Patrick Anthony

Case study 04 of 04

Stained glass

Three large lead came panels: two for myself and one I am donating to Hindu Temple St. John's. Each one starts as a full-size pattern, and every piece of glass has to be cut to fit its place in that pattern.

Role
Pattern drafting, cutting, assembly and soldering, working with my father
Timeline
2020 to present
Pieces
Three: Back to the Future DeLorean, Shelby logo, Hindu Temple St. John's logo
Method
Lead came, in a vintage cathedral style
Key processes
Pattern drafting by projection, glass cutting and grinding, lead came assembly, soldering
Status
DeLorean complete. Shelby complete. Temple piece finished; support bars in progress before donation in November 2026.
Patrick and his father in gloves working on the 5 ft circular Shelby panel laid flat on a large table
FIG. 01Working on the 5 ft Shelby panel with my father, March 2024

01

Starting point

Stained glass is fabrication to a drawing. A full-size pattern sets every line, and each piece of glass has to be cut and ground to that line. Small errors add up across a panel: if pieces run large, the came will not close around them, and if they run small, the panel ends up loose and out of shape.

Each of these panels began with an image I wanted to build: the rear of the DeLorean from Back to the Future, my favourite movie; the old Shelby logo; and the logo of Hindu Temple St. John's.

02

Constraints

  • Size. The Shelby panel is 5 ft in diameter. A lead came panel that large can bow or collapse under its own weight without support.
  • Accumulated error. Every piece has to sit on its pattern line, because small errors in many pieces add up across the panel.
  • Donation piece. The temple panel has to be finished and made strong enough to stand before it is handed over in November 2026.

03

Process

  1. Step 1

    Pattern

    I project the logo or image onto paper at full size and trace it into a pattern, then number every piece so each cut piece has a known place in the panel.

    Full-size paper pattern for the temple panel covering a table, every piece outlined and numbered, with the first red glass pieces placed on it
    FIG. 02Full-size pattern for the temple panel with numbered pieces, February 2023

  2. Step 2

    Cut and grind to the line

    Each piece is cut from sheet glass and ground on a glass grinder until it sits on its line in the pattern.

    Glass grinder on the table beside the partly built temple panel, with the orange Om symbol and red maple leaf pieces held in place by wooden strips
    FIG. 03Grinding pieces to fit beside the temple panel, December 2024

  3. Step 3

    Assemble in lead came

    The pieces are fitted into lead came, which holds every edge. Wooden strips fixed around the work keep the assembly tight as it grows.

    The Shelby panel during assembly on the workbench, held in by wooden strips, with a printed Shelby logo and a steel rule beside it
    FIG. 04Shelby panel in assembly, with the reference logo and rule

  4. Step 4

    Solder

    Every joint where strips of came meet is soldered, which locks the panel into one piece.

    Close view of the Shelby lettering and snake, showing grey lead came lines and soldered joints between red, white and dark glass
    FIG. 05Came lines and soldered joints on the Shelby panel

  5. Step 5

    Support

    A large lead came panel needs support bars so it does not bow or collapse. The temple panel is finished, and I am now making the support bars that go around it.

04

The three panels

Personal / 2 ft by 3.5 ft

Back to the Future DeLorean

The rear of the DeLorean from Back to the Future, my favourite movie.

Finished stained glass panel of the rear of the DeLorean, lit from behind in a window, with grey body panels, red tail lights and the OUTATIME plate
FIG. 06The finished DeLorean panel, lit from behind

Personal / 5 ft diameter

Shelby logo

The old Shelby logo with the snake in the background.

The full circular Shelby panel on the work table, red outer ring and SHELBY lettering across a snake on a white background
FIG. 07The Shelby panel near completion, March 2024

Donation / 5 ft diameter

Hindu Temple St. John's

The temple's logo: the Om symbol set in a red maple leaf. The panel is finished. Once its support bars are made, I will donate it to Hindu Temple St. John's in November 2026.

The red maple leaf and orange Om symbol assembled in lead came, held by wooden strips on the work table
FIG. 08Maple leaf and Om assembled, December 2024
Overhead view of the circular temple panel with the Om in the maple leaf at the centre and a white and clear border ring
FIG. 09The temple panel with its border, April 2026

Photos of this piece are shown with the permission of Hindu Temple St. John's.

05

Result

The DeLorean and Shelby panels are complete. The temple panel is finished and will be donated to Hindu Temple St. John's in November 2026, once its support bars are made.

06

What I would do differently

I would pay closer attention to the size of each piece as I cut it. When pieces come out close to the pattern, there is less grinding and adjusting to make them fit together. That makes leading and soldering go much more smoothly.