Aboutlyn buerger Expertise Questions about construction of stained glass using copper foil or lead. Repair, designing a pattern, how I go about helping my customers achieve their goals.
Experience I've been doing stained glass for about 35 years. Teach stained glass in my studio and at the local University (UTA Eontinuing Edu)for over 25 years.
Organizations Many art related organizations, and several business organization Ecademy, RYZE, LINKEDIN.
Publications Many trade magazine and have published several art/craft instrucitonal books.
Education/Credentials Some formal college, but no degree. I just took classes that I thought would help me through life and did not work toward a degree.
Question I am building a lead-came panel for my son for a house warming and am using a mixture of 1/4" and 1/8" came. How do you deal with the different heights of the came? The 1/4" lead is slightly higher than my 1/2" zinc border came, and the 1/8" is quite a bit lower. Seems like if I soldered the back first, everything would be flush on the front side. I'm thinking about taping the front with painters tape after soldering the corners of the border came, the 1/8" joints and the 1/4" joints (just not soldering the different sizes together on the front yet). Then sandwiching the panel (about 16x24) between two pieces of sheetrock or plywood and gently flipping. I'm thinking all pieces would then drop to the bottom (which would mean they'd be flush on the front). Does this make sense, or do you have a better way? Thanks in advance!
Answer I think I understand what you are saying.
I always teach my students to do their glass on a wood panel so they can easily "sandwich" it over for the soldering on the other side. So you got that one "dead on". One side is soldered and so the piece will be weak. Try turning one that if 4x8 feet.
For that size, you should not have a problem. There is available "ribbon steel" which is coated in copper so that it will easily solder that should be available at your local stained glass shop. It will go into the lead channel across critical joints so once soldered the piece is much stronger. But if you already have it put together you may not want to disassemble to add that and I only mention it for future reference. You can also place the ribbon steel in a copper foil piece to brace internally and just solder over it.
And don't worry about the differences in heights, once it is soldered and hanging in a window no one will even pay attention to that and if they do...... They are supposed to be looking at the beautiful glass not the heights of the lead and zinc.
When I do a piece of stained glass, I alwsys cut from the smooth size, of course and I usually like the rough size as my front, so when I am finished my piece is laying face down. So when I solder the back and flip it the flip side is my front. If it is important to you then solder the corners and carefully place something strong on both sides and flip it over, as you suggested. That should definitely work OK, but for me it would not be important enough to do. I would solder the back, flip it and solder the front. You are going to have to slip it several more times anyway to putty the pieces, clean and polish it.
Have fun and good luck. I love my stained glass.
You can see some of my stuff on www.lyn-arts.com
