risk of their running irregularly, as they would be 

 apt to do, on the slippery glass. The artist first draws on the plate with a fine pencil 

 all the traces which mark the great outlines and shades of the figures. This is usually 

 done in black, or at least, some strong colour, such as brown, blue, green, or red. In 

 laying on these the painter is guided by the same principles as the engraver, when he 

 produces the effect of light and shade by dots, lines, or hatches ; and he employs that 

 colour to produce the shades, which will harmonise best with the colour which is to be 

 afterwards applied ; but for the deeper shades, black is in general xised. When this is 

 finished, the whole picture will be represented in lines or hatches similar to an engraving 

 finished up to the highest effect possible ; and afterwards, when it is dry, the vitrifying 

 colours are laid on by means of larger hair-pencils ; their selection being regulated 

 by the burnt specimen tints. When he finds it necessary to lay two colours adjoining, 

 which are apt to run together in the kiln, he must apply one of them to the back of 

 the glass. But the few principal colours to be presently mentioned, are all fast colours 

 which do not run, except the yellow, which must therefore be laid on the opposite side. 

 After colouring, the artist proceeds to bring out the lighter effects by taking off the 

 colour in the proper place, with a goose-quill cut like a pen without a slit. By 

 working this upon the glass, ho removes the colour from the parts where the lights 

 should be the strongest ; such as the hair, eyes, the reflection of bright surfaces, and 

 light parts of draperies. The blank pen may be employed either to make the lights 

 by lines, or hatches and dots, as is most suitable to the subject. 



By the metallic preparations now laid upon it, the glass is made ready for being 

 fired, in order to fix and bring out the proper colours. The furnace or kiln best 

 adapted for this purpose, is similar to that used by enamellers. (See EXAMEL, and the 

 Glaze-kiln, under POTTERY.) It consists of a muffle or arch of fire-clay or pottery, so 

 set over a fire-place, and so surrounded by flues, as to receive a very considerable heat 

 within, in the most equable and regular manner: otherwise, some parts of the glass 

 will be melted ; while, on others, the superficial film of colours will remain unverified. 

 The mouth of the muffle, and the entry for introducing fuel to the fire, should be on 

 opposite sides, to prevent as much as possible the admission of dust into the muffle, 

 whose mouth should be closed with double-folding doors of iron, furnished with small 

 peep-holes, to allow the artist to watch the progress of the staining, and to withdraw 

 small trial slips of glass, painted with the principal tints used in the picture. 



The muffle must be made of very refractory fire-clay, flat at its bottom, and only 5 

 or 6 inches high, with such an arched top as may make the roof strong, and so close 

 on all sides as to exclude entirely the smoke and flame. On the bottom of the muffle 

 a smooth bed of sifted lime, freed from water, about half an inch thick, must bo pre- 

 pared for receiving the pane of glass. Sometimes several plates of glass are laid over 

 each other with a layer of dry pulverulent lime between each. The fire is now 

 lighted, and most gradually raised, lest the glass should be broken ; and after it has 

 attained to its full heat, it must be kept for three or four hours, more or less, according 

 to the indications of the trial slips ; the yellow colour being principally watched, as it 

 is found to. be the best criterion of the state of the others. When the colours are 

 properly burnt in, the fire is suffered to die away slowly, so as to anneal the glass. 



STAINED d.ASS-PIGIWEKTTS. Flesh colour. Take an ounce of red -lead, 

 two ounces of red enamel (Venetian glass enamel, from alum and copperas calcined 

 together), grind them to fine powder, and work this up with spirits (alcohol) upon a 

 hard stone. When slightly baked, this produces a fine flesh colour. 



Black colour. Take 14J ounces of smithy scales of iron, mix them with two 

 ounces of white glass (crystal), an ounce of antimony, and half an ounce of manganese ; 

 pound and grind these ingredients together with strong vinegar. A brilliant black 

 may also bo obtained by a mixture of cobalt blue with the oxides of manganese and 

 iron. Another black is made from three parts of crystal glass, two parts of oxide of 

 copper, and one of (glass of) antimony worked up together, as above. 



Brown colour. An ounce of white glass or enamel, half an ounce of good man- 

 ganese ; ground together. 



Bed, Rose, and Brown colours are made from peroxide of iron, prepared by nitric 

 acid. The flux consists of borax, sand, and minium in small quantity. 



lied colour may be likewise obtained from one ounce of red chalk pounded, mixed 

 with two ounces of white hard enamel, and a little peroxide of copper. 



A red may also be composed of rust of iron, glass of antimony, yellow glass of lead, 



