*Information About Stained Glass*
There are two main kinds of glass- antique glass and rolled glass. Antique glass is always handmade-that is, it is mouth-blown. It is the most beautiful glass there is and available in hundreds of colors and tints. It is, however, the most expensive type of colored glass you can buy.
Rolled glass is machine-made, and there are two main kinds- opal glass, which is usually associated with lighting and which is not transparent, and cathedral glass, which is transparent and colored.
Between these two main kinds is a type usually referred to as "new antique," which is simply glass that is similiar to antique glass but has been produced by machine. Streaky glass is either antique or cathedral glass in which two colors have been mixed or blended together.
When you select glass for your projects, hold the pieces up to the light to see how different colors work together.
The most fundamental and important tool you will need is a glass cutter. Basically, it is a pencil-shaped handle with a hardened steel wheel in place of the lead. You can now buy cutters in various shapes and with features such as self-oiling wheels, but they all perform the same task. When the cutter is pushed or pulled across the glass, the wheel scratches or scores the surface. The score will fracture the glass, causing it to break when pressure is exerted underneath the line by tapping.
There are three main types of cutters, and these are distinguished by the type and quality of the cutting wheel.
*Steel Wheel cutters are the least expensive. However, they are only really sharp for a few days before they begin to lose their edge. They are fine for making a few cuts, but are not really suitable if you want to make progress.
*Carbide wheel cutters are more expensive than steel wheel cutters, but they are probably the best value. The wheels last longer, and because they keep their
cutting edge, you need to exert less pressure when you are scoring.
*Tungsten-end carbide wheel cutters, which are a relatively recent innovation, are available with or without an oil feed. They can usually be identified by their heavier handle, which often contains an oil reservoir. The cutting wheels are smaller than those on steel or carbide cutters, but they are extremely hard and very long-lasting.
The metal ball at the end of the cutter is used to fracture the score line. Starting from the inside edge, begin to tap directly on the score line from underneath. As you tap, the appearance of the line should begin to change. If it does not, tap a little harder, making sure that you strike the glass directly under the score line. Hold the piece of glass firmly, and remember that gravity will work in your favor and cause the piece to fall onto your work surface.
Achieving a clean break is one of the most satisfying aspects of cutting, and you will feel a great sense of achievement when you break along a score line neatly using just your fingers and hands. Hold the scored piece firmly, with a thumb on each side of the score line and your index fingers underneath it. Snap the glass by moving your wrists sharply up and outward.
You can use pliers instead of breaking glass by hand. There are several types of grozing pliers on the market, but one of the most versatile, is the grozer-breaker combination pliers.
Hold the pliers firmly, place the tip of the pliers as close as possible to the score, and grip the glass. Hold the glass steady in your free hand. Use a sharp downward and outward motion to snap the glass.
You will notice the serrated surface on the inside of the jaws of the grozing pliers. By gripping the glass gently and rolling it backward against the serrated edge, you will be able to remove small sections of glass. Grozing is an important skill when you are shaping glass to match a tracing or cartoon, and you should practice as often as you can on scrap pieces of glass.
A glass file or carborundum stone both smooths off edges, which makes it easier to handle when you apply copper foil, and removes imperfections, giving a better fit. Rubbing down the edge of each piece removes tiny burrs and protrusions.
Electric glass grinders are available. These give perfectly smooth edges and are a pleasure to use.
When you have smoothed the edges, always wash all the glass pieces in warm water. This removes any minute particles of glass as well as any traces of oil that have been transferred to the surface of the glass from the cutting wheel. You must make sure that the glass is perfectly clean and dry before you apply copper foil.
You will need a soldering iron, which melts the solder, thus allowing it to flow along the copper-foiled seams. You will need an iron with a minimum of 75 watts that is fitted with a plated, screwdriver-shaped tip. The iron coating or plating keeps the tip from corroding. Keep the head of your soldering iron clean by wiping it on a damp sponge from time to time as you work.
When you solder, always use a separate flux to allow the melted solder to flow evenly and neatly. A non-toxic flux that gives off a minimum of fumes is ideal. The flux should be brushed onto the joint or seam you are going to solder.
Copper foil is used to bond the solder and the pieces of glass together. After each piece has been cut, smoothed, washed and dried, the edges are wrapped with the tape, which should be crimped or smoothed over the surface of the glass to give a stronger finish and a neater appearance. Always begin to foil a section of the glass that is not going to be an outside edge, which will give you a neater finish, and overlap the ends of the tape by about 1/4 inch.
A crimping tool is useful when you press the edges of the foil over onto the surface of a piece of glass. However, you can achieve the same results by bending the foil with your fingers and then pressing it down with a pencil or a thin, pointed plastic tool.
There are three distinct soldering processes that you will need to master.
*Tacking is the method to use when all the pieces are in position and are ready for soldering. It is used to prevent the glass from moving while you solder longer seams. Place a dab of flux on the junction of two seams and melt a small amount of solder onto the copper to fuse the pieces of glass together.
*Tinning is used on edges, on inside pieces, and on the back of panels, etc., that are not seen. Paint the entire seam with flux and lightly coat or "tin" on a thin layer of solder. Use the smallest possible amount of solder, and make sure that you just cover all the exposed copper surfaces.
*Beading is the technique used on all exterior seams, and it usually requires the most practice. Paint the entire seam with flux and gradually feed solder into the side of the hot iron while you lightly move the iron along the seam. This will create a dome-shaped seam. Clean the iron frequently while you work, wiping the tip with a damp sponge. Try to keep your hand steady and to move along the seam slowly and evenly.
[ Page Created March 29, 2001 ]
Copyright ©2001 Callista Hall. All rights reserved.
