Stained Glass Terms and Definitions

Stained Glass | Terms & Definitions - G
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Gadget: A metal rod with a spring clip that grips the foot of a vessel and so avoids the use of a pontil. Gadgets were first used in the late 18th century.

Gaffer: (English, corruption of "grandfather") The master craftsman in charge of a chair, or team, of hot-glass workers.

Gamboge: Yellow pigment. An ingredient of silver stain.

Gather: (noun) A mass of molten glass (sometimes called a gob) collected on the end of a blowpipe, pontil, or gathering iron; (verb) to collect molted glass on the end of a tool.

Gathering Iron: A long, thin rod used to gather molted glass.

Gemmaux: Technique where small pieces of colored glass are glued and then grouted to an underlying piece of clear window glass.

Gilding: The process of decorating glass by the use of gold leaf, gold paint, or gold dust. The gilding may be applied with size, or amalgamated with mercury. It is then usually fixed to the glass by heat. Gold leaf may be picked up on a gather of hot glass.

Glass: A homogeneous material with a random, liquid like (non-crystalline) molecular structure. The manufacturing process requires that the raw materials be heated to a temperature sufficient to produce a completely fused melt, which, when cooled rapidly, becomes rigid without crystallizing.

Glass Bending: Process of applying heat to a shaped piece of glass (blank) placed on a sagging or drape mold to create a shaped piece of glass with a specific three dimensional form. Bent panel lamps are an example of this process.

Glass Globs: Thick, free-form rounded pieces of stained glass in various sizes. Often used to replace smaller round pieces in a design, such as grapes in a cluster, a flower center, or to add dimensional interest to a piece. Sizes range from ~¼" to up to ~2" in diameter and come in a variety of cathedral and opal colors. Also called nuggets.

Glass Jewels: Can be faceted, hollow backed, reflective, bullseye, or other shapes. Unlike globs that are free formed, jewels are made in a metal mold and then tailored and polished. Sometimes referred to as pressed jewels.

Glass Paint: Traditionally these are vitreous paints composed of metallic oxides and ground glass in a liquid vehicle and then fired on glass. Today there many different types of paints and stains that can be applied to glass, their permanency varies with method of application.

Glass Pliers: Instruments with wide, toothed jaws that are good for breaking away small edges and rough-grozing score lines.

Glazes: (1) Mixture used in ceramics to apply colors to a vessel. (2) Products used in kilnwoking designed to prevent or reverse divitrification in the glass.

Glazing: The process of assembling pieces of glass and lead to make a window.

Glazing Hammer: Specially designed hammer used in lead came construction. On head is rubber for tapping glass into place and the other head is hard for use on lead or nails.

Globe: The generally a milky white glass balloon like covering of a bulb inside some lampshades, producing a formal effect and softening the light.

Glory Hole: A hole in the side of a glass furnace, used to reheat glass that is being fashioned or decorated. The glory hole is also used to fire-polish cast glass to remove imperfections remaining from the mold.

Glue Chip Glass: A unique surface texture created by applying a thin layer of animal hide glue to a cathedral glass and then heated in an oven. As the glue dries it pulls away from the glass surface and chips it. Different patterns created include single, double, and oceanic. The texture is often described as feathered or like frost on a window pane. Also called as chipped glass.

Goblet: A drinking vessel with a bowl that rests on a stemmed foot.

Goethe Glass: A clear blown glass without seeds or striation, just a slight surface distortion from the blowing process, similar to old window glass.

Gothic: A style, generally referring to architecture, found in western Europe from 12th through 16th centuries.

G.N.A: Acronym for German New Antique, a machine-drawn antique glass.

Granite Back Glass: Texture created in the back of some glasses to fragment the light passing through. It is created by passing the still molten sheet of glass through patterned rollers.

Grisaille: Process developed in 13th century where the bulk of the windows use white or gray and extensive leading. An example is the Five Sisters window in York Cathedral.

Grinder: Generalized term for a router like tool used in stained glass to grind and shape glass pieces. The vertically mounted motor turns a diamond coated head at roughly 3000 rpm's while water is applied to the surface to provide lubrication and cool.

Grout: The colored material used in the mosaic process to fill in the voids between the individual tiles or pieces that make up the design. Sanded grouts are used mostly for outdoor work, latex based ones for indoor.

Grozing: The act of wearing away small pinpoints, flares, and areas of a cut piece of glass using fine toothed pliers called groziers. It is done to improve the fit and shape of a piece of glass being used in a stained glass work.

The sources for this material include:
•Glass: A Pocket Dictionary of Terms Commonly Used to Describe Glass and Glassmaking.
Compiled by David Whitehouse, 88 pp., 47 illus., 1993
•How to Work in Stained Glass. Anita & Seymour Isenberg, 247 pp., 1972
•Stained Glass Lamps. Anita & Seymour Isenberg, 222 pp., 1972
•The Techniques of Stained Glass. Partrick Reyntiens, 168 pp. 1977
•The Coming Museum Website: www.cmog.org
• The Stained Glass Association of America Website: www.stainedglass.org