HOW I WORK

I must note- I can only make work for clients who are able to collect in person once made from my workshop just north of Manchester in the Rossendale Valley, United Kingdom (postcode BB4 7JN). In a nutshell, I'm not able to work with any courier companies. For stained glass work to be delivered by a courier company it would need to be packed carefully inside a strong, size specific, wooden crate for shipping. I try to be as productive as possible and my window projects take up such a huge amount of time. This means I'm not able to get involved with the crate making or organise the specialist courier side.

I can only work on a 'in person collection only basis' by my clients for projects.

If collection is an option for you, absolutely no problem giving you a quote for potential projects. As you can imagine the possibilities for the end design are huge. I ask my clients to do a little research on designs that they might like to see. They would then email over images/drawings/ideas along with the rough sizes and and if possible photos for where the work would be fitted. With that information I can work out a quote.

For reference the price for any stained glass work is decided by a few different considerations. For example:- the overall area of the window(s) and how complex and intricate the design is. Designs that are more complicated with many pieces of glass takes much longer to make than a simpler designs and so this increases the cost.

Once a project is ready to begin I will need to be able to work with the exact finished glass sizes. For leaded window(s) to be fitted in the traditional single glazed method there is a glass measuring guide on this website for your reference (Click Here). If the window(s) are to be fitted inside double glazed units (what we can encapsulation) please contact me via email to discuss

When working with clients on new projects I draw up 'to scale' design proposals on my computer design program. Once I've drawn the designs I'll add computer generated colours/textures to the drawing to give you the feel for the look of the finished work.

Any further questions please let me know

Kind regards
Jan
Light Leaded Designs

Email address- info@lightleadeddesigns.com

Frequently Asked Questions

I regularly post window making videos on my social media platforms and I'm often asked the same sort of questions in the comment sections. I thought I'd give details on a few of the more popular questions:-

Tools -
My most used hand tools are my lead knife, glass cutter and grozing pliers.

My lead knife is a Don Carlos lead knife. You can find these for sale on the Internet with a Google search for 'Don Carlos lead knife'. My Silberschnitt glass cutter and my Silberschnitt tungsten tipped 'narrow head' grozing pliers are both 20+ years old and unfortunately aren't made anymore. I've not seen them for sale anywhere for many years but if you find them for sale anywhere please let me know as I'd like a spare pair!

For soldering I use a traditional propane gas iron. I'm often asked why I use gas powered over an electric iron. The main reason being ergonomics/comfort. When soldering for long periods of time the iron is well balanced and with the 'T-shaped head' I find it more comfortable to hold than the standard 'wand shaped' electric irons.

I'm asked also about my glass strip cutter. I've been using this setup in the workshop for 20+ years. I'm sorry there isn't a makers name on this tool so I can't tell you a brand name to search for. You'd have to do some hunting on this one to find out.

My design program -
The design software I use for my projects is actually a bit of a 'one off'. I've been developing my own program for a good few years with a software designer friend who's a bit of a computer genius. It's a 'work in progress' and I have no plans to sell the software commercially.

Template making -

I'm sorry with being super busy working on my glass projects I'm not able to make templates/patterns for other window makers.

Leaded light window cement/process -
Whilst you can buy leadlight cement, the leaded light cement that I use on my windows is something I make myself. The exact recipe Is a bit of a family secret I inherited from my parents company. It is however a very similar recipe to the ones you can find with a Google search for 'leaded light window cement recipe'.

Both sides of each and every window I make are cemented. I also don't like to use whiting as I'm not a fan of all the mess it creates in the workshop.

The polish that I use on my windows to darken the lead came is a black grate or black stove polish.

Teaching and Apprentices -
I have had many apprentices over the years but these days I have a young family at home and I really struggle with the time needed to have an apprentice. Teaching wise, I'm sorry I don't run a class or offer lessons (face to face or virtual). With being a very busy craftsman working on my projects managing time is a constant challenge.

Saying this, I do post longer YouTube videos on my YouTube channel that I narrate and share lots of information. These videos are a brilliant way to pick up tips and tricks on the making process.

Links to my YouTube channel can be found on every page of my website.

Hope this information helps answer your questions