Soldering for copper foil

[@good_deed]

This is an amazing instructional video. Definitely the best I’ve ever seen. Thank you.

[@davidjackson8829]

This is excellent. I have been on 2 stained glass courses and nobody has shared such valuable techniques. Just spent a day completing a piece and will solder to tomorrow. Can’t wait to try this.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad to hear that the techniques look helpful .....Proof is in the pudding as they say (right? Is that what they say) so let me know how all these tricks work for you putting iron to foil. Very Best, Kai

[@davidjackson8829]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 Hey Kai, yeah it was a big improvement. I still need to practice but it was so much better. Thanks a lot

[@keithlaurence7402]

I've been doing stained glass work since 1985 and this is the first time I've seen somebody explain how to get a decent bead on the edge!!!😁😁😁 Thank you 👍

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

So glad it was helpful

[@mkdy218]

I do very much like your no nonsense style. Very informative. Thank you . Now subscribed

[@markniedre3064]

Thanks for making this video. Very clearly explained. I managed to get much better results using your method!

[@garypanka1781]

Tried your technique with dramatic improvement ! Have 63/37 solder ordered , I've been struggling for a long frustrating time to achieve smooth beads , thank you, thank you for your knowledge!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad I could help gary

[@mckenzieclemmons5832]

Thank you for explaining everything so well! I've been trying to learn how to solder because I want to start making stained glass art. I feel a lot more confident after watching this!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Im so glad Mckenzie! Soldering is one of those things that will improve quickly, with a few pointers.

[@theravenisblack53]

Really like your straightforward teaching - picked up a lot of good tips and excellent information - will watch for more videos.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Very glad this was helpful!!

[@PinkPoodleCrafts]

We need more videos from this channel.... I learned so much from those that arew on here but its been over a year since anything new was added. Please add more! Thanks!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Timely comment!! Thank you. We will be making more videos this weekend.

[@roselucht4583]

I’ll share this with my friends! Excellent explanations!

[@katier0se]

All your content so far has been so helpful! Thank you. I'm hoping you post more!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

thank you Katie, We hope to keep going with these

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thanks to all of my subscribers. Looking forward to doing more and if you’re ever in the Boston area.... look us up!

[@nigelcook730]

Best online series for stained glass.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you Nigel. We’ll definitely be doing more as time allows!

[@DidierBardon]

Thank you! Very clear and useful.

[@johndouglas3724]

Thank You for showing your amazing skills....about to solder my first large piece

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Good luck! It’s not that hard when you have a few good tricks up your sleeve

[@theresevarney4715]

Wonderful videos. I watched every one. Your teaching method is spot on and easy to understand. I really like the way you solder, looks great and seems doable for a beginner, like me. I hope you post more. Just subscribed. Fan from Washington State 😃

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you Therese, Im glad they are helpful and yes we intend to keep going with these

[@maryreagan22]

This video has been so helpful and has really improved my soldering! I hope you posted more videos, you are very talented and do a great job teaching!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Im so glad you enjoyed and it helped in this part of the process.

[@rogergoodman4357]

Thank You Kai .I'm just starting stain glass. Watch a lot of How-to video's I watched all your video's Very informative. Enjoyed the video and you. Like to see more if you make. I like watching your very personable and charming. Stay safe

[@LcarlosCiceron8254]

👏👏👏👏 excelente. Gracias por compartirlo. 👏👏👏

[@MasonPublicRelations]

This was crazy good helpful. Thank you!!! Hope you make more vids.

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

That was very nice. Good job. And what temp was soldering iron again.?

[@cathye.2855]

Soldering is my weak spot in making a window. I'll try to be more patient. Your instructions were great. Next time, include adding a ring for hanging the piece from a chain. Ugh. Another thing I need to practice.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Oh good idea, re: hanging hooks….next time for sure

[@Shelleyshelleyxyz]

Thank you for sharing.

[@jondesker5883]

Very easy to understand, now i know where i am having mistakes.🤩

[@nataliehall3856]

Always informative and helpful

[@oulewappeur76]

Noob here. Thank you so much for this instruction.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you Natalie

[@ralphh4131]

Thx!

[@royrvr]

Thank you for your tips, would have been nice if you said what temperature level do you use for each stage of the soldering (flat solder, bead sokder)

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Ahhhh, good point. As each iron is calibrated differently it is hard to suggest a temperature setting. Many irons do not use actual Fahrenheit #s but use more of a 1-5 setting. Therefore it is necessary to experiment. But, to your point (a good one) the front of a piece will always be soldered at a higher temperature than the back of a piece. This is because when soldering the back, the front is already "sealed" and therefore requires a lower temp so as to not leak through the finished front, and allow flux to heat and evaporate some in order to mitigate sputtering

[@Artsrock36]

Wow thank you! You explain to well you just got a new subscriber !

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you, So glad that you found this helpful

[@georgannescott324]

GREAT tutorial!

[@normalpodcast3094]

Thank you so much ! I’ve struggled a lot trying to do rounded soldiers and with your technique i think it’s gonna be much more better. I was looking for that kind of advices for so long, finding it nowhere. You really pedagogue in your way explaining. Thank you ! 😊

[@franklin13-l8x]

Just subscribed you are a great teacher, with your explanation and explaining the terminology I think I can do a piece. I am a beginner and just the language of the trade needs to be learned before one can understand what is being said, thank you

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Good spirit Franklin!!!!

[@roselucht4583]

This has been very helpful!!

[@yuliyabryant4052]

Your videos are great and you explain everything very well. Can you also show how to grind glass and when is it necessary to do. Thank you very much.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thanks Yuliya, Grinding is necessary for the most part with all pieces that are being used in a copper foil project. #1, grinding takes the sharpness from the cut edge of the glass, thus preventing the foil tape from being cut or split. #2, Also when grinding, keeping the glass down on the platform of grinder will give your piece a nice 90 degree edge, making it easier to foil evenly. Hope this helps!

