How to Cement your Stained Glass Panel

I have decided in my wisdom to send you all home with a little kit so that you can have a go at the cementing bit .. the finishing touch ..

You will be able to do this at home wearing the right clothing and allowing the appropriate time to let the panel dry in between the cementing & cleaning process……. This is how we do it .. 😊

in your kit you will have a pot of cement you need to take the lolly stick and spread the cement into the lead , not onto the lead face but into the gaps..

Then pop on a rubber glove and remove as much excess cement as you can off the actual glass ..

Then sprinkle your whiting (powdered chalk) over your panel and spread it out by hand so it covers all of it ...

This speeds up the drying process and fixes the cement …

Now you need a small scrubbing brush .. I use a cheap nylon one you could even try a nail brush on a panel of this size but don’t use anything fancy it may never recover from the cement 😂

The results are a lovely shiny and clean panel after you use your scrubbing brush to work away the whiting as shown in this video ..

Now take something like a toothpick or small thin stick to work along the lines of your pattern removing very carefully the cement that has bled out of the lead came ..

Don’t over pick as you need the cement to fill the gaps where the glass sits in the lead ..

turn your work over .. AND DO EVERYTHING AGAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE ..

Now leave to dry overnight (12 hours)

Try to remove all the excess cement off your scrubbing brush as you will be using it again to buff and shine your work ..

The next time you revisit your panel it should be a bit drier and you can use your toothpick or something like a bradawl (which is what I use) to go along the contours and lines so they look clean.

Now get your brush and give your work a good polish you will note that the leads are darker and shiny, and look lovely !!