The Rainbow Serpent |
a Stained Glass Clerestory at last! |
Alchemical Dreamtime symbolism |
| the head of The Rainbow Serpent/Ouroboros |
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At last a 3-month window of opportunity presented itself and we decided it was time to add the stained glass to the clerestory - nearly 18 metres long, the design needed to accommodate the 360° panoramic layout while allowing each portion to be visually coherent.
Naturally the Rainbow Serpent[1] was a very appealing subject while Ouroboros[2] added alchemical significance and a deft way of utilising the panoramic layout.
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Cutting the glass
Once the design is drawn - creating a cartoon (aka stained glass pattern) a light table greatly assists the glass cutting process.
Each piece is cut separately and, being a rainbow serpent, every piece is a different colour.
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glass cutting on the light table |
| Checking for cutting tolerance on the light table |
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checking the cuts
Here is a detail of one part of a panel showing the pieces of glass cut and laid out to check the cutting clearances.
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Checking the layout
Next the pieces need to be laid out on the cartoon to check that they will produce a panel of the right size.
If the panel is even .1mm too large in either direction it won't fit the space and that is something which I don't want to discover when I am 4m up in the air on a ladder holding a 1200mm-wide panel of stained glass.
Time spent checking at this stage contributes greatly to a smooth and trouble-free experience when it comes to fitting the panel.
This is also when I discover if I have omitted to cut one (or more) of the necessary pieces in the design.
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Checking the dimensions of the layout of the cut pieces on the cartoon |
| Cleaning the glass for assembly |
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Preparing the glass for fabrication
Once I am satisfied that all the pieces are there. they are the right size and shape and that they fit together firmly to make the correct-sized panel it is time to put them all together to create the panel.
The first step is to meticulously clean each piece to ensure the copper foil will have a good grip around the edge of each piece of glass.
Methylated spirits, a rag and elbow-grease are used to remove all traces of oil (from the cutting process) and produce a clean edge.
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Wrapping and Burnishing
Each piece of glass is separately wrapped with a thin strip of copper foil which is bent over the edges to form a U-shaped channel around the outside.
The leaves of this channel are then burnished - pressed firmly against the glass - to make sure the solder will conform closely to the glass giving it a good grip on the glass to make a strong and robust panel.
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The wrapped pieces, burnished and ready for assembly |
| Starting to layout the pieces on the cartoon for assembly |
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Final layout for soldering
Once all the pieces are wrapped and burnished they need to be accurately placed in position and held there so that they won't shift during assembly.
Here is the start of the process showing the first few pieces located in their position.
This is a bit like a free-form jigsaw without lugs to secure the pieces next to each other.
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Fixing the layout for soldering
Once each piece is in its place strips of wood are nailed around the outside and the dimensions checked at several places to ensure the panel is square and will easily slip into place for fitting.
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The panel laid out and constrained to the correct size |
The gaps in the layout are for the crystals which will create the spectra when the sun shines on them. These can't be fitted at this stage because they are not flat and they need to protrude on both sides of the panel.
These gaps mean that the pieces of glass - although constrained - can still move around and change the shape of these openings for the crystals.
| Ready for soldering - crystals in place to check the gaps are the right size |
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Ready for soldering
Back on the light table - the panel is prepared for soldering by painting all the copper foil with flux to assist the solder bonding with the copper foil and also to produce a smooth, well-rounded bead.
Some of the crystals are sitting in their spaces as an aid to ensuring the gaps left for them are the correct size and shape - at least that was the theory.
In practice it turned out that many of the crystals had small gaps around them which caused significant problems when it came to soldering them in place.
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Adding the crystals
Once both sides of the panel have been soldered - the flat pieces of glass only at this stage, it is time to add the crystals.
These are mainly Swarovski faceted glass pendants used as sun catchers - they are up to 50mm thick and need to be fitted to the panel (3mm thick) so that their centre of gravity is in line with the panel.
This is necessary to prevent the weight of the crystal trying to pull the panel out of shape over time.
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The flat glass soldered, time to add the crystals |
| The panel is raised on blocks of wood to create space for the crystals |
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Centering the crystals
The panel is now raised on blocks of wood to create space underneath so that the crystals can be centered in the plane of the flat glass.
This is the point at which I discovered the degree of accuracy of the space I had created for the crystals.
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Bridging the gaps
Because the panel is no longer sitting flat on a surface, any gap around the crystal will allow the liquefied solder to simply run through and effectively vanish from the work.
About 30% of the crystals were thus affected and I had to resort to a variety of tricks to bridge these gaps so that the solder could do its job of creating a mechanical channel supporting the flat pieces of glass and the crystals.
Here a length of copper wire (extracted from some excess electrical cable) is used to wrap around the Serpent's eye.
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Dealing with the gaps - copper wire is used as a bridge |
| Cross-section view of a crystal in place |
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Here's the result
A cross section view of one of the crystals soldered in place.
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Installation
Once the panels are completed it is not possible to lay them flat any more and so I had to build a portable rack to hold them and accommodate the crystal protrusions.
It proved an excellent storage method and, being portable, meant I could easily carry the panels to where they were to be installed.
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The last 2 panels ready for installation |
| Carrying the last panel up the ladder |
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The journey aloft
I was keen to install each pair of panels once they were completed - more accidents happen to stained glass panels after they are completed and before they are installed than at any other time.
Carrying the panels up the ladder to the clerestory proved quite a heart-in -the-mouth experience - more so for any spectators than me as it turned out.
In the end it turned out to be a task I chose to do when no-one was around as the apprehension from onlookers was quite a distraction.
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Completion!
Here it is - the final panel in place and the clerestory completed.
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The final panel in place |
| The sun creates beams of intense colour - a view through the lens |
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The Serpent's Scales
When the sun shines directly on the crystals it creates beams of intense colour.
Here is what the camera sees when looking at the yellow part of the spectrum cast by a crystal.
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Rainbows on the roof
In the morning and afternoon - on a sunny day - the main rom is awash with rainbows - here's a glimpse of the roof
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Rainbows on the roof |
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