How To Solder – New Link on Tutorials Page

 GlassTips, Tutorials  No Responses »
Aug 042011
 

A big thank you to Sarah, who is teaching an arts and crafts class at the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library in Jericho, VT this summer making art out of recyclable goods.  Sarah kindly told me that my Guide To Stained Glass Tutorials & Tips on the Web was helpful with the technical aspects of herarts and crafts class project.  Sarah also sent me a link to add to the tutorial links page that I have just posted in the Soldering section.

The link is to a page on the Appliance Parts Pros website entitled How To Solder. The page contains links to several other resources, and though the focus of many of the links is on electrical soldering, much of the information on theory, safety, and some techniques will be of interest to stained glass artists, as well.

Thanks, Sarah, and good luck with your arts and crafts class project!

Say Goodbye to Bullseye Ring Mottle Glass

 GlassTips, Stained Glass Announcements  No Responses »
Mar 082007
 

I may be the last to know, but I thought I’d mention that Bullseye has decided to discontinue their beautiful ring mottle glass this year.

Apparently, they are doing this because the ring mottle glass is not fusible. It looks like they are tailoring their product line for hot glass enthusiasts, and doing away with glass that can only be used for stained glass art.

It is such a shame that we will no longer have this beautiful glass. Bullseye Ring Mottle is the perfect glass for frogs and other amphibians. It also looks great for butterflies, plants, and other natural creatures and settings.

ringmottlegrn.jpgI remember buying some dark green ring mottle, because I simply could not resist it. I did not have a project in mind, and I have still not used it, but I still love it. My glass is like the sample shown here.
I will prize it more now, and I will look carefully for the perfect project. (I will also try to have some left over.)

If you have already made a project with ring mottle, you may want to buy some matching glass now while it is still available. If you ever need to make a repair it will be tough to match it in the future.

I am very disappointed. Hopefully, one of the other glass manufacturers will step in to fill this void.

Here is a link to Bullseye’s announcement about discontinuing ring mottle.

Glass Patterns Quarterly- Highly Recommended

 Free Stained Glass Patterns, GlassTips, Stained Glass Books, Tutorials  No Responses »
Feb 102007
 

gpqmag.jpgI highly recommend Glass Patterns Quarterly as a source of free patterns, tutorials, inspiration, and just plain good information regarding stained glass, hot glass, glass beads, etc.

I have read on other websites that this a magazine just for beginners, but do not be misled. While it is an excellent source of basic, yet attractive suncatcher patterns, and usually contains at least one beginner pattern with step-by-step photographed instructions, it also has more advanced patterns, and it is a source of inspiration regardless of experience level.

The Winter 2006 issue, for example, features Playing Hands, a pattern by artist Robert Oddy which requires glass plating. The description and well-photographed step-by-step instructions by the artist give a good introduction to this intriguing, more advanced technique.

The elegant and graceful Egrets panel, designed by Mark Waterbury, is another more advanced pattern that utilizes brass rods, and copper foil and copper wire overlay in construction.

For beginners to the lead came method there is a simple lead panel with materials list and step-by-step instructions with photographs.
The same issue also offers at least eight straightforward Celtic freeform suncatcher patterns and more than a dozen others requiring beginner to intermediate skills.

All of the patterns I have described are contained in a removable center section of the magazine.

As you can see, this quarterly publication has a great deal to offer and is absorbing reading. Even the ads are interesting, showcasing the latest supplies and tools available for stained glass.

You can order Glass Patterns Quarterly by clicking on this link.

Copper Patina Rx

 GlassTips  1 Response »
Dec 272006
 

I was working on a stained glass panel recently on which I intended to use copper patina. The common wisdom is to use the copper patina immediately after you have soldered and cleaned the piece; delay results in black spots or blotches in the patina.

Unfortunately, I was called away just after I completed my soldering and clean up, and it was a few days before I could get back into my studio to work again. I was not looking forward to the problems I would face with my copper patina, so I kept putting it off. I procrastinated so successfully that three weeks went by before I forced myself to deal with the problem.

I searched the internet for answers and only found more reinforcement for the position that a decent copper patina simply could not be achieved even 24 hours after the completion of the soldering and clean up.
Hmmm . . . Bad news, but I was determined to go forward and make this work.

The decision regarding patina must be reached early on in the life of a project when the foil is applied. Depending on the patina selected, black-backed, copper-backed, or silver-backed foil is used on clear or cathedral glass where the backing will show through.

The panel I was working on included some clear glass and some light colored cathedrals, so the copper backed foil I had used (in anticipation of applying copper patina) would stand out clearly and glaringly, unless I could achieve a decent copper patina.

The reason for proceeding immediately is to avoid any oxidation or contamination which will spoil the result, so I decided to clean the soldered seams as much as I could.

I washed and scrubbed the project in dish soap and baking soda, and it looked pretty good. I then decided to make use of my Dremel. I experimented until I found a metal brush attachment that would clean up the solder seams without destroying them. I went over all of the seams carefully with the Dremel with the metal brush attachment. As a last step, I polished the piece with Kem-O-Pro Finishing Compound (probably any good polish would do,) and buffed it with the Dremel and by hand until no more black would come off and the piece was a shiny silver. That was a lot of work, but well worth it!

Finally, I applied the copper patina and dried the piece with paper towels. (Note: Do not wash the piece with water again. Water will discolor the patina and leave the spots and blotches we all dislike so much.)

Success! I had a rich clear even copper patina with no spots or blotches. Woo hoo!

The best scenario is to immediately patina, but if you encounter a delay, such as I did, be reassured. You can still achieve a beautiful copper patina. Do a thorough job of washing with dish soap and baking soda (to remove any flux residue,) and then polish, polish, polish. If you do not have a Dremel, just apply more elbow grease with your polishing. I believe that the most important step is to polish the piece until no more black comes off and it shines silver.

