Stained Glass Patina & Polish Tutorial :: PERFECT Patina Every Time!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Something I forgot to talk about in the video is to not reuse patina! If you end up pouring it into a little cap or dish, any that isn't used needs to be disposed of. Once it leaves the bottle it should not go back in.

[@sandrakunkle978]

Hi, been doing glass for over 30 yrs. Learned a new way to polish about 2 yrs ago. Wash all flux off as usual; purified water is, as U said, very necessary for most of us. At Walmart, auto dept, "Mothers Carnauba Wax"; after washing off all flux, polish piece with this wax; then put on patina. Use a small amount of the Carnauba Wax after patina just to go over & shine. This method using the "wax" before/ after patina has really helped me.

[@tomasinbaker2181]

I will have to try that!

[@Ollie0815]

I just used magic eraser over my dead copper patina-ed projects and they are now alive!!!! You are a savior! I love you so much!!!!?

[@aimeea5528]

I love that you stress the safety! There are many art forms that use toxic chemicals and the safety is so overlooked. Resin and alcohol inks are 2 that I know of where people teaching don’t stress safety and they and others suffer the consequences of the exposure to the toxins.

[@NivaraTinuviel]

i'm really glad i watched this before starting to put patina on my first project, because i was not going to wear gloves.... Gonna go ahead and wear some gloves after all.

[@kaitlandia321]

all of your videos are super helpful for folks who are new to stained glass! thank you!

[@vlee3880]

Great comparison at the end with the copper patina oxidation! Thanks for showing that :)

[@CapitalCityKate]

Wow. I've been doing stained glass for quite a while now, but this just changed my patina/polish game.

[@Carolinej824]

WOW. Been looking for a good video explaining cleaning, patina, and polishing. THANK YOU THANK YOU !! :)

[@gayleleslie7724]

Your soldering is soooo fine. Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻👊🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@virginiagregoire1453]

Great video and explanation of oxidation.

[@Samm6977]

Yay! Tried that magic eraser trick after you mentioned it in a livestream a few weeks ago and it’s a game changer for sure

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Yay! It was kind of by accident that I discovered that trick - I just can't do it any other way now!

[@morganclark4362]

hello! I am curious why you said you don't magic eraser if you keep the solder silver? wouldn't the magic eraser help the solder look extra shiny? or is the difference negligible?

[@fredwienbarg5051]

Your solder seams are great. I just can’t get mine to look that good!

[@Portalshock]

I’m trying stained glass for the first time and your videos have all been so helpful! I wanted to ask, you said the patina should be put on the same day as soldering, but how long after doing the patina should you polish the glass?? Does it make a big difference if you were to wait a day vs a week?

[@dragonfly3341]

Love your solder lines ! Great tutorial! Thank you!

[@Brublondie1]

Great informative video. Well done cutie!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@JudithRing]

This is great Rachel! Thanks so much for sharing all this info.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelconstable3190]

Thanks so much for your videos! Instead of carnauba wax, try pledge revive it floor gloss, it’s amazing

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Good tip, I'll have to check that out since I feel like my Liva polish will never be back in stock 🤣😭

[@briansmith2819]

very good instruction, like the class

[@Sooterkin]

Yes !!!! I'm so excited for a new video of yours !!!!!

[@julielepage7076]

Thanks for the explinations! If the patina is old, could it be less effective?

[@eclatdeverre7232]

Hello thank you very much for this video, I have a small question if you don’t mind . What do you do if you don’t get a very good result with the copper patina ? Thx

[@karalynjacques6595]

you make incredible videos and I'm excited to learn more! What kind of ring light do you use to film? looks great!!

[@titekasu5397]

Thank you so much! I bought patina a few weeks ago and I was having some trouble with it, hopefully now it will be easier.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I'm happy to help :) Let me know how it goes for you!

[@chrisstevens6272]

How do you prevent the patina from fading when polishing? I am a beginner and on my first piece I applied patina, washed clean with Dawn dish soap, and then applied carnauba wax, let it set-up until it turned to a white haze and then hand polished with an old cotton t-shirt and the result was it rubbed off or faded the patina. Help!

[@lesliturnervance4982]

Another very informative video! Thank you!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks so much for watching, I'm glad you liked it!

