Thinking outside...

...of the basement.  (I will explain in a bit)

Took this picture on our walk.

I was walking with my friends Anita and Janet this morning and they mentioned they would like to make something out of stained glass.  That got me pretty excited because I love helping people make things.  So we'll get started this fall..because the basement is not where I want to be in the summer.

That got me thinking about my window project I am doing for Jane....the glass ready to be wrapped, stuck in the basement for the summer because it's too big and awkward to move.  The wrapping can be done anywhere...but the soldering has to be done in the basement so it seemed silly to carry the big board upstairs.  So there it sat.

Then I started thinking outside of the box....or in this case "outside of the basement."  I didn't have to have the WHOLE thing with me for the wrapping like I usually do...I can do a little at a time....upstairs.  It wasn't rocket science!!!

So I loaded the bottom row of pieces onto a small bulletin board that I work on and took it out to my screened in porch and started wrapping glass.



My tools: a roll of copper foil tape, a burnishing tool, and a wall paper knife. (I didn't use the knife today...but will show at some point why I need it)

Copper foil comes in a couple of different widths, is sticky on the back, and comes in several colors on the sticky side...depending on what color you want the solder on the finished piece...it starts a bright silver. 

I generally like a black patina...so I use matching black backed foil. I'll explain a little more about that when the time comes.

I lay the glass piece in the center of the tape and wrap it around overlapping the ends and folding it over the sides of the piece.  

I use the tip of my burnishing tool to make sure the tape adheres to the edge of the glass.  It was hard to take a picture...I usually use two hands...but you get the idea.

Then I use the roller end of the tool to make sure all the wrapped edges of the tape are flat and secure on the front and the back of the glass. A good adhesion is really important!

Then I just keep wrapping and burnishing. You can start to see how it will look with the lead solder. Solder doesn't stick to glass...but it does stick to the copper foil so joins the pieces at the seams.  

This was a much better view than I would have had in the basement!

I put those pieces back in their places....and loaded up another batch for next time. Once small step at a time.