How to Solder Stained Glass Like A Pro

	This online version is provided courtesy of Inland Craft Products, Inc. You can view the complete manual and obtain a PDF version from the "How To" section on the Inland Craft website.
Soldering Basics for Copper Foil
The quality of the solder job can make or break your project, yet it is the step that takes the most practice to become good at. Soldering is more difficult than the other steps in stained glass because there are so many things that can effect it: the amount of heat, the amount of solder, the type of flux, the rate at which you move, gaps in the project, etc. The following step-by-step instructions will give you the basics of soldering. If you are just starting out, you will learn a lot. If you are experienced, you may just find the trick that makes it all come together. Great soldering takes a little bit of knowledge and a lot of practice.
Before You Start
Preparation is the key to producing a good solder bead. Here are some suggestions to help you get of to a great start! Make sure that the foil is seated properly over the glass. Trim all overlaps in the foil using a sharp craft blade. Assemble all the tools you will need so they are at hand. Wear safety glasses. Have a proper ventilation set up. Make sure the foil is well burnished and sealed smoothly to the glass surface. Secure the glass pieces using pins, or squaring blocks made for this purpose before soldering. Set aside enough time to solder your entire project all at once. If you don't, dried flux and solder residues on the unfinished parts will make further soldering difficult. Flux allowed to remain on a project can compromise the strength of the solder joints.
Cleaning Before Soldering
Sometimes the surface you are going to solder needs cleaning to remove visible grime, dirt, residue or oxidization. In this case, use 000 or 0000 steel wool to clean the surface of copper foil. For lead came or excessive oxidation carefully use a soft brass brush. If you won’t be able to solder your project immediately after it is copper foiled, store it in a plastic bag to help reduce oxidation. If you partially solder the project and have to stop before it is complete, be sure to clean off all of the flux and store the project in a plastic bag until you are ready to continue. You will probably still need to use steel wool on the joints when you are ready to solder, but the clean up should be minor.
Getting Started
Begin the soldering process by fluxing all intersections of the glass project. Then "flat tack" solder these intersections together by using a very small amount of solder and the flat face of the iron tip. The solder should lay flat on the intersection and you shouldn't have any beads or bumps of solder on the piece. Hence the name "flat-tack" soldering. Now, fill any gaps between the glass pieces by melting solder into them until the solder is level with the surface of the glass. If you have large gaps, you can ball up some copper foil, with the sticky sides together, and fill the gaps. This will help keep the solder from seeping out the other side
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