[@ioanaunguroiu6225]

Hello! Congrats for your channel, you do a great job explaining and helping others with this! Thanks! ❤️ You talk in the end of the video about *a quality control check*. What does that mean?

[@Kellz_antonio]

Thank you for your informative video, newly here😄. However, I would like to know the process if I want the piece to remain silver.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi there! All you have to do is wash the piece after soldering and then apply your polish. Super simple!

[@Kellz_antonio]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 thank you so much for your prompt reply. Keep up the great work, you are doing an awesome job. Have a blessed day in Yeshua’s shalom 🙏🏾

[@AngelicaStarMusic]

Thank you! Is there any way to revive copper patina that either didn’t apply great initially, or has gone dull over time? Could I wash & reapply patina?

[@WellalrightthenP]

Great video!

[@kristycargile6917]

Thanks for another great one!

[@matthewbyrom3053]

thank you so much for the help

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad I could help!

[@mindygeist7157]

Thanks so much,super helpful!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks for watching :)

[@hayleysommers3918]

So you use the magic eraser wet or dry?

[@WhattaCat]

I love your work and your vids are great!! I can’t find that Liva Polish anyplace . Every website says out of stock. Any suggestions on another product to use? Thanks.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks so much - I'm so happy you like the videos! I've tested turtle wax paste and it seems to work very well. The main ingredient of the wax just needs to be carnauba wax and you should be golden!

[@shattonzubieta9533]

Any ideas of what I can use if I don't have solder specific polish?

[@carmencrystal]

Hello! Thanks so much for the video. I scrolled the comments; wondering if the magic eraser is wet? I can’t discern from the video. Thanks for the cool videos!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Thanks for watching! Most of the time my magic eraser is dry but it works wet and dry! Honestly it works a little better when its wet, I'm just lazy and wont leave my studio for a cup of water 😂

[@carmencrystal]

I’ll have to try it dry, I usually don’t wash with water but might now considering pure water! Thank you so much!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I had a complete braid fart with that reply! My phone doesn't tell me what video comments are on and my mind immediately went to removing sharpie off glass. For buffing the solder with the magic eraser before patina it's always dry!! Sorry about that!

[@carmencrystal]

No worries! Thank you for the clarification ❤️

[@haleyghilon.]

hiiii. can you patina multiple times? my black patina seems to have oxidized

[@alysciauyeno]

I have a question! Is it safe to wash patina down the drain? I’m trying out stained glass and I’m a little nervous about washing the patina off in my garden sink. I love you videos by the way!! ❤

[@barbarab202]

If I poured a bit more patina than needed, I usually soak it up with paper towel and then pit it in a garbage bag.

[@kimrountree9399]

Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for your videos. I had a question about copper patina and lead came, do they simply not work together? I’ve been testing it and it seems the patina doesn’t take. If you have a piece with lead came that you want copper what is your workaround? I tried tinning over the came which was a struggle. Thank you!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi Kim, thank you so much for watching! You are correct that they don't work together. I'm not sure if there's a work around for this but I have never been able to use copper patina if I have lead came. I'm honestly not sure why this is (so if anyone who knows sees this and wants to reply, feel free) but usually I just opt for black or silver. Something I've never tried is using copper patina for the body and then doing black on the lead came. If you could blend the edges to gradually fade from copper to black I think that would be super cool!

[@christinescatchard7391]

Hi there, do you wear a mask while working with stained glass and if so what do you wear?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi! I do wear a respirator to help with fumes during soldering. It's moreso a backup since I always solder with a smoke absorber on my work bench with a fan pointed at my hands to help push the fumes into the absorber. I also wear the respirator during patina application and usually just keep it on while polishing because I'm lazy and dont like how my polish smells (although it is an organics respirator, not specifically for heavy metals). I simply looked up "respirator" on amazon and believe it's 3M brand with replaceable filters. Some people do not wear respirators and simply opt for extra ventilation and have no problems! I know many veteran glass artists who have been at it for 30+ years and do not wear much PPE, they simply wash their hands after soldering and avoid having food around their workbench. I tend to be more of a worrier, so I prepare my workbench with recycled paper so I can easily clean up once I'm done, wear gloves, the respirator, and clean all my tools with deleading cleaner before putting them away.

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Very nice

[@hannahgreen9536]

Hello, what do you magic eraser look like please. here in UK when I search they just come up as white blocks for cleaning are these the same. thanks so much. for all your help and advice. x

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi there! another name for them is just "melamine sponge". They're super common cleaning blocks and magic eraser is just the big brand over here :) hope that helps!

