Its solder time!

Hey peoples!
I decided to solder what's ready this past week. Why do this before the entire window is done? Because thinking about it was making me squirrely. Because my studio is small and I was starting to have storage management issues. Because it was there.

How do I solder? Let me give you a tip. Use a BIG TIP! Like a Hexacon 250 watt flamethrowing baseball bat. AKA: "The Pursuader". And NO, it is not too expensive. Nothing else will do. Seriously.

I work using copperfoil technique--or "Tiffany". For all you in the industry, I am not going to get into some argument defending the pros and cons of this. For all you people not in the industry let me tell you this technique is the cause of much "controversy" as it is less than a thousand years old and thus, and as a newbie, has yet to prove its value technically and artistically. Such is the curse of being invented post 1000 AD . (that link is to the oldest stained glass fragments known, fyi) ........SIGH........I will also say, my windows, being intensively layered, could not be achieved any other way.

Hexacon 250 Watt Soldering Iron

OK--so I put down the cartoon. Then I lay down the glass. Yes. 2nd grade Jigsaw puzzle skill are helpful.

The laying down of the glass

Then I tack solder the joints so the pieces stay put.

tack soldering

The smallest piece of glass in the entire monster window it the rope between the two tug-a-war girls.

Then I go in and fill in the lines. Kinda hard to write about soldering techniques!!! The point is to get a super smooooooooth line. One that has some integrity and some oomph to it. It should be rounded, but not chunky. Its ALL about temperature...all about controlling those degrees of hot and cold.

Side one halfway done

Side one done.

When the front is done, I clean it up a bit as it is a slimy, greeeeeeasy mess from the flux and covered with blobs of stray solder. It is not a good idea to handle it filthy, just to have it slide out of your grip!

This is what the cartoon looks like with flux gunk on it. I toss this in the trash.

Then I do the other side--which is much easier as it is usually still warm and also the gaps are filled.

ME! As photographed by Ms Fidget! with whom I had the honor of lunch the other day. Where did we eat? WHERE ELSE???

close to done with this section!

After the second paint firing

latest noose

Here's how the lower right hand panel is looking, so far. At the stage depicted above, the glass has been painted with one firing of black paint and I am in the process of engraving and filing the highlights.

detail of lower left

A few days ago, I had only cut and sandblasted the glass. I then marked it with a sharpie to indicate some lines to paint on to begin the painting process and to make it simpler to know where to put the highlights.

detail

and here's the mock up!

How it's lookin' now

Apologies for the lack of posting! The end of the semester was a bit...frenetic. Here's the top panel for the big window finished!

These "lead lines" are faked in photoshop. I am not going to solder the piece until ALL the parts are done. But its so hard to see what's going on without them, so P-shop it is.

Angel versus Devil. I was really pleased with the Devil's teeth.

Horny monks

Late breaking noose in action

What it looks like in context

Top section as of today, Tuesday Nov 29.

Some close ups--click to enlarge!

Jaundiced lady in aviator helmet (who doesn't want to look at that in their art?)! This is red on clear that's been engraved, painted and silver stained. Later, I engraved much of the silverstain OFF to cure her of her jaundice but leave her looking...interesting.....
Profile of a clown. I said, many posts ago, that I was doing a lot of experimenting in this window. Here's one! The blue on clear (St Just 11--very pale blue on clear) is sandblasted, then enameled with transparent carmine. That's how it looked together on top. Ultimately, I ground off the carmine and added a layer of pink glass--this was just too murky looking.
Monk-y head! Red on clear and a layer of selenium orange on clear.
Monk outfits. The drapery is painted (stencil black) on sandblasted float glass. That's three firings of paint to get the detail and rich blacks.
Silverstain blooper. I ground it out and repolished the glass. It was not apparent when it went into the oven, but that seam was created by putting on two abutting areas of stain. OOOPS! Don't do that (unless you want to). The "proper" way would be one matte, badgered smooth.
Ladies skirt. Gold pink on clear (DESAG), blue on clear with silverstain. (Photo sandblast stencil.)

many pics!

Click to enlarge! (But be aware this snail is, in actuality about 1.5" wide) Top panel as of last night....

arranged on the cartoon

I turned this character around to face towards the fray. I originally thought it would be good to have some looking in other directions...but changed my mind.

Monk-like dudes