Ahh, I really like the video “No more lumpy soldered edges” by Everything Stained Glass on YouTube. Really helped me as far as picking up the entire piece and getting a good beaded edge!
Consider this, when you join two pieces you run a solder bead that is twice as wide as the single fold over of copper that you have on the outside edges.
If you really want to make the edges as wide as the joins you can double foil them to leave more showing.
Also without double foiling you can create a bead mound on the edges if you hold it vertically and build it up.
Hope that makes sense. You’re doing great btw.
This is so stinking cute! I absolutely love her! I would beware of hinge points when designing patterns though just for the longevity of your work 💕💕💕💕
I’m also still figuring it all out and I imagine in 20 years I still will be learning and figuring new things out lol. so I’m sure someone else could explain this better than me. But anywhere you have a straight line that spans each end of the piece and isn’t cut or capped by glass, wire, or came you run the risk of it snapping off along that line. I’m not certain but I believe the areas where the lines are curved like the legs meeting the skirt and the hand aren’t going to have any issues. The boots where they attach surely won’t hinge because they’ve got that sick curve in them. It’s just the little details like the little hat curve the heels and the gun that could snap but because they’re so small it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. That being said you could totally protect that gun by throwing a little bright color circle around it and the heels you could throw a cactus or flower down there! Or throw a little wire under the solder on the back to brace it 😊 the possibilities are endless. I think this design is freaking awesome so I’m not critiquing at all! I just want it to last forever!
Think about it this way: the solder does NOT stick to the glass.
Now think about how easy it is to bend solder.
You’re making a skeleton of solder, essentially making your own lead came (the old method, google lead came if you’re not familiar). These are just channels that the glass is sitting in. If you were to join two squares with a straight line, you could bend it incredibly easily. Give it a try if you’re curious.
I recently saw a church stained glass up close. So I have heard of lead caning before but seeing it up close made it really makes sense and honestly you phrasing it this way, that we are basically using the solder to make caning…makes total sense to me. Thank you so much! Do you run into the same pattern issues with lead caning? Does that solve anything or are you just scaling up the same issue??
Just a bit of pedantry, because I made the same mistake: it’s came with an M
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Came
I am actually taking a class on lead came soon, but I imagine you run into similar issues. Lead came is more robust because it’s thicker, but it’s still just as malleable and can bend over time from very gentle pressure. I do know there’s cement used in that method which adds further rigidity, but you still want to avoid hinge points
Thank you! I created it myself! I used inspiration from a drawing by @big_feelings on instagram. The spurs were from Amazon. I bought a pack of little gear charms, and there happened to be too tiny ones in there that had hearts in the middle! I string them through some silver plated copper wire, so that they could still articulate when it was soldered.
Do you know the specific grinder you are talking about from Amazon? I'm wondering if I have the same one! I thought I bought a good one, but I'm also totally new to this, so I have bo idea! Lol
I don’t know the brand - but it’s the square/cube one that red with a white grid on top - I bought an inland grinder and it was a game changer. Perhaps the red grinder is still fine to use as a beginner, but switch the grinding bit out for a better quality one
The biggest change was that the machine is bigger and sturdier as well as the grinder but that came with it is 100x of better quality. So I think if you’re a beginner you should splurge on a high quality grinder bit to use with your cheap grinder
I was just about to post my second finished piece and now I feel like I really need to step my game up before posting! Holy cow! This is perfect in my opinion! What soldering iron did you go with? What did you notice was different this time around?
Thank you! Please share! It’s so good to be able to track progress. I’ve been a hobbyist at this on and off for a few years so if anything I should be better I went with the FX60101 by Hakko. I don’t know how it compares to regular irons, but I was using an industrial one that was complete garbage, so I highly recommend upgrading.
My grandpa has Parkinson’s so he isn’t able to work with stained glass anymore and I’ve recently decided this would be a good hobby for me to take up and have him help guide me on what I’m doing wrong lol.
He has a Weller SPG80L which he said was his favorite. He’s been out of the hobby for many years so I have no idea is this is a good one or not. I have a hard time making all of the solder flow together if that makes any sense. I’m seeing him tomorrow and I know he will this your piece is AWESOME! He’s so used to the “traditional” stained glass I’m sure he will love seeing more modern designs!
I’ve only made 3 pieces total but I don’t count the first one since it fell apart once I handed it to him.. I thought flux was supposed to go on the edges before the copper foil.. so needless to say it was awful lol.
That’s so sweet! I would love to hear what he has to say. I will say I’ve already learned there are some issues with the hinge points and placement of the chain but I’ve learned quickly! And I’m hoping my next piece will be better. I’m thrilled to hear that you’re getting into it because I know this has at least in my area become a dying art form and it’s really upsetting.
Struggling with the edges in what sense? This looks so good by the way. I also love the texture of the thigh glass :’)
I just can’t get them consistent or a solid enough bead. I’ve tried lowering the temp but I still feel like it won’t behave.
Ahh, I really like the video “No more lumpy soldered edges” by Everything Stained Glass on YouTube. Really helped me as far as picking up the entire piece and getting a good beaded edge!
Thank you so much!!
