New Tools and Ideas

Not only do we teach the art of stained glass to students, but WE learn from our students as well.   Here are some products and ideas we learned of from students and hobbyists like you:  

Nice Idea, but...
As all of us who use the copper foil process know, we lay out the foiled pieces nicely on our pattern   ...and then knock them all out of place when we brush on the flux.  Then we have to rearrange them all over again.  Well, in an effort to speed things up and skip a step, one innovative anonymous student came up with this idea: Use a spray bottle to spray the flux onto the project!  Since the pieces aren't budged by this technique, you can go ahead and tack solder the project without having to take the time to push the pieces back into place!  There's just one problem: This only works with liquid flux obviously (gel or past won't spray) and, flux being flux, the acid in it dissolves the little metal spring in the spray bottle mechanism.  Oh, well.  It worked for ONE project!  Unless you happen to have an unlimited supply of empty spray bottles...

I loaned out my aluminum layout blocks to some students who opted to use ceiling tiles (Homasote?) as workboards instead of the traditional plywood and horseshoe nails.  While at Lowe's in Moline and K&K Hardware in Bettendorf, I saw the raw materials that these little, mini "angle-irons" are probably made from.  I don't remember the short dimensions, maybe 1/2" or possibly 3/8", but both places have stock lengths of this stuff.  Lowe's had 3-foot lengths and K&K had both 4 and 6-foot lengths.   An enterprising stained glass crafter could cut a length into smaller pieces and drill tiny holes in them for the push-pins.  I'll bet the Mini Cut-off Saw mentioned below would cut them to length like they were hot butter!

For the beadmaker: The latest bead release agent by Hotline® is "Pink Slipper" Bead Release, the new favorite of professionals.   This new release is lighter in color than the old black, gunky ones and is smooth and easy to work with.  One dip is all you need to work on even larger beads.  Beads are easier to release than with previously available products.  I've used it and I prefer it for my beadmaking!  

Also for the beadmaker:  Check out your local welding supply store for stainless steel rods suitable for making mandrels.  You will probably have to cut them to the size you want, but they are generally much cheaper to get this way.  Thanks to Chris S. for this advice.

The Metallic Silver Sharpie pen is an excellent alternative to the messy white paint pens and is available at most office supply places (like Staples and Office Max).   Like the black Sharpie and the black Staedtler, it is really more of an ink pen and delivers a fairly visible metallic silver line that’s much less smeary than the paint in the white pens.   It also performs pretty well when grinding – for the most part it stays put.   A special thanks to student Linda L. for sharing her discovery!    Note: Store the pen cap-side-down and it will perform better.

Reynolds brand plastic coated Freezer Paper makes excellent pattern paper for small to medium sized projects.   It’s white, reasonably transparent for tracing and the non-shiny paper side takes pencil and pen marks well (with very good erasability).   I’ve played with it a little bit, and is seems to me that the plastic coating on the shiny side will give it some resistance to wetness and shrinking/expanding from moisture.   The fact that it comes on an 18” wide roll makes it convenient for most projects.   A roll contains 75 Sq. Ft. and is avail. at Hy Vee stores or your local grocery store for about $2.59.   A special thanks to employee Tracy B. for this excellent find!

  Graphite Transfer Paper and White Transfer Paper provide a unique way to transfer your patterns onto glass and mirror without having to cut out your pattern!    Much like carbon paper, the transfer paper is placed between your pattern and glass.   Simply trace your lines with a ballpoint pen or a ball burnisher.  The line is now transferred to the glass.   Go over the line with a black, white or silver pen to widen the line and make it more visible (the transfer paper line alone is not adequate for cutting)   Overall, I found the white transfer paper was the better performer on all but the lightest colored glasses.   Available at art supply stores.  A special thanks to hobbyist Jim W. for this innovative time saver!

  The Mini Cut-Off Saw from Harbor Freight Tools in Davenport, Iowa makes an excellent little came saw.   Its 2” round metal blade cuts through zinc like hot butter!   I've even used it on brass, which usually kills other blades.  Features include a screw clamp that holds the came tightly in place while you cut, and an adjustable miter gauge that locks in position anywhere from 90° to 45°.    The best feature of all is the price – only $29.99! (Rumor says it's even less!!)  In my experimentations with it, I found that it will make 45° miter cuts in cames up to ½” wide, but larger cames – like ¾” – don’t get cut all the way through in the 45° position. (But who uses stuff that big anyway?)   Maybe not the most heavy-duty item in the world, but just dandy for the average hobbyist.   I've been using ours for a couple of years now and I'm still using the original blade!!  They say they make replacements -- and I plan to pick one up -- but I haven't needed it yet!  I can't remember who gets the credit for this find.  Mini Cut-Off Saw is Model #42307.  Made in China.  Be careful and wear safety glasses.

    I've talked many times in my classes about using a "Clear Coat" to protect finished pieces - primarily small copper foil projects.  This is basically a clear, glossy spray paint with which I coat small items to keep the patina finish from darkening or dulling with time.   I think it looks nice, especially on night lights and copper foil suncatchers.   If you're one of those people who leaves their copper foil projects silver (patina-free), then clear coating is almost a must.   I usually hang the item by a piece of wire outside the back door of my shop and coat the whole thing with the spray - glass, solder, lead and all.   Since it's clear and glossy, you really can't see it on the glass as long as you don't try to spray it on something optically clear like bevels (Bevels could probably be masked, though.  Then it would probably work).    Here is of my recommendation based on what I've played with so far:   My favorite is found at Lowe's and is called Valspar American Tradition Interior / Exterior Ultra Clear Protective Acrylic Finish.  That mouthful is basically the whole front label on the can.  Be sure to get the kind that says, "GLOSS" in big black letters on the cap.  It also says, "For Wood, Metal, Crafts" and, very importantly, "Fast Dry: Won't Run".  That's a good quality to have.   Not all clear coats are created equal though.   I've recently tried Rustoleum® Premium Crystal Clear Enamel.   I'm sure it's fine for some things but I found it inadequate for this job, at least.   Just make sure your project is immaculately clean of all flux and patina residue and totally dry before clear coating.