Although, as I have previously noted, I am assuming prior experience with foiled glass, but given the toxicity of lead, I felt that I should provide access to information on the proper handling and disposal of lead.The Stained Glass Association of America provides, for a nominal price, both a booklet giving recommendations for safety in a stained glass studio and a DVD on lead safety. There is also a nice summary the issues surrounding the use of lead published on the web by the Australian Government.
As I noted in post 3.5 on Foil and solder since I do not like the fumes generated by soldering and there is also some question as to it’s possible toxicity, I have built an exhaust system which vents the fumes to the outside. It is a simple design using a bathroom exhaust fan and the hose and adaptors used in clothes dryers. I also employ the system when I think that glass dust may be a problem.
The application of copper foil to the faceted glass is described below and illustrated in the following video:
I use 1/2 or 3/8″ 1.5mil copper foil depending on the thickness of the glass. Align the foil flush with the back of the glass which is flat and smooth it with a hard plastic fid. You can extend the foil beyond the back edge of the glass and fold it over as done with sheet glass but it will result in a thicker lead line and is not necessary for the strength of the panel
Fid shown with 1/2 inch foil applied to a piece of faceted glass. Trim the excess foil flush along the faceted edge of the glass using a 6 1/2 ” curved Mayo scissors ( inexpensive and readily available on the internet ) I have found that a solid pair of curved scissors is best suited for this function.
The assembly of the flower is described below and also illustrated in this video:
Check to be sure that the next piece fits closely to the previously foiled piece and then foil and trim it as described above. Solder the pieces together one at a time as illustrated below. I usually hold the pieces in position for soldering with small weights and pins. I am not sure about the toxicity of the soldering fumes but they are quite unpleasant so I use an exhaust system utilizing the tubing made for clothes dryers driven by a standard bathroom exhaust fan which vents to the outside. The nozzle to the system is visible on the right.
One problem that is common when soldering the front sides to two pieces of faceted glass is that if the opposing edges are different thicknesses the solder may pool along the solder line. The greater the difference in thickness the greater the chance of pooling. Since this is often a problem, if the pieces of faceted glass are part of a single element such as the flower, I assemble all of the parts before placing them into the panel. This permits me to hold the entire piece in different positions facilitating the removal of the pooled solder with the soldering iron and gravity. Be careful to keep the molten solder away from your hands and feet.
It is important, as with a standard foiled panel, to carefully remove any flux from the foiled surfaces of the faceted glass. You can use your favored cleaning agents, wax and patina.
The finished soldered faceted flower is shown below. Note that some of the solder lines are irregular due to the unevenness of the adjacent edges as described above.
This is an image of the soldered back flat side of the flower.
I have experimented with the use of both clear and opaque epoxy to attach the pieces of faceted glass. I found that the end result did not look any better than the foiled glass and the fitting of the pieces needed to be more precise to reduce the gaps between the pieces. In addition the outer edges of the glass still needed to be foiled in order to attach the faceted glass to the sheet glass. It was, in the end, more labor intensive than using foil alone. An opaque fast setting epoxy was used to hold the faceted sections of both Chambered Nautilus #1 and #2 together. In the hands of experienced artists I suspect that complex shaped pieces of faceted glass, similar to the ones used in my work, could be meaningfully incorporated into more traditional faceted glass works.
The next step is to foil the sheet glass in the usual fashion and place all of the parts in their final position.
The panel is then soldered on both sides as in a standard foiled work. The only difference is that the solder should be applied so as to cover all of the foil on the side of the faceted glass as shown below.
The finished panel ready for framing is illustrated in the image below. I use brass U came 3/8 – 1/2 – 3/4″ depending on the size, weight and aesthetics of the panel simply because I like how it accents the glass. Any framing material to which you are partial ( zinc, wood etc. ) is fine as long as it will support the weight of the panel.
There are three final issues that I would like to address in this post:
The first is the possible need for reinforcement. The best reference that I have found on this subject is a reprint ( available from the Stained Glass Association of America ) called Structure and Reinforcement in which copper foil work is discussed in considerable detail including the size of a panel where the addition of reinforcement is suggested. My only addition to their discussion is that since faceted glass may be somewhat to significantly heavier ( depending on how much is used ) than sheet glass, I suspect that reinforcement is probably appropriate for panels with a smaller surface area than that suggested in the manual. I have reinforced some of my larger panels just to be on the safe side with no scientific basis. For example, I have used brass rebar on a panel that is 20″ X 36″. In this case the rebar was run vertically anchored on the brass frame at the top and bottom of the panel and then attached to the underlying solder line at multiple sites throughout its path, a portion of which is shown below.
The rebar is hardly visible from the front and if reinforcement is considered during the design phase the lead lines can be arranged so as to minimize the visibility of the support.
The second issue that I wanted to raise, mentioned in the About page, is the possibility of incorporating faceted glass elements such as the flowers or pumpkins that are epoxied rather than than foiled and soldered ( see posts Foil and Solder and Nautilus ) into traditional faceted glass works. This is, as with issue number three discussed below, an area for others to decide.
The third issue is posed in the form of a question: can faceted glass as described in this site be incorporated into a came ( the answer is yes, although special came was used, see reference on my home page ) rather than a foil based panel? I have never worked with came since I have always tried for the thinnest lead lines possible but with the use of epoxy ( as described in post 3.5 ) to hold faceted glass pieces together and the use of specialized a grinder head, ? the Glastar Ripple bit ?, it may be possible to create a ridge in the side of the faceted glass that might fit into the came. It should also be possible to include a piece of faceted glass into a piece of sheet glass using foil and then place the assembly into came ( this could not be weather proofed ). As with the second issue, this is a question for which I do not have an answer.
