Hi Tony and all, Back in my youth, a church I attended was very proud of an ancient stained glass window that they had obtained from an old church in Europe. They were continually soliciting funds to replace various bits and pieces of the glass because they had faded! Some in only 3 year periods of time. The specific colors and makers of the glass were of course very expensive. They finally had to give up the window due the cost of upkeep. The paint, I've been told, can be stripped and repainted where it has faded or changed color. In looking around for paints that would withstand light exposure, and this was long ago, I found that there were various grades and standards for light exposure tolerance. Very, very few were rated for full outdoor exposure in full sun for long periods, a very restricted pallete indeed. A wider pallete of colors always involved some colors with only an estimated 5 year life. Further study discovered that atmospheric effects other than light were also a major factor. Various smog, smoke, vapours, etc. reduced the period of color retention to very short periods. I guess this explains the great number of really ugly signs that one sees while motoring about. Paints are often easier to strip and replace than other methods. I guess it just pays to be forewarned and plan for it.
Subject: Re: Mock SGS Date sent: Tue, 17 Feb 04 20:40:52 +0000 From: tony moss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Sundial Mail List" <[email protected]> Send reply to: [email protected] > Fellow Shadow Watchers, > About 12 years ago I built an extension to my > workshop which, from the outside, looks like a garden conservatory. To > avoid overlooking my neighbour's garden and to reinforce the > 'conservatory' image I used double glazed units which are frosted in the > lower half and 'mock stained glass' above. First of all a paper > 'cartoon' was made and self-adhesive lead strips was laid on the glass in > between the sealed units to match the cartoon. > > The point of my story is that the special 'glass paints' which were used > to add colour to my design were said to be UV proof and permanent by the > specialist shop which supplied them. Not so! All of the yellows and > green have almost faded away completely leaving only the strongest reds > remaining. A lot of time and effort went into those windows which is now > largely seen as wasted. > > If you are seeking something which will endure then Beware! > > Tony Moss > - -
