You upload a photo and Tedooo's design technology draws it in glass in about a minute. Once you approve a design, the two of us cut the glass by hand, paint it, fire it at 1,465°F, lead and solder the pieces, fit the brass frame and chain, sign the back, and post it in two to three weeks.
What happens when I upload a photo?
Tedooo's design technology reads the photo and draws it as a piece of glass: the lead lines first, then the glass colours, then how it looks with the sun behind it, then hung on a wall. It takes about a minute, it is free, and there is no card and no account to make first.
- Reading your photo: every detail matters, the eyes most of all.
- Drawing the lead lines: turning the photo into a piece of glass.
- Choosing the glass: colour, depth, and the way it takes the light.
- Letting the light through: how it will look with the sun behind it.
- Hanging it on your wall: the design shown in the room, on its chain.
If the first design is not right, change the words, the tone or the photo and run it again, as many times as you like; it stays free until you approve one. If it is still not there, one of us will draw it by hand instead: say so in the box and we will be in touch the same day. What makes a photo draw well is in the photo guide.
Who checks the design before cutting starts?
One of us does, against your photograph, before we start. The approved design is what we work to, which is why the approving happens before the paying, and nothing is cut until your payment has cleared.
That check is a human one. One buyer who ordered a memorial piece wrote that we asked her two questions about the photograph before starting, and that both were the right questions. The order is sold and checked out through Tedooo; nothing is charged until you check out, and because the piece is then made for one person, it is not returnable. The check is there so that the piece that arrives is the piece you approved.
How is the glass cut, painted and fired?
Each piece of glass is cut by hand from sheet, following the lead lines of the approved design. The pieces are painted, then fired in the kiln at 1,465°F, which fuses the colour into the glass rather than leaving it on the surface.
A machine has never touched the glass. Two people cut, paint, fire and lead every piece. Now and then a batch waits an extra day in the kiln for the colour to come right; when it does, we tell you, because an honest extra day is better than a date you watch go past. What each material is and why is on the materials page.
How is it leaded, framed and finished?
Out of the kiln, the pieces are leaded and soldered together by hand, and a brass frame is soldered around the edge. A brass chain goes on the frame, and the back is signed.
| Stage | Done by | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing | Tedooo technology | Your photo becomes a glass design in about a minute, free |
| Checking | One of us | The design is checked against your photograph before anything is cut |
| Cutting and painting | Us, by hand | Each piece of glass is cut from sheet to the lead lines and painted |
| Firing | Our kiln | Fired at 1,465°F so the colour is in the glass |
| Leading and framing | Us, by hand | Pieces soldered together, brass frame and chain fitted, signed on the back |
| Packing | Us | Double-walled box, tracked all the way to your door |
How is it packed and sent?
It goes into a double-walled box and is tracked all the way to your door. A custom piece is made in two to three weeks and then posted; a ready-made piece from the shop leaves within three to five days.
Shipping and any duties are calculated at checkout, and we ship worldwide. The timing, stage by stage, is laid out in how long a custom suncatcher takes. Ready to begin? Upload a photo on the create page and see it drawn before you decide anything.
Questions this leaves
Is the design drawn by a person or by software?
The first drawing comes back from Tedooo's design technology, the same engine behind every made-to-order piece on the marketplace. The checking, cutting, painting, firing and leading are done by the two of us. If the software cannot get your design right, one of us draws it by hand instead.
Once I have approved a design, can I still alter it?
Before you approve, you can change the words, the tone or the photo and run it again as often as you like, free. After you approve and check out, the approved design is what we cut, so if something is bothering you, message us before you buy; a person answers.
What happens to my photo afterwards?
Only one thing: it is the reference we draw your piece from and check the design against. We do not resell it, publish it or feed it to anything that learns, and once the order closes it is deleted.
