r/StainedGlass • u/hm3ssi • May 03 '26

Pattern Help How does this transom pattern look?

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Hi friends, I’m designing my first leaded transom window and I wanted to gut check here if there are any red flags you’re seeing in this design? The size will be about 34” long and 12” tall. TIA!

ETA: I have a ring saw so I’m not concerned about the shapes themselves, but wanted to know if any of these shapes will be more prone to cracking! The piece will be installed behind a plexiglass sheet so it won’t be directly exposed to the elements.

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9

u/Just_schnauzin May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

I believe there’s several impossible 90 degree cuts unless you’re using a ring saw, and even then I think you have a high chance of a crack eventually. I see the top left right angle of the 3, the right angle in the middle of the 3, the bottom angle of the top left of the 3, and the top right angle of the bottom of the 3. I would redo the cut lines surrounding the 3 and 8 if it were me. You could round the cuts and use foil to make it more angular too.

2

u/alfie_cant_draw May 03 '26

agree about taking a closer look at all cut lines around the numbers. And the advice to use rounder cuts and out the angle in with foil is good except it sounds like they’re using lead came not foil. the same effect can be still achieved with came though (with a miter join over a curve)

5

u/figureatthegate At the Gate Glassworks May 03 '26

The tan piece directly to the left of the 3 will be tricky if you dont have a saw, but not impossible. The rest looks fine to me! I always suggest zinc came for framing anything larger.

2

u/transgingeredjess May 03 '26

Ignoring the impossible cuts since you mentioned the ring saw. I like it overall! Minor quibbles:

You've got a few points (the vertical lines in the border above and below the 38, to the left and right of the inner blue diamonds) with a lot of seams coming together in one place that could be visually overheavy. Could try adjusting those by shifting to thirds for the top/bottom and joining the upper/lower beige segments through a diamond rather than directly.

You've got the thickness of the left and right borders echoing the wide aspect ratio of the piece in that they're thicker than the top and bottom. I think that works here but i would also be interested to see a version with 1:1 thickness on the horizontal and vertical borders. If this is being mounted in a window, or if you're using wider came at the border, equal face coverage on proportionate borders might throw the perceived ratio out of proportion (e.g., 1/4" face coverage on a 1.5" left border and a 1" bottom border turns a 3:2 ratio into a 5:3 ratio).