How do you practice soldering for stained glass?

How do you practice soldering for stained glass?

Try dropping a series of blobs along the seam and joining them up to make the smooth seam. That way you don’t have to worry about feeding the solder. This is the technique students find most helpful in the Stained Glass Made Perfect course. Try flat soldering the front side first, making sure that the gaps are filled.

Can you use any solder for stained glass?

NOTE: Use only solid-core solder. Never use acid or rosin core solder for stained glass. TIP: Handling solder poses a risk of lead poisoning if certain safety precautions are not followed.

What is the best temperature for soldering stained glass?

700 degrees is the standard for 60/40 solder, but 600 and 800 degree tips are available.

Should you wear a mask when soldering stained glass?

Soldering lead will NOT produce particles you can inhale. There is a risk when cutting lead with power saws, or when repairing leaded glass. Fine particles of lead produced by the saw, or when you scrape old lead, can easily be inhaled. Always wear a protective mask when doing either of these.

Can you use flux paste for stained glass?

75 soldering flux offers the full strength of an inorganic acid stained glass flux. This flux contains both Zinc Chloride and Ammonium Chloride and is recommended for difficult-to-solder stained glass applications.

Can you make stained glass without soldering?

So soldering for us stained glass folks is the melting of lead (specifically a combination of tin/lead) to hold your stained glass pieces wrapped in copper foil together to make it one single project. Without lead soldering your art would just be pieces of glass.

Can I use rosin flux for stained glass?

Never use acid or rosin core solder for stained glass, only use solid-core solder. 4. Solder needs a flux to flow smoothly and bond to other metals like copper or lead came. 5.

Why does my solder look dirty?

When soldering zinc, hold your iron on the zinc a little longer than you would on lead. When soldering zinc to lead, touch the zinc came first to heat it a bit before touching the lead too. The zinc might turn dark and almost look scorched, but this will clean up.

How do you know if a soldering iron is too hot for stained glass?

Your iron might be too hot, causing the solder to melt too quickly. Turn the rheostat down to somewhere between 700 – 750F (360 on a Hakko FX-701) or check you’ve got the correct temperature tip in if it’s a thermostatically controlled one (#7 for Weller 100W). If all this is ok, get the iron checked out by an expert.

How long can flux stay on stained glass?

Store the soldered stained glass piece in a dark, room temperature place (under a bed or in a closet) covered with a towel. Do NOT store longer than one week for copper patina, two weeks for black patina.