How to Make Soldered Glass Art Pendants
Soldering glass is the application of melted metal onto a piece of glass. A soldered glass art pendant can take as many shapes as your imagination can dream up. When making a soldered glass pendant, you can choose colored glass and cut it into your desired shape or, more commonly, you can sandwich a design between two pieces of glass and solder them together. Items to sandwich in between the two pieces of glass can include but are not limited to pressed dried flowers, fabric, photos and drawings. The following is a guide to making handmade soldered glass art fashion pendants.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 microscope glass slides
- Glass cutter
- Round salt shaker
- Felt tip marker
- Pressed dried flowers
- 1 clothes pin
- Copper tape
- Flux
- Cotton swab
- Soldering iron
- Lead-free solder
- Needle nose pliers
- 1 jump ring
Instructions
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1
Put a small, round salt shaker or other desired shape onto a glass slide and trace around it with a felt tip marker. Remove the shaker.
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2
Press the glass cutter firmly into the glass and trace along the marking. Hold the shape with your clothes pin and grasp the extraneous glass parts with the needle nose pliers. Use the pliers to break away the rest of the glass slide from the round shape.
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3
Repeat steps 1 and 2 on the second slide.
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4
Sandwich your design (dried flowers, cloth, etc.) between the two circular pieces of glass.
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5
Gently cover the outer edge of the sandwiched glass with copper tape. Once the tape is in position, fold it evenly over edge and onto both sides glass.
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6
Hold the glass with a clothes pin and apply a light coat of flux to the copper tape using a cotton swab. Also apply flux to the jump ring.
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7
Turn on the soldering iron and melt the solder onto the copper tape, working back and forth to get it as even as desired. Leave an extra lump at the top.
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8
Quickly take your pliers and use them to pick up the jump ring and press it to the extra lump of solder at the top of the pendant. Using the soldering iron, meld the ring onto the pendant.
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Tips & Warnings
If the metal looks too lumpy for your taste, apply more flux and go over it again with the soldering iron to smooth it out.
Be sure to use only lead-free solder and work in a well-ventilated area. Do not touch the metal part of the soldering iron with your hands after it has been turned on.
