Plan
Before doing any piece, a plan must be made. What color or shape best compliments the design? Do the colors also complement one another? Will the completed piece be structurally stable? Will piece be suspended or framed? Does the grain of the glass run in the direction needed for the specific piece used in the art? How does the lighting or shading of the piece dictate where its best used? Where is the weight centered and how will that play when the piece is completed? These are all questions that need to be considered from the very beginning.
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Stage and Begin
Pick out the various pieces of glass. Then, assess if pieces will be hand cut or cut using diamond bandsaw based on details and shapes. Stage work by assembling all needed items & materials based on the plan; tin cane or framing, 60/40 solder, paintbrush, soldering iron with correct tip, glass, glass cutter & oil, grinder, copper foil & shoe, flux, isopropyl alcohol, wax, polishing rags. Once all materials are gathered; begin by sketching the pattern out and placing glass pieces in the planned design. I always stage before beginning work.
Refine
Cutting only gets the glass pieces so far. Just a millimeter less or more will affect how the pieces form together. The angles the glass comes to at the edges also needs to be just right for a proper solder to be completed. This step may seem simple, but it requires a close attention to detail. An unrefined edge could cause a weakness in the piece as a whole and compromise its structural form. Without a strong structure, the glass will be improperly offset or could ultimately fail and break.
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Accomplish
Set, solder, and inspect. Pieces are in place, each piece has been refined to ensure proper adhesion, and now it is time to develop it into its final product. Tools are used to adhere glass to metal or other materials to its final product. Once this stage is complete, it is ready to inspect, polish, and show. Stop by the store to see what you would like to show off in your home, office, or garden.
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