[@yuliyabryant4052]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 thank you very much for your response. It is very helpful.

[@roselucht4583]

Thank you!!

[@sullygirlme]

Hi Kai, I have lots of glass and supplies I purchased from you over 20 years ago. I took a hiatus and now that I'm an empty nester, I'm trying again. I'm getting black marks when I am soldering. Is my iron too hot? Thanks, Melissa

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Hi Melissa, the first thing I would ask is what kind of solder are you using? There are different grades of solder. Some are virginal., Which means they have not been reconstituted old lead. Those would work the best and not leave black spots. The other culprit can be your flux. The job of flux is to clean the copper foil before soldering. If the flux is old and not doing the job, then the result is black spots in your solder. Hope this helps

[@justrayne7]

Are we talking if 1100 Fahrenheit? Cuz I'm not finding any soldering irons that go that high All the ones I've been finding stop it like 8 or 9 🙁

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

We use the Hakko Iron with a built in reostat. This iron has been reengineered a bit , but the FX-601 goes up to 1005 degrees. If you are looking at electronic irons they wont go up high enough.

[@rrathor6933]

Hi Is the solder strong enough to hold all the pieces? I recently solder few pieces and i am not happy with the strength, as i shaked it felt like that part is gonna come out. Can you tell where i could have gone wrong?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Without looking at your piece, I cant tell you definitively where the issue may be, but i can make a couple of guesses. First, when you have a straight line, or near straight line in a piece it wants to "fold" or bend in that area. One way to mitigate that is to run strong line or wire around the perimeter. (for future be aware that straight lines through are weak spots in any design). Second, make sure your piece is bead soldered both front and back. The bead is what creates the metal infrastructure to lend the piece support. Even if you have patina'd you can still go back into the soldering and add more. Hope this helps

[@hagayhagay1765]

Thank you for the nice video! Is this kind of work suitable for outside windows or only for interior decorations?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

This technique is called copper foil. It is only good for inside work. If you wanted something to stand up to weather, the technique you want to explore is lead came.

[@Someoneoutthere67]

What temperature do you solder at? I use 410 with the hako

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

We use the Hakko on 460 but keep in mind that they are all calibrated a bit differently and we usually use 63%tin solder (called ultimate)

[@dragonfly3341]

This was a great video and well explained. Thank you so much. I am very close to Peabody, in Haverhill Ma. Do you run in house classes by any chance? I am binging on your videos! 🤩🤩

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Im glad you enjoyed it....you should come visit us. Right now we are only doing private lessons. The studio is large, but we need to free up too many tables for classes. We are slammed with bench work (commission work) and cant give up the time on benches for classes....but please come for a visit when you have some time!!

[@dragonfly3341]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 thank you I will come visit one day ! So hard to find Glass studios so this would be a treat! 😊😊

[@davidkaether4997]

Very informative video for a beginner like me. I've watched numerous videos on soldering. Your technique seems to be simple and produces excellent results. I am using the same soldering iron as you. What temperature setting do you use? Do you change the temperature setting to match the type of solder you are using? I subscribed to your channel. Looking forward for additional great content from you. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Hi David, Glad this has been helpful. We usually set the iron to the 460 setting. No adjustment for solder types, but often will dial down the temp a bit when doing the second side to mitigate “leak throughs”

[@davidkaether4997]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 thank you for the response

[@paulreimer7781]

Hello, what wattage is the iron? 100w?

[@Artsrock36]

Thank you this is most helpful!!

[@patdepatie4138]

I’m new to this and my sober doesn’t flow like when you do it. It doesn’t stick to the copper foil very well. I don’t hear that “sizzle” noise. We seem to have the same soldering iron and I put mine on 410 ….Any suggestions outside of me taking a class? Thanks

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

I would try a different flux. The one we use is called Novacan liquid flux. The flux is an acid, so it can loose its strength over time and some, like a paste flux is not the flux of choice for copper foil. If the solder is melting with contact of the iron tip, then thats not the problem. The other thing you can try is to use xtra fine (oooo) steel wool on your foil seams to shine them up. If they have oxidized they will not take solder either. Good luck!

[@patdepatie4138]

Yes I do use a gel flux… I thought that could be it..Plus my solder does not stick very well to my sides..Thanks

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Good instruction

[@merrymaker1031]

This is called Tiffany glass construction. It was developed in the UK by Louis Comfort Tiffany (an american). This is not stained glass construction. Please remember that there is an L in solder, and it is not a silent L.......... Glad to see someone running solder beads. It is a component that so many can't seem to be bothered with.

[@calliecox6353]

So... what is stained glass construction then?

[@merrymaker1031]

@cox6353 Stained glass... Clear glass the has a design added to it using mineral stains that are heat fused onto the glass surface (please note that coloured glass is a glass where the colour is not just on the surface). The glass is then held in place using lead came and solder ( sol der. There is no such thing as a silent L. The word americans say is sodder, which is something completely different......)

[@mikedeitel8920]

WHAT BRAND iron are you using?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Hi Mike, it’s s hakko iron. Expensive but we’ll worth it. Lightweight, holds tip temperature well and built in reostat.

[@ARZARZ87]

respect

[@linda-n1t]

Bravo

[@RoSouza]

LIKE.

[@merrymaker1031]

always solder from the centre outward

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Huh! I’ve never heard of that….how come?

[@merrymaker1031]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 it reduces the chance of the glass breaking due to overheating

[@helenmarton3236]

Solder has an L in it 😬😬😬