Blenko Glass - Knows Stain Glass

NOTE: I apologize for Confusion - BLENKO DOES NOT SELL WINDOWS - They teach CLASSES, They Sell GLASS, and they can REFER you to the BEST ARTIST of Stain GLass their customers. hjh

Photos are of my Parents' basement windows - made with BLENKO GLASS in a class taught by BLENKO GLASS http://www.blenkoglass.com/ phone 304 743 9081 ask for Don Lemley.

Blenko Glass has been making Dalle de Verre glass for more than 60 years. Don Lemley is Head of Stain and Antique Glass at Blenko is an outstanding Artist. More than most artist, he knows the product (glass) Don worked in many departments at Blenko and has spent his entire adult life working with antique and stain glass.

Don Lemley and his crew offer support, advice, help with design, color selection etc. They will either make the glass for your new home - for your church, or assist you in finding the appropriate artist.

Don Lemley teaches Stain Glass (dalle de verre technique) at Blenko. You might want to take a glass and then decide which window you want to replace. Don has taught at TAYLOR'S BOOK Store in Charleston - get a group together, talk with Ann Saville and avoid the drive to Milton.

My own parents did the Blenko Stain Glass Class in 06 and 07. It was a 4 l/2 hour class that cost about $150. Both enjoyed the class, my Dad had completed windows using copper foil method, my Mom describes herself as 'not' skilled!

Recently they spend 2 days at BLENKO, during the 2 days they made a total of 4 windows for the basement. One window was made of the left over pieces. My Dad then following Lemley's direction installed the windows himself. Note: This Dad is a lawyer, who had never before replaced a window.

If you are building or remodeling and have a window or door where colored glass could add so much, THINK BLENKO!

If you are like my Mom and don't like to spend a lot of money - try the class - you may discover you'd rather pay to have the window made, or like my parents you may just like the process so much you want to have BLENKO GLASS windows everywhere!

My Mom's new dream project is a large 3x5ft window - I'll let you know if she talks my Dad and Don Lemley into helping her with this window.

Below is information from WEBMASTER STEVE taken from Internet.
Dalle de Verre
Technic description
Dalle de verre ( literally “slab of glass” ) is a French term for a block of cast glass, usually 3-5 cm thick and measuring 20x20cm or 30x20cm. The use of dalle de verre is a derivation from traditional stained glass techniques, in which windows are constructed from pieces of slab attached to each other with concrete or resins. The execution of a window in dalle de verre requires the same initial steps as would a traditional stained glass window set with lead came. Beforehand, there must be generated a model on a scale of 1:10, a cartoon to establish reference points, a precise layout transferred to tracing paper, and thick paper cutouts of each piece. Cutting the very thick sheets is begun by scoring with a saw or diamond, then completed with a tungsten carbide plated hammer. The cut can be left rough and jagged intentionally to create an interesting play of light. The pieces are then placed inside a wooden frame of the window’s exact dimensions. Before proceeding to pouring, a metal support must be prepared for the concrete. The practitioner pours a first layer of concrete, then puts in place the metal support, before pouring a second layer. After a few hours the whole surface of the window is covered in saw dust to help clean the glass of any excess concrete or resin.
History
Introduced by the master French glassmaker Jean Gaudin, this modern technique first appeared in 1927. Its development coincided with the emergence of contemporary reinforced concrete architecture and the construction of certain postwar religious edifices. Dalle de verre eventually triumphed over the prejudices of its detractors and became instrumental in the reconstruction of older edifices as well. It gave birth to some masterpieces like the vast window by Fernand Léger for the Sacré Coeur church of Audincourt in 1951. Certain practitioners are just as comfortable using traditional stained glass as they are using dalle de verre -- like Gabriel Loire who introduced this technique to the United States in 1955 at the First Presbyterian Church of Stamford, Connecticut. His Children’s Tower at the Japanese Museum in Hakone draws us into its spiral, evoking the poetic universe of childhood. Similarly, the artist Alfred Manessier uses with equal assurance both dalle de verre and the ancestral technique of stained glass, using the one in the church of Alby-sur-Cheran (1978) and the other in the Fribourg cathedral (1976).
News
Nowadays, the technique of the "Dalle de Verre" is in constant evolution thanks to the discovery of new resins which make it possible to improve its aesthetic possibilities.
Glass makers . DON LEMLEY at BLENKO GLASS http://www.blenkoglass.com/ (304 743 9081 and his crew know the technique. They can sell you materials, TEACH you to do your own, or MAKE IT FOR YOU, Church windows are a speciality at BLENKO GLASS.

Don Lemley also knows all the best artist, so if you are looking for a recommendation ask him. He will also help with color selection and design.

At Blenko GLASS we want to be your partnein all things Glass.

BLENKO GLASS MADE IN THE USA!

Steve also sent this from the web. Can you give a ball-park of the costs for faceted art glass?
We must emphasize that every project is unique and must be estimated on its own merits. However, a rough guide is that when we design and fabricate moderate complexity designs in faceted glass, the range is usually between $150 and $220 per square foot. Please get a project-specific quotation. Check with DON LEMLEY I bet he knows how to lower the price!