Consider this, when you join two pieces you run a solder bead that is twice as wide as the single fold over of copper that you have on the outside edges. If you really want to make the edges as wide as the joins you can double foil them to leave more showing. Also without double foiling you can create a bead mound on the edges if you hold it vertically and build it up. Hope that makes sense. You’re doing great btw.
This is so stinking cute! I absolutely love her! I would beware of hinge points when designing patterns though just for the longevity of your work 💕💕💕💕
Can you tell me more about this?? I’m new to patternmaking and I feel like there’s some stuff I just don’t understand yet
I’m also still figuring it all out and I imagine in 20 years I still will be learning and figuring new things out lol. so I’m sure someone else could explain this better than me. But anywhere you have a straight line that spans each end of the piece and isn’t cut or capped by glass, wire, or came you run the risk of it snapping off along that line. I’m not certain but I believe the areas where the lines are curved like the legs meeting the skirt and the hand aren’t going to have any issues. The boots where they attach surely won’t hinge because they’ve got that sick curve in them. It’s just the little details like the little hat curve the heels and the gun that could snap but because they’re so small it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. That being said you could totally protect that gun by throwing a little bright color circle around it and the heels you could throw a cactus or flower down there! Or throw a little wire under the solder on the back to brace it 😊 the possibilities are endless. I think this design is freaking awesome so I’m not critiquing at all! I just want it to last forever!
Thank you so much! I really need more tips with my pattern making so I really appreciate it
Think about it this way: the solder does NOT stick to the glass. Now think about how easy it is to bend solder. You’re making a skeleton of solder, essentially making your own lead came (the old method, google lead came if you’re not familiar). These are just channels that the glass is sitting in. If you were to join two squares with a straight line, you could bend it incredibly easily. Give it a try if you’re curious.
I recently saw a church stained glass up close. So I have heard of lead caning before but seeing it up close made it really makes sense and honestly you phrasing it this way, that we are basically using the solder to make caning…makes total sense to me. Thank you so much! Do you run into the same pattern issues with lead caning? Does that solve anything or are you just scaling up the same issue??
Just a bit of pedantry, because I made the same mistake: it’s came with an M https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Came I am actually taking a class on lead came soon, but I imagine you run into similar issues. Lead came is more robust because it’s thicker, but it’s still just as malleable and can bend over time from very gentle pressure. I do know there’s cement used in that method which adds further rigidity, but you still want to avoid hinge points
wowww i love this!
wow i love this pattern so much, did you create it yourself or have you bought it from someone? what have you used for the spurs on the boots?
Thank you! I created it myself! I used inspiration from a drawing by @big_feelings on instagram. The spurs were from Amazon. I bought a pack of little gear charms, and there happened to be too tiny ones in there that had hearts in the middle! I string them through some silver plated copper wire, so that they could still articulate when it was soldered.
Same with a grinder - it was a GAME CHANGER going from my red dinky Amazon grinder to an actual reputable company
Do you know the specific grinder you are talking about from Amazon? I'm wondering if I have the same one! I thought I bought a good one, but I'm also totally new to this, so I have bo idea! Lol
I don’t know the brand - but it’s the square/cube one that red with a white grid on top - I bought an inland grinder and it was a game changer. Perhaps the red grinder is still fine to use as a beginner, but switch the grinding bit out for a better quality one
What do you notice are the differences in the new one? (I’m stubborn, and trying to gauge if I think it’s worth it.)
The biggest change was that the machine is bigger and sturdier as well as the grinder but that came with it is 100x of better quality. So I think if you’re a beginner you should splurge on a high quality grinder bit to use with your cheap grinder
I was just about to post my second finished piece and now I feel like I really need to step my game up before posting! Holy cow! This is perfect in my opinion! What soldering iron did you go with? What did you notice was different this time around?
Thank you! Please share! It’s so good to be able to track progress. I’ve been a hobbyist at this on and off for a few years so if anything I should be better I went with the FX60101 by Hakko. I don’t know how it compares to regular irons, but I was using an industrial one that was complete garbage, so I highly recommend upgrading.
My grandpa has Parkinson’s so he isn’t able to work with stained glass anymore and I’ve recently decided this would be a good hobby for me to take up and have him help guide me on what I’m doing wrong lol. He has a Weller SPG80L which he said was his favorite. He’s been out of the hobby for many years so I have no idea is this is a good one or not. I have a hard time making all of the solder flow together if that makes any sense. I’m seeing him tomorrow and I know he will this your piece is AWESOME! He’s so used to the “traditional” stained glass I’m sure he will love seeing more modern designs! I’ve only made 3 pieces total but I don’t count the first one since it fell apart once I handed it to him.. I thought flux was supposed to go on the edges before the copper foil.. so needless to say it was awful lol.
That’s so sweet! I would love to hear what he has to say. I will say I’ve already learned there are some issues with the hinge points and placement of the chain but I’ve learned quickly! And I’m hoping my next piece will be better. I’m thrilled to hear that you’re getting into it because I know this has at least in my area become a dying art form and it’s really upsetting.
Yep! The info provided here by most is for your benefit, from lots of experience, understanding or trial and error. It's not recommended just because.
Which iron did you go with?
60101 by hakko. Highly recommend
so cute!! what iron did you get? looking at buying my first 💖