Solder Stained Glass

Stained glass is an ideal craft for creating a beautiful ornament, picture frame, or window decoration. Learning how to solder stained glass can open up the door to a lot of great craft ideas. This article will walk you through the steps of soldering, from the materials you need to the finished product.

Steps

  1. Place the glass on a towel upon a hard surface. The towel will keep the glass from sliding around and will catch any small fragments of glass that break off in the cutting process.
  2. Score the glass. Using your glass cutter, press down firmly and make one single score, from one edge to the other, where you'd like the glass to break. It is very important to make only one score line in order to get a clean break.
  3. Break the glass along the score line. The simplest way to do this is by holding the glass with one hand on each side of the line. Make a quick snapping motion and the glass will separate along the score line.
  4. Create your desired shapes. Continue scoring and breaking glass until you create your desired shapes. Most stained glass projects use pieces that fit together like a puzzle. If you are looking for pattern ideas, you can purchase a book from your local craft store that gives examples of popular stained glass patterns.
  5. Prepare your soldering materials. Set out your copper foil, liquid flux, and coil of solder. Plug in your soldering iron and allow it to heat to its prime temperature. It is important to have everything set up prior to beginning the soldering process because quick timing is crucial in this project.
  6. Cut a piece of copper foil that will wrap around the edge of the glass you want to solder. Measure this by lining up the copper foil along the edge of the glass, leaving about 1/8" on each end. Then cut the foil with your scissors. You can also buy strips of copper foil from craft stores
  7. Remove the backing from the strip of adhesive foil. You should be able to easily strip away the paper backing from the foil, revealing the adhesive side.
  8. Place the adhesive side of the copper foil on the edge of the piece of glass. Try to position the edge of glass directly on the center of the copper foil.
  9. Fold the excess copper foil onto the face of the glass. It is helpful to use a pencil to push the small remaining edges of foil onto the face.
  10. Firmly run a pencil over all areas where the foil touches the glass. This is very important because it will smooth out the copper foil and create a stronger bond with the glass.
  11. Repeat these steps with the other piece of glass that you are going to solder.
  12. Brush a coating of liquid flux onto the copper foil on both pieces. The flux will encourage the metal in the copper and the solder to adhere more strongly.
  13. Position your glass pieces for soldering. Leave a very thin gap (about 1/16") between the two pieces so the solder will be able to flow into the seam.
  14. Unroll about 4" of solder from the coil. This will melt to form the bond between the two pieces of glass.
  15. Hold the coil of solder in your left hand and the soldering iron in your right hand. This can be reversed if you are left-handed. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you.
  16. Place the tip of the unrolled solder near the copper foil, but without touching it. The best results are achieved by letting the melted solder drop into the seam between the pieces of glass.
  17. Touch the tip of the soldering iron to the tip of the unrolled solder. It will immediately begin to melt the solder and the solder will drop into the seam.
  18. Steadily move both hands along the line of intersection, between the two pieces of glass. Move quickly enough so that the melted solder does not not bunch up in one area, but slow enough so that the entire seam gets coated with the bead of solder.
  19. Remove the tip of the soldering iron from the solder once you have reached the end of the seam. You should see a continuous line of solder along the intersection of the two pieces of glass. The glass is now strongly bonded together.
  20. Repeat these steps to add each additional piece of glass to your project. The more times you practice this process, the more comfortable you will feel and the cleaner your soldering lines will look.



Warnings

  • Always have a well ventilated work area. Many solders contain lead, so avoid breathing in the fumes as much as possible.

Get a good metal stand for the iron. Do NOT use the handle to prop it up on! This is a tool that gets up to 900 degrees. (depending on model)

  • Soldering irons function at extremely high temperatures. Be very careful when using a soldering iron to prevent burning yourself or starting a fire.

Things You'll Need

  • Pieces of stained glass
  • Glass cutter
  • Scissors
  • Copper foil
  • Liquid flux
  • Coil of non-lead solder
  • Soldering iron
  • Metal Soldering Iron stand

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Sources and Citations

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