I've been doing stained glass since high school, when an art teacher got me hooked on it. Over the years I've acquired a lot of the tools of the trade, as well as a sizable collection of glass. To me, there is something real and genuine about a piece made from glass. It's cool to the touch, has weight and substance. There is nothing quite like it.
And over the years, when I've made pieces for friends or family I've always said, if it ever needs to be repaired, let me know.
A few years ago, I made pink ribbons for all my BC friends. The design, unfortunately, wasn't the strongest I've ever come up with. It was prone to flexing and pulling apart. It also tended to break easier when dropped. So when I friend told me she'd knocked hers off the suction cup, I told her let me see it, I'd fix it for her. This was the second repair I'd done for her, and I decided I needed to modify the design.
The ribbon had two broken pieces, so the first thing was to take it apart and salvage the good parts (I took this picture after I started working on it.) Then I decided that I was going to strengthen it by putting an oval of white glass around it, which would add support and stability to the design. It also added 8 more pieces of glass.
It didn't take long at all to cut the new pieces. I'd learned a few tricks at DragonCon a few years ago that have made that process quicker. Once the pieces have been cut, I grind the rough edges to make the pieces fit better. I use a thin copper foil on the glass. It makes for a neater seam, but sometimes a weaker seam. Taking off the rough edges gives it a more refined look, and more consistent seams.
Once the copper foil is applied and smoothed down, I've ready to solder it.
The trick to soldering is to fill the seam completely, then round the top of it, called a bead, on both side, much like creating an "I-beam" of solder around the glass. First you do one side, then the other, put a little bead on the outside edge and attach rings.
Once all soldered I polish the piece with glass polish. It adds a smoothness to the glass as well as keeping the solder bright.
In the end I think it came out nice. Not to mention stronger. I hope my friend likes the new design. She's moving out of the country, so it's going to be harder for her to get it to me should it break again. But if it does, I'll fix it again. And should anyone else come to me or repairs, they get the free up grade as well. Cause as long as I'm able, I repair pieces as well as make them.
