Cardinal Sun Catcher

"So, what does it mean when you see a cardinal? Could it be bringing you a message from an ancestor or the gods? Well, the belief that Cardinals are spiritual messages has existed in several cultures and societies for a very long period now, and the belief continues to survive even in our modern world."
-http://thebigdeer.com/what-does-it-mean-when-you-see-a-cardinal/

With a rare gap in my work schedule, I finally had time to create a special gift for a friend for whom the Cardinal has great meaning.

I rendered the design from a photograph as shown below ..

Here's my color rendition.

Tracing the pattern onto a Manila folder, using carbon paper as shown.  

Pattern pieces are cut using specialized stained glass pattern shears.  They leave a thin strip between each piece which allows room for the copper foil which will follow later.

Tracing the patterns onto the glass ..

Using an oil-filled pistol grip glass cutter to cut the pieces.

Mid-project .. A bunch of pattern pieces and cut glass ready to be made into a beautiful bird.

A few of the cuts were too intricate to cut by hand, so I used my wet band saw.

All of the glass has been cut and laid on the pattern or "cartoon".

Applying adhesive 7/32" black back copper foil to the edges of each piece of glass.  Here I'm burnishing the edges with a "fid" or flat plastic wand.

Etching my name, month and date onto the back of the tail piece.  Since the front is textured glass, the engraving won't be visible.

In order to prepare for soldering, I've locked each piece in place by pressing pushpins into my Homasote work surface.

Applying liquid flux to the copper foil.  This is a catalyst which enables the solder to flow freely.

I've "tack soldered" the pieces together so that I can remove the push pins and slide out the "cartoon" or paper pattern.

Now the Cardinal is fully soldered, front and back and edges.

To improve the stability and strength of the sun catcher, I soldered a single length of thin copper wire completely around the border as shown.

Next I'm creating a hanging hook using 20 gauge copper wire which I wrap around a metal brush as shown.

I placed the "legs" of the hook onto one of the solder lines and extended the loop over the edge.  After all the soldering was completed, I gave the entire piece a good cleaning with a flux neutralizing spray.

Applying black patina to the solder.  It works instantly,  After it set for a bit, I washed off the excess.  No chemicals will remain by the end of the process.

And here is the finished Cardinal!  When I render any animal or bird in glass, I always make a transparent eye.  It gives the piece that spark of life when the light shines through.

Another view with his shadow.

This view shows the textures of the glass.

And here he is, proudly adorning the front window of my friend's home.  Thanks so much Marty, for your kind words when I surprised you with the Cardinal.  May you and your family enjoy him for years to come!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!

Repair to Stained Glass Cross

This is a small repair done to a cross owned by a repeat customer.  Since she lives a distance away, we used the US mail to send it back and forth.

Here's the cross as it came to me, with the bottom cracked.

I melted off the solder around the connection areas and removed the broken piece.

Melting off the old solder.

I didn't have an exact match for this glass, nor could I locate the match, so I sent photos of several possibilities to my customer.  She chose this very pale amber.  Here I've made a template for the replacement piece.

Here's the finished cross. In order to match the existing patina, I mixed copper with black.

 Thank you Cindy for calling upon me for your stained glass repairs.

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!

Wedding Invitation under Glass

Here's a bit of a departure from usual projects.  I was commissioned to enclose a wedding invitation under glass.  My customer had one made for her own wedding years ago and wanted the same for her friends.  She brought hers to me as an example and I replicated it.  The process ...


For the back piece of glass, I used clear Glue Chip which has a winter frost texture to it, very appropriate for a December wedding.  I faced the texture to the inside, so that the glass would be smooth in back and have a bit of grip to the inside.  The front piece of glass was clear windowpane glass.

After measuring the invitation and the glass, I cut each piece and then brought them to the grinder to smooth the edges.

Then I added a border of 1/4" silver back copper foil to the borders of both sheets of glass.  The side of the foil facing inward is silver.  I chose this color because the solder will not be patinaed, it will remain silver.  By using foil with a silver interior, it will not show through the glass.

To secure the invitation to the Glue Chip glass backing, I added a few glue dots as shown.  They are perfect circles and very sticky, ideal for attaching to the glass.

After the invitation was trapped between the two sheets of glass, I taped them together securely. Then I applied liquid flux sparingly to the borders and carefully soldered the sides together.

 Here is the invitation within the glass after I applied decorative solder to the front edge as shown.  My customer's invitation also had a decorative border, so she wanted the same for her friend.

Next, I used 20 gauge copper wire wrapped around a metal brush to create two hanging hooks for the back.

Here's one of the hooks embedded into the back border.

And here's a back view of the finished invitation which shows five glue dots and the hanging hooks.

All done! These make great gifts .. The glass is heavy and sturdy and the decorative solder on the front makes it even more unique.  Thank you Donna and Chad for bringing your project to me.

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!