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Random Stained Glass Tips

Stained Glass Tip # 1 Rubber Gloves

Wear rubber gloves when soldering and patinaing. You can get a box of 100 for under $10.00 (I think. My father is a dentist, so he gives them to me for free). The kind of glove I'm talking about is a doctor's type examining glove. When soldering, I wear them to prevent my hands from drying out from the flux. It also prevents flux from getting into cuts. I also found that if a blob of solder hits my gloved hand, the solder will either bounce off or if it burns my hand, at least it doesn't remove skin, so it does heal faster. However, it still hurts just as much.

Using it when patinaing will keep your hands from getting acid burns. It also keeps your hands clean when black or gray patina wipes off on your hands.

Gloves can be used when cutting glass, but they won't prevent cuts. The glass is razor sharp, and will easily cut through a rubber glove. Also don't use it to foil with. The foil will stick to the glove, and your finger won't glide over the surface to flatten out the foil.

Stained Glass Tip # 2

Q-Tips (Cotton swabs)

Q-Tips are very useful. They can apply just a bit of flux in a spot, or just a touch of patina (like if you were doing a minor repair, and didn't want to drag a juicy brush over the work). I've also used them as a quick cheap brush for paint.

Another use is cleaning wax residue from around the solder lines. After you polish a project with Chem-O-Pro, when it's really dry you tend to get a white residue around the solder lines. I use the Q-tip to remove the excess wax. Just a quick wipe and most of it is gone.

I also use it to clean excess flux after soldering chain into a box. Since the box is already clean, and I don't want to re clean the box again, I'll put a bit of denatured alcohol on the swab, and wipe.

Stained Glass Tip # 3

Stencil Brushes

I use stencil brushes, the real cheap kind, for patina. What I like about them is that they hold a lot of liquid, but they don't spread it all over the glass at once. Just be sure to clean them when you're done, or the acid will eat them.

Stencil brushes are also good at doing a quick buff. If you ever set up at an art show, dust tends to land on the project; a stencil brush, can go over the glass and remove the dust. However I found that a brand new Blush Brush, (a make up brush), works even better. In fact it works the best at removing regular house dust off my projects.

Stained Glass Tip # 4

Paint Brushes

I use a normal, cheap artist type, paint brush for flux. I can paint on the flux very carefully, or I can slop it on if I wanted to. I used to use one of these to patina with, but I need the patina to scrub into the solder.

And don't forget painting with paint brushes. I have a few small ones for detail work. And say you wanted to make a tiny dot of paint, for an eye or something. Use the end of the brush, dip it into the paint (very little; it helps to put a little in the cap), then carefully plop onto the glass. This will give you a tiny circle.

A larger brush, 1-1/2” or so, is great for sweeping up glass crumbs as you work. Just a few quick swipes.

Stained Glass Tip # 5

Cutting Oil

Instead of the commercial stuff, I make my own. I use a 50-50 solution of kerosene, and 3-in-1 oil, and put it into a film can. When needed, I either put it into the cutter with an eye dropper, or run it down the brass tube (if the cutter has one). Although commercial solutions can wash off in water more easily because they are water based and my homemade solution can't easily be washed off because it's oil based, there shouldn't really be that much oil on the glass in the first place. I'm pretty sure the oil is there mainly to keep the cutter happy.

Stained Glass Tip # 6

Vacations

Whenever I go on vacation, I always bring a camera. I like taking pictures of other peoples work for my records. Whether it's in a craft show, a museum or a gift shop (try to ask first, before taking pictures), I take the pictures for ideas. I also take pictures of things I might be able to use in the future. Some of the things include: mountain ranges, cool looking clouds, flowers, and anything I can convert into a panel. Sometimes I'll take pictures of old or interesting buildings for future box ideas. Usually I never have a person in the shot, but if you were to see my pictures, some do have some inconsiderate fool in the way.

Also bring along a pad and a pencil along with you. Jot down any ideas you might have. Who knows, you might get inspired and think of a really neat project to make. Or if you write down the prices charged for the various projects you took pictures of, you know what to charge for your own work. And sometimes there is a particular technique used that a photo can't describe; so write it down.

Stained Glass Tip # 7

Uses for Odd-Ball Glass

Tiny Glass:

• Tiny scraps of glass can be best used in mosaics. I personally don't do mosaics yet but it is the best way to get the most of your expensive glass.
• You can put very little shards (1/8”-3/8”), into an image wheel for a kaleidoscope. Or you can be really brave and foil the things, and make a super multi-faceted wheel.
• If the pieces are fusing compatible, make some jewelry or a pin. I save all my little bits of Uroboros, Bullseye, etc., and put them into little drawers for later.
• You can mix in smoothed scraps (small), into cement and have a colorful, fun mix. I've seen this done with watch and doll parts (some guy sells this stuff). It should be possible, but test it out in a small project before use, because I never used this idea myself.
• You can throw some of the larger stuff into a rock tumbler, and get custom made beach glass. This also works well with old neat colored bottles (broken).