[@miss1alex81]

I can’t find colourful glasses in my country, so I’m planning to use food colour and clear glue to paint on clear glass. I was adviced to apply colour after soldering. “I just wonder, should i apply patina&polish after colouring or before? Should I apply anything else to keep the paint as long/beautiful as possible???” Please help, I need to finish this for Christmas🥺💓

[@lena990]

What type of abrasion material do you use if you are going to keep the solder silver?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I used to not buff if leaving silver but now I buff with a magic eraser and then polish as normal

[@eliskadamborska8393]

Hello Rachel! Fellow stained glass artist here. I've graduated from stained glass but I can't figure out what causes "stains" on my patina. Is it low quality solder? Or maybe I haven't removed the flux good enough? Thank you!

[@sarahordway4843]

This used to happen to me too! Usually it’s a result of not creating enough/inconsistent “grit” on my solder lines using the magic eraser/steel wool.

[@tarynshiflett5140]

I was hoping you maybe had a thought on this, I’ve tried putting black patina on multiple pieces but each time I go to polish the patina rubs off??

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

What are you using the apply the patina? Could you describe your process so I could help you troubleshooting?

[@tarynshiflett5140]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 a new rag every time. I follow each and every step I’ve ever researched and have ever been taught, and every step in your video.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

@@tarynshiflett5140 Hmm that's very weird. With the novacan patina I do experience a bit of lightening with my patina when polishing (if using black patina), so to a certain degree it is normal. If it's fully coming off then I'm not quite sure what might be happening!

[@pirilhanci]

Thank u so much! I’m curious about something: do you still see the black residue on your polishing towel when you’re polishing? İs it ok to see this black residue on towel or am I not cleaning it very well? :/ I can not find cj flux remover in my country, so I basically just try clean it with dish washing detergent.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Yes, absolutely! This is completely normal. I'm not entirely sure why it happens. but the black residue happens even when polishing silver solder. I believe it has something to do with the content of the solder. It can seem worse when polishing a piece that has black patina on it and sometimes the patina can lose a bit of it's rich color when polishing. (something I still have yet to find a work around for). As for cleaning, dish washing detergent is a fantastic alternative to CJ's. I know quite a few stained glass artists who use dish soap and love it.

[@pirilhanci]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 Thank you so much for your reply! 🦄😇💕

[@petersauer9496]

Can we pour the Patina down the drain?? We live in a 18 storey apartment and wiwll the fumes bother others as it goes down the drain? Peter

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

As far as I'm aware, with how diluted the patina will become with being washed away, I don't think there should be any issues with that. The medical safety data sheet for the products should give you the best information as far as disposal goes, though. In addition, I advise making sure you're washing in a sink that doesnt deal with food and I also recommend thourough washing plus use of a deleading cleaner. I hope that helps!

[@getin3949]

I have a Brita pitcher, would that water better than tap water as we have horrible water?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I'd imagine so as long as it helps to reduce mineral content, but I cant say for certain. I moved to a place where i have well water and that's all I've been using, no additional filter, and it's been working well so far!

[@dianehutchins7729]

I used magic eraser on one of my projects and I noticed scratch marks close to the bead line. I did dampen the magic eraser before I used it. Can you think of any reason why this happened?

[@ajhank2]

I bought some patina for the very first time a couple weeks ago and used it on some freshly soldered suncatchers. Maybe 10 minutes between solder and patina. It's Novacan black patina on 60/40 solder. It was my first time using a patina but also the first time I tried to polish a finished piece. I tried to polish it with a glass cooktop polish and the black started rubbing off entirely! I watched your video trying to see where I went wrong and I think it's a combination of things but I'd love some input. I'm thinking it was the wrong kind of polish. It was probably too abrasive and not waxy enough. And two, I didn't let it sit long enough before buffing. Have you seen patina rub off like that when you're polishing?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi Ashley! I've only ever had that happen a few times and I'm honestly not sure what causes it! It happened to me when I was first starting out, although it was never so extreme as to all come off. I suspect the main problem might be a combination of needing abrasion on the lead before applying the patina, plus not leaving it on long enough. I'm leaning more towards the needing abrasion, though, since for me, as soon as I apply my patina my lead becomes black with minimal extra effort. Patina can be tricky since there are so many different factors that affect it! I hope that helps!

