"Desert Walls" Stained Glass

Materials:

variety of small pieces of hand rolled art glass
8-1/2" x 8" piece of architectural clear glass
2 medium glass nuggets
1 large glass nugget
14-gauge copper wire
needle nose pliers
grozer breakers
glasscutter
running pliers
45-degree drafting triangle
water-soluble pen
ruler
glass grinder
7/32 copper foil
3/8 copper foil
fid
60/40 solder
water-soluble flux
stained glass soldering iron with temp control
latex gloves
0000 steel wool
dish soap*
patina
shop towel
eye protection
piece of drywall board
paper
scissors
twine, chain or fishing line for hanging
*Avoid dish soap that contains bleach or ammonia.

1. Select a desired piece of glass to feature in your design and to build on its color.

2. Draw the chosen design on paper. Number each section of the drawing (figure A). Cut apart the paper pattern pieces (figure B).

3. Trace the shapes on the colored glass according to the paper pattern. Draw on the cut side of the glass or flip the pattern over if you want the uncut side to be the front of the design.

5. Score and cut the glass pieces (figure D). Wear safety glasses when cutting glass. Remove unwanted pieces with breaking pliers and continue in this fashion until all of the glass is cut into desired shapes. Be careful scoring and breaking some of the smaller pieces. Tip: Use two pair of breaking pliers, one to hold the piece you want, and one to remove the glass you don’t want. Cut the longer strips of architectural glass with running pliers.

7. Rinse and dry all the pieces to remove ink or grinder dust.