Scratched Glass:

• You will have some. If I have a larger piece that has scratches on it, I'll circle it before putting it away. This way when I use the glass, I won't accidentally have a scratch on the piece. So I can plan around it.
• If the scratch is on a piece of mirror, and if it's light, you can use it as a backer for another piece of glass. Just be sure to use a dark color or a patterned piece that would hide the scratch.
• If it's a clear piece, you can use it as practice glass, or for spacer blocks (for in between shelves). I've also used it as a hidden (but necessary), shelf. No one is going to see it, but it supports the next level. Why waste colored glass? Or for that matter, a non-scratched piece of clear.
• If it's small (the glass), you can stick it into a kiln and “fire polish” it. But the color may change a little, or even quite a bit and you may get a texture on the back of the glass.

Odd Ball Glass:

• I keep things like test tube, bottle bottoms (interesting colors), glass rods, etc. Test tubes can be mounted to hold flowers and stuff. Bottle bottoms can be cut or used like rondels. It's up to your creativity to think of a use for these things. Just don't throw them out.
• If you have a real odd color, maybe even from a plain piece of glass, hold onto it in a special place. You might need to make a flower, or some wildly shaded thing, and this glass may fit in perfectly.
• Sometimes you can get “end of the day glass” at a glass factory. It resembles drapery glass sometimes. And you'll also get colors that don't exist anywhere else.

Stained Glass Tip # 8

Things that can scratch glass

These are things that can scratch glass, some that you may have been aware of, some not. So just remember the things in this list.

• Blades: Anything like a utility knife blade, razor blade, or anything else designed to cut, will scratch glass. But these will mainly scratch if used in a scoring motion, not a scraping motion. The only time it can scratch in a scraping motion, is when the blade is really dull, and has a burr on it.
• Quartz Crystal: You can actually make an OK score with this rock. If you hold the rock and score it with the corner of it, it will score.
• Grit: Watch out for it. It can be small bits of glass, sand, dirt, etc. Make sure you dust off that bench of yours between cuts. If you here a crunch or a scratching noise from under the glass, then it probably is getting scratched.
• Glass: Glass can scratch glass so be careful. If you store glass in small bins, expect some scratching to occur.
• Scrubby Pads: These are pads meant to clean pots and pans. They are also good at scuffing down the paint of a car (or wood finish). And although they do clean solder very well, they can also scratch glass really badly. So test an area before using it on a normal project.

Glass Myths

Stained Glass Tip # 9

There are quite a few glass faux pas, a lot of them are in movies, and TV shows. And this is my list:

• The Cartoon Method: No you can't cut any shape out of a piece of glass simply by tracing your outline. And although some of you are laughing at this (thinking, “what, do you think we're stupid or something?”. But I've seen this done. I saw someone try to cut a square out of the center of a sheet of glass. Needless to say, it didn't work, and it messed up a good piece of glass.
• The James Bond Method: There are 2 types. #1 the laser cutting method. Laser can cut glass, but I've never seen it in a pocket form like that. And I don't think it would be in one pass. As far as I know, laser can make some pretty cool etchings. #2 the circle cutter method. This is where the spy, burglar, whatever, breaks into the window, or display case with a circle cutter. He simply attaches the cutter on, scores it twice (like this makes a deeper cut), and “pops” out the glass. I wish I had one of these. I can barely get the circle out, with a dozen relief lines.
• The Scissors Method: This is where supposedly you can cut glass with a common pair of scissors. However, unlike the others, this can actually be done, . Don't try this at home. You'll kill a good pair of scissors. The secret is to cut it under water. The water helps prevent it from shattering. Instead it crumbles off. I used a tin snips, because it nicks up normal scissors pretty badly. Now why bother? I have no idea. Maybe if I were stranded on an island, had a pair of snips with me, and had a sudden urge to do stained glass. It makes a really jagged edge, It's easier with a glass cutter.

Stained Glass Tip # 10

A few other things to remember

• Always cut glass as close to the edge as possible. Glass, as you know, is expensive, and unless you need to use a particular portion of the glass, always cut nearest to the edge.
• Don't waste glass. Try to use every bit of scrap that you have. Most of the pieces I throw out are 1-1/2” or smaller. But, of course, saving that much glass uses extra space, which could be used to hold larger pieces of glass. So it's a toss up.

Stained Glass Tip # 11

Removing Tape:

I use flux to prevent tape from sticking to my gloves. Put some flux on the ends of your gloved fingertips. This will prevent tape from sticking to it, when you remove the tape.

I also use a tweezers to remove the tape. It helps getting into those tight spots. Just put a little bit of flux on the end to prevent it from sticking to the tape. BTW tweezers are great for shoving in tiny pieces into place.

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Started on 9-22-98