Soldering copper foil is something most glass crafters either like or dislike. There doesn’t seem to be much, if any, middle ground. After going through this tutorial, I believe you’ll be in the “I Like It” catagory.
Preparing To Solder
After you have your project assembled, look for anything that should be fixed up. Cracks, flaws, torn foil…anything at all. In the oval panel I used for this tutorial, there was a flaw in the large blue nugget that I did not see until I finished the first side and held it up to the light. The flaw was difficult to see at certain angles, but when I turned it just right, it loomed out at me. I had to repair the panel before I even turned it over to work on the second side. If I had been aware of that flaw while I was foiling the panel, my afternoon would have been much more pleasant.
As well as the flaw in the nugget, there was a crack in a piece of glass, caused by some hot solder landing on it. I was impatient and tried to flick it off with my hot iron. Instant crack. I don’t know what I was thinking, because I knew better than to do that. Anyway, it gave me a good subject for the repair section of this tutorial. I do try to find a positive side to everything!