Vintage-Bottle Stained Glass Panel

Materials:

flat sheet glass in chosen colors
antique bottles
chandelier prisms
vintage eyeglasses
sea glass
adhesive copper foil
diamond bit cutter
nippers
copper wire
acid brush
liquid flux and brush
wire snips
soldering iron
lead/tin mix solder
zinc channel
fan
burnishing tool/fid
liquid patina
paper
black permanent marker
safety glasses
latex gloves

1. Select glass bottles, antique chandelier prisms, vintage eyeglasses and other glass pieces and draw a design incorporating the glass into the pattern. Number each section on the pattern for reference (figure A).

2. Cut the flat glass pieces according to the pattern using a diamond bit cutter and nippers. Number each glass piece to correspond to the pattern (figure B).

3. Wrap each piece of glass in adhesive backed foil.

• Burnish the edges of the foil on the glass pieces (figure C).
• Wrap each bottle and vintage glass piece with foil.
• When wrapping the bottles with foil, place it vertically around the center (figure D).

4. Lay all the foil wrapped glass pieces onto the pattern (figure E).

5. Remove the bottles and dimensional glass pieces. Brush liquid flux onto the foil in preparation for soldering. Spot solder the pieces together to be sure the pieces fit (figure F).

6. Solder the flat pieces together. Solder zinc channel pieces around the edges to make the frame (figure G).

7. Raise the piece off the work surface by supporting the corners with solder spools. Solder in the 3-dimensional pieces (figure H).

8. Solder the back side.

9. Add vines by unrolling long pieces of solder and soldering them to the frame edges, stretching them across the piece. Add "barbs" to the vines by melting solder onto the vines (figure I).

10. Patina the panel by brushing liquid patina over the solder (figure J). It will immediately turn the solder black. Work quickly because the acid will turn the glass black as well.

11. Wash and dry the panel to remove the patina liquid.

12. Add copper wire hangers to the corners. Hang the stained glass panel in a window.

Website: www.fullerglass.com