removing paint

[kwills]

Hi -
I'm hoping someone can help me.  I know nothing about stained glass - I'm a fused-glass artist and I don't use paint in my work.  There's a window at my church which has Roman numerals painted onto it - incorrectly.  Since my pastor knows that I work with glass, he's asked me if there's a way to fix this.  Can fired paint be removed from glass?

Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,
Katie

[Spiritlightstudios]

Katie,
If the paint is fired into the glass, it is unlikely that it will come off, and any effort at  doing so with abrasives or scraping may well damage the glass surface, leaving you in worse shape than when you began.  If the figures are painted 'on' the glass, rather than having been fired 'into' the glass, it may come off without damage.  The prudent course is to find an experienced and reliable stained glass restoration person in your area who is willing to take a look.  It is likely that this person can suggest a way to accomplish the repair without threatening the integrity of the window.  Your pastor will appreciate your careful approach to this situation.

[John]

Stained glass paint is actually a low melting point glass powder that is applied to the surface of the glass, then fused to the glass in the kiln.  There's no way to remove the paint. You'll have to have a new piece painted to replace the incorrect piece. 

[rpettyjohn]

Call White Stained Glass Studio (941) 923-4711 and speak to Ron Estep.  He is one of the best glass painters in the country and could tell you what you need to do.

[Enrique Laks]

Katie:
It is not easy to suggest a solution without enough information. You should approach this matter carefully, step by step. The window has probably been there for many years and there is no need to fix it in a hurry. As a very first step you should try and find out if the numerals' pigments have been fired into the glass and became part of the glass itself. Since you work with glass you may try to find that out yourself by trying very carefully to scratch a very little part of the wrong numerals, perhaps you will find a partly hidden side. If you find out that you can take part of the pigments out of the glass you will know that the paint has not been fired; or perhaps it has been incorrectly fired at a low temperature and the pigments did not consolidate into the glass. That initial information is needed before taking any further step.