Let the IRON do the work!,Glass Articles,052009Art

Article by: Nancy Louise Stockmann

I’ve always been envious of those who can form the perfect bead of solder. I watch the local craft shows and the artisans make soldering look so easy. It even sounds easy when they explain the technique, but just how is it accomplished? You see, I can’t solder. No, really. I can’t. I try, but I usually end up with globs of solder over here and empty spots over there that really should have solder. (scratching my head) Just how do they create that perfect bead?

So with my questions in tow, I finally decided to do battle with my windmill. I went to see the Man of Solder. Frank! He’s a master at soldering. Frank can make solder sit up and beg – that’s how good he is. And so one Saturday, Frank sat down with me and tutored me in the fine art of soldering a perfect bead. There are many steps to follow and all are important, but only one will make you smile. Here are Frank’s steps…

First, gather all the necessary supplies. Soldering iron with stand and wet sponge, a bottle of flux, a flux brush, a small container to hold the flux (35mm film canisters are great), solder, copper foil and glass samples/scrap. The 35mm film canister is used to keep the bottle fresh aka uncontaminated. No double dipping in the original flux bottle!

Next, plug in the iron, unwrap a bit of solder from the coil, pour a small amount of flux into the 35mm container, clean and then foil the glass. By the time you do all of this, your iron will be hot and ready to go. And no, you won’t have to use the soldering iron pictured for this article. The iron pictured is an antique. Makes you really appreciate the newer models, yes?

One more thing, remember to always work in a well lit and well ventilated area. Keep small children, dogs and kittens away from your work. The iron and the solder are hot! And it never hurts to have an aloe plant in your craft room.

Let’s solder!

1. First, brush a little bit of flux onto your foil. If you don’t, it’s going to get ugly aka the solder will not stick or flow. Don’t put too much on either – you don’t want the flux to spit and splatter and possibly burn you. This is where the aloe comes in handy.

2. "Tin" the area you want to solder. Tinning is when you coat the surface with a thin layer of solder. Touch the solder coil with the iron and gently drag the iron from one side to the other. Voila! A beautiful thin coating of shiny solder is now on your copper foil.

3. Next - Clean your iron. Keep the tip clean – wipe it on the wet sponge. Don’t be shy about cleaning the iron’s tip – a dirty tip is like working with no flux – ugly! Then wait a bit and let the iron reheat.

4. Touch your iron again to the solder coil and gently touch the iron (with the solder) to the far right edge of your piece. You will have a small mound of solder on your piece – let it cool. Clean your iron, grab another bit of solder and place it on the far left side of the piece – let this cool as well.

5. Now apply solder to the middle, to the mid right and now to the mid left – all the while giving each new addition of solder time to cool. And in between each addition, clean your iron too.

6. Your edge is completely covered now with solder albeit a bit bumpy. Let the solder cool, clean your iron, let the iron reheat, touch the solder, let it melt and slowly – gently drag the iron across the edge of your glass. No need to push the iron into the solder – let it glide across the top of the lumps – smoothing them into the perfect bead. <soft spoken mystical voice> "Let the Iron Do the Work."

Yes, let the iron do the work. When I heard Frank say this, I couldn’t help but smile. I hope you did too. Yes, all the other steps are necessary, but this is the key tip. Let the Iron Do the Work. Now you know the secret but with any new technique you also have to practice, practice and practice again. How’s my solder? Well, I’m no expert by any measure, but I’m getting better. My beads are looking better. And I’m letting the "IRON" do the work.

Thanks Frank!!!