What Makes Dalle Stained Glass Unique?
If your Houston home or business has Dalle stained glass in or on it–you likely can see it is different from other types of stained glass but may not know exactly why. As it turns out, Dalle stained glass is a very unique expression of the traditional stained glass art form with some pretty significant differences. Below we compare traditional stained glass to Dalle stained glass so you can get an idea about what sets the two apart.
The Age of the Stained Glass Craft
Dalle Stained Glass: This type of stained glass was invented at the beginning of the 20th century–making it a little over 100 years old. Furthermore, we know a fair bit about how and when it was invented and many early pioneers of this stained glass method.
Traditional Stained Glass: This stained glass art form is incredibly old– in fact ancient. Some traditional stained glass was made well over 1000 years ago. However, we don’t have any information on who first made it or where.
The Thickness of Glass
Dalle Stained Glass: This type of stained glass is very thick– over 1” thick. It is produced massive blocks and then sawed or hammered into size. In fact, its name translates to “glass slab” in French.
Traditional Stained Glass: Uses a much thinner piece of glass in construction. Today’s production glass is about 1/8″ thick. It is usually made to the size of the panel in which it will sit and is thin enough to sand and cut with a glass cutter.
Type of Stained Glass Structure
Dalle Stained Glass: The pieces of glass in this type of stained glass is held in place by a thick concrete and epoxy frame. This substrate is poured onto the glass as it sits in a sand box. This means the glass and the frame are incredibly strong.
Traditional Stained Glass: Use wood frames with metal supports to hold the glass panels in place and the pieces are soldered together. While not fragile–traditional stained glass windows are not nearly as sturdy as Dalle stained glass.
The Stained Glass Restoration Process
Dalle Stained Glass: Since the concrete and epoxy framing is thick and tough to manipulate, this type of glass is very hard to repair and restore. The process involves chipping away the entire stone frame from the glass and then re-poured. This is very time consuming and expensive.
Traditional Stained Glass: Is much easier to remove and restore traditional stained glass since lead caming is soft and can be easily peeled away. Easier to do than chipping the frame off–there is a fair bit of artistry and care involved with traditional stained glass restoration.
For more information on either of these stained glass artforms and restoration and repair–contact us at Custom Stained Glass Houston today.