How to Solder Glass for Jewelry Making

Solder is a metal alloy that's heated and used to fuse circuits in electronics, joints in metalworking and create beautiful designs in art and glass work. Although soldering is typically done with metal on metal, glass can also be soldered to create beautiful unique jewelry. Soldering is a difficult art to master, but with some practice, you can become talented in soldering glass for jewelry.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soldering iron
• Non-lead solder
• Wet sponge
• Small bowl of water
• Glass
• Copper foil
• Flux
• Paint brush

1. Wrap a piece of copper foil around a glass bead. Use the end of a pencil or other object to smooth the copper around the glass. The smoother and more even the copper foil, the more attractive the end result will be, so take your time with this step.

2. Brush flux over the copper with a small paintbrush.

3. Set the bead on top of a wet sponge.

4. Unroll a small amount of solder from a roll of non-lead solder.

5. Hold the solder in one hand and the soldering iron in the other hand.

6. Move the solder and soldering iron simultaneously around the bead. It can be difficult to get the hang of using both hands together like this to solder, but with practice you'll get better at it.

7. Quench the bead, paint more flux on it and continue soldering as many times as necessary to achieve the look you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• Burns are common for people while soldering, so pay close attention at all times.
• If a piece of glass or metal needs to be cooled down, you can dip it in a small bowl of water. This is called quenching it.
• Always solder in a well-ventilated area because the process of soldering releases dangerous fumes.

[suephillips]

on 10/22/2008 Another commment/question? What can I do with the bead next? If I want to add it to jewelry, do I solder it onto a link of chain or something similar?

[suephillips]

on 10/22/2008 I think I know what you mean, but a picture would be wonderful so that I could see the end result of what I am trying to achieve. (not to copy, just to get a better idea of what to do). Thanks!