Art Of Stain Glass

Solder is used to hold the various pieces of stained glass together in a stained glass panel. To achieve a professional quality, solder lines need to be smooth and uniform. This can be achieved by following basic steps and using quality tools and supplies.

The tools and supplies needed for soldering include a soldering iron, solder and flux. The soldering iron should have a ceramic heating element with either a built in temperature controller or plugged into a separate temperature controller unit. The solder used needs to be a 60/40 mixture of alloys for the majority of your soldering. For decorative soldering, an alloy mixture of 60/37 solder is recommended. An odorless non-smoking liquid flux is the preferred flux.

Basic Steps for Soldering

1. 1. Heat the soldering iron to 68 on the temperature controller
   2. Use an abrasive pad or wet sponge to clean the iron’s tip before you begin and periodically as you work
   3. Lightly apply flux to a section of the stained glass project you are working on
   4. Using 60/40 solder, unroll it to a manageable length, and then lightly touch the area to be worked on
   5. Place the solder on the tip of your iron and move both the iron and the solder at a slow constant rate following the fluxed copper foil seams
   6. When you need to end or stop, do not just move the iron vertically off, but rather slide the iron towards the glass
   7. Don’t solder out to the perimeter of your stained glass piece, leave approximately ½ inch along the edge. This will allow the zinc came to fit over your glass

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