Run the soldering iron back and forth along a small distance to create a melted seam of solder. Melt a larger amount of solder onto the seams. To create the bead solder, apply a new layer of flux to the tinned seams. You only need to apply the bead solder to the front of the finished piece, as the tin solder is sufficient to hold together the back. Be sure to apply flux to all of the seams first.Д«ead soldering refers to a smooth, slightly rounded flow of solder used to create an aesthetically pleasing finish. This just means you apply a thin, flat amount of solder to all of the seams, completely coating all of the copper foil. Once all of the pieces are tacked together, you can tin the seams. To tack solder the pieces in place, apply dots of flux to desired areas, and melt a small blob of solder on top.Д«ecause I was using two different widths of glass, I originally tacked and soldered the piece from the back side so that the front would be flush.

First tack together your pieces, then tin the seams, then add the bead.ДЇlux must be applied to the copper foil before soldering. If you don't have access to one, just cut out the paper pattern and trace it onto the glass. Let me know if you've ever tried this and what your experiences were! Lightbox - A lightbox will help you transfer your design from paper to the glass. Safety Gloves - I've never used gloves during this process, but after counting the cuts on my fingers and hands from this last project (well in the double digits), I'm going to give latex gloves a shot for the next one. When you're cutting and grinding glass, little flecks of it will be flying everywhere! For this reason, I also recommend long sleeves when using an electric grinder. Safety Glasses - any type will do as long as they completely protect your eyes. It has a water-cooled grinding wheel that can rapidly grind down rough edges and even help achieve shapes that are more difficult to cut. If you can get access to one, I recommend an Electric Glass Grinder which makes quick work of the job. Grinder - if you're just starting out and don't want to make a big investment, you can use a Carborundum stone to file down the sharp edges of your glass after you've made the cuts. Brush every copper foiled surface with flux before soldering every time for best results. Flux - Flux is available in liquid or gel form (I find the gel to be more forgiving to work with), and is used to assist the solder flow between the copper taped pieces. Solder with a higher tin content has a lower melting point and will flow more quickly, with a more silvery finish. Solder - Solder is a mixture of tin and lead. For most projects, I prefer a wide soldering tip. Soldering Iron - You'll need a soldering iron that's designed for stained glass, minimum 75 watts. There are patinas available to change the finished color of your solder if you like. I used silver backed foil because I wanted the finished piece to be silver.

If you are using clear glass, the backing of the foil will be visible. This is important to keep in mind for the design of your piece. The copper foil is what gets soldered to hold the glass together! Copper foil also comes with silver or copper backing. Copper foil comes in a variety of widths to accommodate different thicknesses of glass. This technique uses copper foil which has an adhesive on one side to hold the glass pieces together. This is a completely different technique than I am showing you. Copper Foil - Some stained glass works use lead came, which is a lead channel that holds pieces of glass together. Running pliers are designed for snapping long cuts in the glass. Grozer pliers are designed for breaking glass and nipping off little edges. Cutting Oil - required to prolong the life of your glass cutter and improving the quality of your score on the glass Pliers - Do not use ordinary house pliers for this! There are two styles of pliers used in stained glass. I also like using a pistol-grip style cutter with the same features, but in a more ergonomic design. Here you see a tungsten carbide wheel cutter which has an oil reservoir in the handle. You'll see the wide world of glass available to you when you visit a stained glass supplier! Glass Cutter - these also come in a variety of styles. Hard to do a glass project without glass) - there are SO many kinds of glass available! I used a combination of streaky and textured glass for this project. You can always add to your collection as you go along (and trust me, it's hard not to!) It's best to find a specialist stained glass supplier for these materials. Here are a few essentials to get you started. There's a broad range of really fun materials involved in stained glass.

Stained glass design squares