Is It Better To Use a Glass Bandsaw

The Advantages:

• Using the bandsaw will make difficult to near impossible cuts very simple.
• Cutting dense ripples and drapery glass is a piece of cake.
• Due to the bandsaw's accuracy, considerable time is saved.

The Disadvantages:

• A bandsaw is limited to the size of a piece that you can cut, because of the circular bandsaw blade. With most saws a piece of glass approximately 10"-12" may be cut in half.
• A bandsaw does not take the place of simple cuts. It's much faster and practical to cut strips, straight lines and simple shapes using a regular glass cutter.
• While using the bandsaw, cuts may be made that are structurally unsound and susceptible to cracking.

How Do I Check My Glass Cutter For A Chipped Wheel

A chip on the wheel of a glass cutter may not be discernible to the naked eye. To determine if this is the case, score the glass side of a piece of mirror, but don't break it. Since the silvering on regular mirror is on the back side of the glass, it will better reflect and illuminate the score line. Examine your score. Does the score look like a dashed line? If the answer is yes, the cutter wheel is indeed chipped and will affect any glass cutting you do regardless of the type of glass and must be replaced.

How Can I Effectively Work With Patterns

When you are working with patterns, it is good to know that some stained glass patterns will come full-sized and others need to be enlarged. We recommend making two copies of your pattern and keep the original for future projects.

• Number the pattern pieces on both copies, add arrows to show "streak" or "texture" direction, indicate glass color or other helpful notes on each piece.
• Use one copy for pattern pieces and the other for layout / assembly. Make your lead lines with a fine point sharpie pen. For foil use an extra fine point sharpie pen.
• When using bevels and / or bevel cluster, always draw around each bevel as though it were a cut piece of glass and number it to correspond to the place on the pattern as they are hand cut and vary in size and shape. This will make your background pieces fit much better.

How Do I Cut Front Surface Mirror

Front surface mirror, which is used in kaleidoscopes, is a hard yet brittle glass. Here's how you can successfully cut it.

• Use a cutter with a carbide wheel that is going to be strictly used for cutting mirror. Do not use it on other glass so that the wheel will stay sharp and unchipped.
• Cut the mirror on a firm surface which is covered with a thin layer of felt or very thin cardboard. Score lightly and then break the glass gently. Straight scores are more successful when the cutter is pulled toward your body.
• The blue plastic coating on the front of the mirror should still be attached to the glass. Being careful not to grind the edges of the glass together and use a sharp blade to cut through the plastic at the break line.
• For a good score, it is important to hold the glass cutter perpendicular to the glass while applying light, even pressure. If the cutter strays from this angle, it is possible for the glass to jump off of the score. Leave the blue film on the glass for protection until you are ready to use the mirror.

How To Get Your Solder and Lead Seams Bright and Shiny

Occasionally you will see a stained glass piece or suncatcher which seems to have a very bright, shiny appearance on the solder or lead seams. The piece has been plated by use of an electroplating technique. Plating is a process where a finished glass project, either lead or copper foil, is dipped into a vat containing a chemical solution with metal particles in it. An electrically charged source is attached to a soldered portion of the finished glass piece which draws the metal particles in the chemical solution onto the solder seams. To protect the metallic coating, a clear lacquer is also applied, which also gives a bright and shiny finish. Both chrome or brass plating are often used. Mirror or iridescent glass should not be used on pieces to be electroplated as the metals stick to the mirror and iridescence causing an unpleasant look. Due to the nature of the chemicals and equipment used, this process should be left to the plating professionals. Look in your phone book under "Plating" or "Electroplating" for companies near you.

How To Apply Filigree

Hold the filigree with pliers or a clamp, as it will get quite hot, and coat it liberally with flux. Holding the filigree at approximately a 45 degree angle and lightly coat it with solder. Let the solder drip off of the filigree and make sure that all holes are free of solder. Place a container underneath so that it can catch the drips. Be aware that it may splash. After tinning the front side, turn it over, and reapply the flux and solder. If the solder starts to gum up or get dirty, wipe off the tip of your iron and re-flux. Before attaching the filigree, wash the filigree thoroughly with CJ's Flux and Patina Remover or another suitable cleaner and pat dry.

How do I Make My Patinas Look Great

• To achieve the best results with patinas, first clean the solder seams thoroughly. Next, wash your piece with a flux and patina remover and warm water.
• Dry it off and apply the patina. It's a good idea to wear rubber gloves while using patina so that it does not irritate your skin.
• Apply the patina to the solder seams using a Q-tip, cottonball or gauze.
• Let it dry for a few minutes, rinse the entire piece with warm water, then pat dry. Examine the solder seams. Does the finish look satisfactory? If not, add a pinch of salt to the patina solution and reapply it to the seams.
• After this process is completed, polish it with finishing compound, carnuba wax, to both polish and protect the glass and solder seams.

Finishing compound leaves a protective film which will help slow down the oxidation process, but won't stop it completely. Oxidation occurs as air particles react with metal surfaces. Gradually over time all metals will turn black and have a dull finish. It's a natural process. The only way to prevent this is to wax and polish your pieces regularly. If you have a piece that is highly oxidized use extremely fine steel wool to clean the solder seams then re-patina the piece. This works very well. The smother the solder seams are the better the patina will look. With Copper Patina it is a little more important to make sure all the oxidation is cleaned off the solder before applying the patina. The best way to do this is to clean the solder with finishing compound both before and after applying the patina.