For more helpful hints on how to finish your stained glass pieces visit our Tutorials on the Web page and view the finishing section. Go forth and patina with confidence.

Stained Glass Tutorials Up-dated & Revised

 GlassTips, Tutorials  No Responses »
Dec 072006
 

Late last night (or was it very early this morning?) we made a complete overhaul and up-date of our Guide to [tag]Stained Glass Tutorials[/tag], Tips & Techniques on the Net page. Whew!
We added a LOT of links and organized the entire page according to the type of information each link has to offer. There are links for categories such as soldering, lead came method, how to make lamps, and a whole bunch of others.

Go check it out and try some of these tips today.

Make a Quick Christmas Suncatcher

 GlassTips, Tools & Supplies  No Responses »
Nov 292006
 

Christmas is fast approaching. Have you got your suncatchers, ornaments, and Christmas gifts ready yet? it can be difficult to complete projects quickly with work, school, kids, and other competing responsibilities.

Don’t panic! Here’s a suggestion to help you finish early with less stress. Have you considered a pre-cut stained glass kit?

It’s OK, it’s not really cheating. After all, it’s better to create a nice looking piece from a kit than not to create one at all. Most of your family and friends won’t even know that you cheated er, took a shortcut.

Go ahead and just take a look at some of the really cute pre-cut kits available. They might make great projects to do with your kids. Order soon and take care of other things while your pre-cut kit is shipped to you.

DelphiGlass.com has seasonal pre-cut kits like the one pictured here. Just follow the link at left and enter pre-cut-kits in their search bar. Look for a selection of Santas, crosses, Cardinals (pictured,) Snowman nightlight, poinsettia wreath, Christmas Moose, etc.

Check for more holiday and seasonal pre-cut stained glass kits at:

AmeriGlas  |  Maple City Stained Glass  |  Down East Stained Glass

Links to Stained Glass Tutorials & More

 Free Stained Glass Patterns, GlassTips, Stained Glass Announcements  No Responses »
Nov 262006
 

We recently added a new guide to Stained Glass Tutorials on the web. We will be adding to it whenever we discover a new stained glass tutorial or page with stained glass tips and advice. There are tutorials listed for everything from soldering to making a stained glass lamp or stained glass box. The tutorials are written by very talented individuals who are generously sharing their knowledge and experience on the internet. You don’t want to miss these.

If you haven’t been there already, take a look at our new Glass Sorcery Guide to Stained Glass Patterns on the Web. We are creating a guide with links to FREE stained glass patterns that you can access throughout the internet and stained glass pattern books that you can purchase online. As with all of our site, this guide will continue to grow as we add new links every week, so bookmark our site and stop by often.

Another new page contains a guide to other websites that also have links to stained glass patterns on the web.

You are sure to find something of interest on these pages. Happy browsing!

Stained Glass Mermaid Pattern from Stencil

 Animal Patterns, GlassTips, Reviews, Stained Glass Books  1 Response »
Nov 142006
 

Many years ago I purchased a copy of Fish and Sea Life Cut & Use Stencils by Ted Menten. Yesterday I was looking for inspiration and I came across it and decided to make a stained glass pattern out of one of the stencils. I chose to make the mermaid that appears on the cover of the book.

Here is a color view of the stained glass pattern I made from the stencil. Click the picture for an enlarged view.

You can easily convert these stencils into stained glass patterns or use them for mosaics. I made my pattern by scanning the stencil, saving as a jpg and bringing it up in my Glass Eye 2000 where I could modify it into a stained glass pattern. This particular pattern may require the use of a glass saw to make some of the cuts.

I highly recommend this book. It contains stencils of many different fish, seahorses, shells, crustaceans, underwater plants, octopus, a mermaid, King Neptune, etc.

This book is still available after all of these years (my copy was published in 1983,) which says good things about its popularity. You can buy the book by clicking this link.

Stained Glass Tip: The Best Solder Makes the Best Seam

 GlassTips, Tools & Supplies  No Responses »
Nov 072006
 

In order to get the best solder seam you must use high quality solder. One solder that I have come to trust is Canfield solder. Their quality is very consistent. A major reason for this is that Canfield makes its own solder. Stained glass teacher Vicki Payne recommended Canfield in a seminar I took at Glass Expo 2005. You can find Canfield solder at Delphi Glass.

Some companies market solder that they do not make. They obtain it from a variety of sources which results in inconsistent quality. Further, if the supplier they buy from uses re-cycled materials, the solder can include impurities that contaminate it and ruin your soldering.

Another possible source of contamination in your solder is the materials you are working on; if you spend too much time working and re-working an area, copper and other contaminants may leach from your work into the solder.
After you have spent all that money on beautiful glass, don’t ruin it with second rate solder.

Book on Decorative Stained Glass Soldering

 GlassTips, Stained Glass Artists, Stained Glass Books  No Responses »
Nov 072006
 

I came across a book on decorative soldering entitled Solder Magic Book: Instructions and Patterns by Kay Bain Weiner that sounded interesting.

I looked the book up on Amazon and I found it has two reviews: one review rated it two out of five stars and the other rated it five out of five stars. Neither review was very helpful. the 2-star review just said that there wasn’t much information in the book and you could find it all online, while the 5-star review was just a quote right out of the introduction to the book. (You can read the same thing when you use Amazon’s “search inside” tool.) This didn’t seem very promising, however, the author was just named recipient of the 2006 Art Glass Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Hopefully, that says something for her abilities as a teacher.

Ms. Weiner has written several other how-to books on art glass techniques. For more information see her website. http://kaybainweiner.com/KBW/

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