Stained Glass Crafting [Hardcover]

Donatella Zaccaria (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

This guide contains over 40 projects in stained glass, from small sculptures to more complex creations which display the range of glass-cutting and design techniques. Detailed instructions explain straight cuts, cutting curved or shaped glass pieces, using a template, welding glass and connecting pieces with copper wire. Among the objects readers can make are: a Tiffany lampshade fashioned out of five colours of opalescent glass, a golden butterfly box, floral hangings and trays and a multicoloured glass panel. Professional work featured includes; "art deco" sliding doors with a geometric design in 11 kinds of glass, an aquarium table of marine blues and greens, and a beautiful bow window.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Enchanted by the luminous colors and ever-changing lucidity of glass, artist Donatella Zaccaria resolved to transform her drawings into translucent mosaics. Her lovely creations shimmer across the pages as she conveys her passion for glass to the reader. She explores all the basics--tools and materials, cutting, welding, design planning, and leading--in the framework of five step-by-step projects, also touching briefly on the fused glass and collage techniques. A photo gallery of 40 more pieces presents lamps, hangings, frames, boxes and candleholders to further spark readers' imaginations; a dozen more works of true stained glass art by the author and by a stained glass painter show us where the medium can go in the hands of the masters. Another dozen pages offer patterns ready for photocopying, for those ready to move on to more advanced levels. --Amy Handy --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Artisan Zaccaria, head of a Milan glassworks studio, gears her explanations to both beginners and experienced crafters through step-by-step projects illustrated with photographs. Five patterns--a butterfly box, a Tiffany lampshade, a flower tray, and two abstracts--become the basis for learning two stained-glass techniques: copper foil with lead and "straight" lead soldering. Each technique includes excellent close-up photographs of the cutting, trimming, welding, and sealing processes, with enough text to guide unsteady hands. Simple classic forms are the book's mainstay, but the ideas contained in the last third are truly inspirational, ranging from containers to a breathtaking three-dimensional painted-on-glass horse from artist Giuseppe Codena, giving readers a sense of the limitlessness of the art. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Sterling Pub Co Inc (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806938935
• ISBN-13: 978-0806938936
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,956,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice variety of projects, August 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Stained Glass Crafting (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book for the variety of projects included. Some of the tools and techniques appear to be those used in someplace other than the U.S. It is listed in the catalog as a hardcover book, but I have seen it in softcover at a local chain bookstore (after I had already paid hardcover price.) It is one I refer to fairly often. A good book, but probably not the absolute best for an inexperienced first-timer. For that, I recommend Stained Glass Basics.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good basic instruction -- best for lamps, November 3, 2005

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stained Glass Crafting (Paperback)

After I began taking a stained glass class, I ran to the library and the bookstore. My instructor is good, but he's only one opinion. I must have looked at a dozen books -- but this one didn't quite make the cut. I might pick it up in the future, but it isn't in my must-have pile.

Like many such books, there are three sections: basic techiques, projects, and a gallery that shows what you can do (but offers no instruction -- just an ooh-ahh opportunity).

The weak part here is the basics. There's nothing wrong with them, but other books have a lot more meat here.

On the other hand, this book is superb at some tasks that get short shrift elsewhere. There are ten pages of instructions for making a Tiffany lamp, including 23 photos that illustrate the steps. I'm just in the process of learning how to do this, in my hands-on class, and this book is giving me a good idea of what's involved.

However, Stained Glass Crafting -- which also has a short intro to glass fusing -- has very few projects. It's more of an extended "here's what you can do with stained glass" overview than an illustrated instruction.

It's a nice book, but it shouldn't be the only one on your shelf.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aprendiendo, April 13, 2000

By 

Yury Alb. Yglesias Molina (San José, Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stained Glass Crafting (Hardcover)

Me interesa la técnica de los vitrales, y creo que este puede ser el inicio de una gran pasión