Double-glazed units & stained glass ?

I've done it quite a few times. The overall size of the panel should somewhat dictate the thickness of the float, and if it is going to be installed in a door or over a bathtub, the sheet glass must be tempered. Remember that the overall finished size of the IGU (insulated glass unit) will be 1/2 to 3/4" bigger than your art glass panel because of the spacer/dessicant/sealant. The two pieces of float are sealed together, and the art panel just "floats" in the cavity.

Hi Moon

Thank for that. It seemed like a fairly simple exercise (or so the glazing company guy said).

He wanted an extra 1/2" on each side of the panel - so a 12" panel would become a 13" sealed unit. Not a problem so long as you know the rules in advance!

Most of the stuff they do this way is 'faux-stained' - the 'plastic lead & coloured film' stuff... - but he said that they'd been asked about 'real' stained glass...

It'd be a solution for those customers who want their stained glass panels fitted to exterior windows....

...think I'll make up something simple and get it encapsulated as a sample..

Thanks Adrian

Mo> I've done it quite a few times. The overall size of the panel should

Most spacer bars are about 3/8" wide. I build my work to be 1" smaller than the finished unit. This allows about 1/8" on the side for the butyl to fill. Keep in mind that if your work is heavy then you'll need something like small neoprene blocks inserted into the butyl on the bottom to keep the weight of the panel from pushing down on the spacer bar. If this window gets a lot of sun, believe me...you'll want those blocks in there. My units are all built with aluminum spacer bars and have desicant inside the bars. Most shops won't guarentee that the unit won't fail...something to consider. 99% of all my units are 5/8" thick overall.

Ah right - that's a thought.... is that something that your d/g unit man supplied - or did yu source that yourself ?

Probably best to work on the assumption that we'll get some sun - though last year was pretty wet & miserable !

OK - thanks. The local d/g man did say 'we'll not guarantee it' - but I guess he's just covering his a**e

He also suggested the use of small 'bump stops' in the centre of wider windows - in case the stained glass should bend or warp.... I guess that's a possibility, if the window was (say) top-hinged - and left open in the heat of the summer sun. He reckoned that these little bump stops were all but invisible in use...

OK - thanks !

Adrian

I have a flat glass shop that does my units. I've worked with for almost 20 years. They discount to me and I discount to them on specialty glass. It's a good business relationship that benefits both of us.

Not only that but he can't control the weight of the panel inside. Lots of the new sidelight casing only have about a 5/8" wide lip so with a 3/8" spacer bar and an 1/8 for the butyl there's not much covered up with the wood trim. The inner unit doesn't have to sink much before you can see a space at the very top.

Not sure about the bump stop thing. Leaded units are really close to

5/16" thick and with the space inside the IG being 3/8, there's not much chance, if any, of the stained glass warping or bending. Butyl is strong stuff. Same with the adhesive on the SuperSpacer. Get a small unit built...let it sit around a month or two and then try to take it apart.

Chemo

Excellent - that's the kind of thing I'm hoping for with my local d/g shop. They used to refer clients to another studio - but he retired last year - so I'm hoping to build up one of those 'win/win' relationships

Fair point...

I was planning on doing the panels tiffany-style - which will maybe be a little thinner - but I think the best plan is to suck it & see...

Thanks Adrian