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These are little secrets for new artists or for those who work with stained glass as a hobby. Here I will continue to update new information, while keeping in mind the contributions and opinions received through e-mail. I hope you find the proposals interesting. - Any stained glass work that has the copper tape on for a long period of time should be covered with a cloth to prevent the copper from getting dirty before you solder. -When the copper tape does get dirty, rub it with a cloth soaked in flux that doesn´t leave fluff behind. - To clean and buff the solder once a work is finished, I recommend that you use steal wool with a cream cleanser. After rinse with a sponge, detergent and lots of water. This process makes the flux residue disappear and leaves the solder shinny and buffed. -The drawing for the stained glass should be designed so that when all of the pieces of glass are cut and soldered together, the panel feels like one solid piecel without any movements. There should be a strong resistance so that the stained glass can maintain its form without bending. - They advice us to always hold the solder with pliers that have plastic or rubber handles so that the soldering iron cannot pass an electric shock through the metal to us. (Thank you Aldo Winkelbahuen) - VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Lead is a highly toxic substance, so we should try to avoid contact with our skin. I advise using rubber gloves, and that the room is well ventilated while we solder. WE SHOULD NOT BREATHE ANY VAPORS FROM THE SOLDER. Use a little fan that moves the smoke away, and renews the air in the room. There are solder smoke purifiers available in the market. - If your glass cutter doesn’t have lubricant in the handle, you can use a drop of kerosene on the diamond wheel to lubricate the cutter. - Why use lubricant in the cutter? Because this way the cut is cleaner, meaning the glass doesn’t splinter or chip later causing weak zones. - When we want to change the color of the solder, we do not paint it!! To obtain defined results we use a product called patina, which achieves different colors such as copper, antique brown, black pewter, black or green (old bronze imitation). - Before putting the copper foil on the glass, you should wash each piece with water and alcohol to take off any grease or dirt that has been accumulated on the glass. This helps to make the foil stick efficiently. - Did you know that the copper foil used for the Tiffany technique has different colored backs? It can be copper, black or silver. These details can give a work a finished look when using transparent or translucent glass. (Thank You Balsaqui) - When choosing a soldering iron, its power capacity shouldn’t be too low, because the solder will not stay smooth, nor should it be too high because it can break the glass from too much heat. - There are flexible copper borders available in the market that are used to give a work a finished decorated look. Some are engraved and flat that go around the edge of a work like a frame, and others have a U-shape that allows you to put the stained glass in-between the bronze. - To obtain pieces of glass in various colors and textures, we can take the opportunity to acquire discarded glass by the kilo. Although we must remember that glass is heavy, so one kilo doesn’t mean a large quantity, but to make small projects it’s a nice suggestion.
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Última modificación / Last modification: 13-10-2008 |
