Jackman's Glass Studio - Frequently Asked Questions


Jackman's Glass Studio 66 Blue Jay Way Fayette, Maine 04349 USA Tel. 207.897.4261 Email Us!		Frequently Asked Questions Q. Do you make the windows by hand? A. Yes, All panels are made by hand, by Jackman's Glass Studio. All of the work in the portfolio is ours. From the design work to cutting the glass to the grinding, foiling & soldering, and most of the installations. Q. How long have you been working with glass? A. Since 1977. It started because we wanted a stained glass panel for the front door of our log cabin. We formalized the business and Jackman's Glass Studio was established in 1982. Q. Do you do custom work? A. Yes. We actually specialize in custom designs. We start with a discovery meeting with each and every one of our clients at the location of the project if possible. We talk about likes, dislikes, architectural requirements, designs, colors, glass types, style, opacity and lighting issues. Although we enjoy meeting face to face, we have done custom work for people in Florida, New York and California, some of which were done entirely through the mail. Q. How do you price your work? A. We have a formula that is based on the intricacy of design combined with the overall size, and that also takes into consideration the type of glass & overhead expenses. A panel that is one square foot could have from 5 to 200 pieces of glass. Because of that, the price can vary greatly! Q. How do you make the windows? A. After the design is approved (which is always hand drawn), copies are made and one copy is cut out into paper templates or unique patterns for each individual piece of glass. Then, using a hand held glass cutter, very similar to ones used in hardware stores, we lay the template on top of the glass and follow along the edge of the pattern, carefully breaking away pieces until we have the required shape. Then each piece of glass has the edges smoothed on an electric diamond head glass grinder. Next, pieces of copper foil (narrow metal tape with an adhesive back) are wrapped around the edges of the glass and burnished tightly against the surface of the glass. Then all the pieces are laid out like a jigsaw puzzle and a flux (a compound which enables the solder to adhere to the copper) is applied to the seams. A very smooth, controlled bead of solder is applied by using a very hot soldering iron, 50/50 solder and a very steady hand. After the first side is completed the panel is carefully turned over and the other side is soldered. Finally, the panel is thoroughly washed to remove any flux residue. Depending on the design, occasionally we add metal reinforcement bars, wooden or metal frames or patinas to change the appearance of the solder. All designs are Copyright 1999 - 2008 by Jackman's Glass Studio.