[@ajhank2]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 It did turn black but I can see how roughing it up a bit first would get the patina to permeate the lead better. I'll try your magic eraser trick next time. Thank you!

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Please let me know how it goes :) good luck!

[@sunshinem3958]

Question for you i have been reading that people are saying after cleaning your glass to polish it first than patina it then wash off then polish again, iam doing a very large panel of windows 70 inch long buy 10 inch high, there are 7 glass panels, it will not be patina at all what do i do, thank you

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I personally have NEVER had a good experience with polishing before patina. Every time I tried to do it, the patina wont stick. It just depends on your preference if youd like to patina or not! Hope I understood your question :)

[@sunshinem3958]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 thank you for your answer i had heard of others on the web that does this but i have never done that before either so i thought i missed this thr the yrs of doing stained glass.

[@TWHwmn]

Which patina, if any, do you use on silver backed foil?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I personally do not use silver backed foil. I prefer black backed, even when I use clear glass, since I feel like the black disappears and isn't as noticable as silver of copper might be.

[@TWHwmn]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 Great, thank you

[@mallorysmith7742]

Is it safe to touch the patina on the solder after letting it sit and dry?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

If you opt to "dry clean" you piece, I would continue to wear gloves up until after polishing the piece. I personally prefer cleaning patina off by washing with flux remover because it's faster and I know I'm getting it fully clean.

[@mallorysmith7742]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 thank you so much, I can’t wait to start making pieces!

[@jordin8154]

Can I use a car wax with carnauba wax in it cause the stuff u have is sold out

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

Hi Jordin! I've used turtle wax paste before and really liked the results. I see no problem with using this as an alternative to stained glass polish, just so long as it has carnauba wax.

[@kimmarie5442]

What is a magic eraser?

[@kimmacfarlane8700]

Why don't you use the magic eraser sponges if you're leaving it silver?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

This is actually something I've changed in the last few months. I used to not like removing the shine from the solder but now buff all pieces with the magic eraser to give a nice, even base. Great question :)

[@kimmacfarlane8700]

@@sunbearglasscraft8065 what do you suggest for cleaning if you want to maintain the shine of the solder? Guess I will have to try it both ways to see which I prefer :)

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

@@kimmacfarlane8700 as long as you polish it, the shine will be as brilliant as before buffing! I buff with magic eraser and then polish with liva polish.

[@StinkyDustyBird]

“I don’t do this (m eraser) if I’m leaving it silver”. Why? Scratches?

[@petersauer9496]

Our biggest problem as a Beginner is finding glass at a reasonable price and all supplies at a reasonable price. We live in Canada and cannot walk into the one store we have here every item we buy there is either mailed or delivered. Very frusting what we really need is to go to stores that allowe us to check over the glass, buy any boxes of allsorts say 10$'s of pieces of glass and they sell for $9..75. Peter

[@redrognav1]

I bet you'd be fun to trip with.

[@getin3949]

I've been making stained glass items for over 30 years and have almost bathed in the stuff, (patina). I've had it on my bare hands for as long as an hour or more with no ill affects. If it has long term affects then I will have to wait and see because it's already been over 30 years. Not everything will kill you, especially if you don't immerse yourself in it every day. Don't make people panic, if they cannot read a label then they shouldn't probably be using the stuff in the first place. I've had no problems and I have the touchiest skin on the planet.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

My intention was not to cause panic but to help people realize it's probably not the best thing to touch considering is says "poison" in all caps on the front of the bottle. I'm glad you haven't had problems, I just know I always have small cuts on my hands and cant imagine that getting patina into my bloodstream will fair well for me in the long term. Additionally, it absolutely is true that people should do their research, but I would hate to be the person who helps encourage someone to try this craft without giving proper warning about the risks associated with touching chemicals. Better safe than sorry in my opinion :)

[@mmo4754]

It's not your job or responsibility to get people to wear gloves. That said, saying it more than twice was definitely overkill.

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

I totally get that! I just wanted to make sure people know the patinas can be harmful on bare skin as I do feel a certain level of responsibility with promoting the craft.

[@courtella18]

Do you wet the magic eraser before using it or use it dry?

[@sunbearglasscraft8065]

When I'm using it to buff the solder its dry