How To Make A Stained Glass Window Frame

Stained Drinking glass Zinc Frame

A stained drinking glass zinc came frame is a expert option for the edges of your panel. This is for a couple of reasons. If yous have a heavier console that needs a bit of strength or want a definite border for artistic reasons so a stained glass zinc frame is your reply.

This stained glass tutorial shows you how to measure, cut and solder a mitred zinc came frame together for a professional look. Your glasswork is worth it!

In that location are some extra zinc tips in these sections:
Soldering Neat Zinc Corners
Tips for Soldering Zinc

What You lot Need

tools and materials for stain glass making — Tools and materials needed for stained glass zinc framing

Essential: 60/40 solder, flux, soldering iron and stand, moisture sponge, Q-tips or cheap brush to employ the flux, your panel, cork or soft wood board, fine felt tip pen, push pins to hold the zinc came in place, zinc came, set square, metal file and a came saw or fine-toothed hack saw. There are special saws for this, including electric ones. Yous don't need to buy anything expensive at this stage. Just motility the blade of your hack saw downwardly a bit and it will work fine.

Optional: mitre box.

A Word About Stained Drinking glass Zinc

Zinc came comes in several different widths. The wider it is, the stronger it is. You can buy it with H or U profiles. The U shape looks nicer for framing but yous tin can apply H zinc for framing.
If your panel is being placed in a wooden frame there is no advantage to using zinc over lead. The wooden frame gives the force. I use atomic number 82 for the edges when I'm framing in forest every bit it'south cheaper and easier to employ.

How To Make A Stained Drinking glass Zinc Frame

Showtime of all yous need to cut the zinc came to fit the panel. Mitred edges (those cutting on a 45 degree angle) wait well-nigh pleasing but y'all tin abut the zinc if yous want to solder the handy hangers into the frame rather than around the top corners.

1. Measuring The Zinc Came

Saw off a two″ slice of zinc to use equally a marker
Place this mark over the vertical edge of your panel and then that the edge glass butts upward to the heart of the zinc

measuring for zinc frame — Stain glass – how to measure the length for zinc came

Giving yourself a chip of extra length on the left paw side, describe two lines downwards from the marker on to the horizonal came
Draw another line diagonally across. This gives y'all the 45 degree angle
Mark the other corner in the same fashion

2. Cutting The Zinc Came

Try to do this as accurately as you can. Some people use a mitre box to cutting the angles. By all means purchase i of these if yous think it volition aid.

how to saw zinc came — How to cut zinc came for a mitred frame

Place the blade over the cut line and saw straight downwardly. It takes a bit of fourth dimension and effort!
Don't push too difficult, as you might squash the zinc
File the ends to tidy them up
Echo 1. and 2. above for three sides

stained glass zinc — Zinc came mitred corners cutting to the correct length

3. Measuring The Concluding Edge

Pivot your 3 edges in with the button pins, checking that they're at right angles
Place your concluding length of zinc over the pinnacle and marking the 45 degree angle equally in 1. above. The marks in the photo looks 'off' because of camera distortion, then wait at the pinkish lines below
Cut the remaining two angles
Pin the terminal zinc came in place, checking that the stain glass panel is square

cutting final zinc came to size — Cut concluding zinc came to the right length

four. How To Solder The Zinc Came Frame

Zinc came needs a bit more solder than pb came so make certain you're a scrap more generous with it.
Stained glass zinc also prefers fresh flux. Apply flux one joint at a time rather than all at once.
Now each border join needs to exist soldered neatly to the zinc.
Piece of work your style around the edges, soldering each bring together to the zinc came. This ensures that everything stays in place.
With the chisel tip of your iron at right angles to the stain glass, melt off a small chip of solder on to the seam
Keeping your tip at the aforementioned angle, slowly cook the solder until it merges with the seam and sticks to the zinc frame
Exist aware that zinc needs a bit more heat applied than copper foil or atomic number 82
Work your way effectually the panel until each bring together is soldered to the frame

stain glass how to solder zinc — Soldering seams to zinc came

Next solder each corner. You lot can use tape to help you make a neater join (see beneath)
To do this melt a hulk of solder over the join and melt the stain glass solder with the flat face of your atomic number 26 tip on the solder. See the video below if you're unsure nearly this.
Turn over and repeat the soldering on the other side.

stained glass panel soldered to zinc frame — Stain glass panel with mitred stained glass zinc frame

Soldering Zinc Height TIPS

Soldering a Neat Zinc Join

To create a peachy solder join you can stick masking record on each side of the bring together earlier fluxing and soldering. Make sure it'southward stuck downward firmly first. This contains the solder for a professional cease and prevents a blobby mess 🙂

The images below were kindly sent to me by reader Kathy Lloyd and evidence this technique nicely.

Additional Soldering Tips for Zinc

U contour zinc came is for the edge frame of your piece. It should, if it is zinc, take solder. It takes longer to heat up so attempt this:

When soldering zinc, concur your atomic number 26 on the zinc a lilliputian longer than you would on lead.
When soldering zinc to lead, touch the zinc came first to heat it a fleck before touching the lead too.
The zinc might turn dark and virtually wait scorched, but this volition clean up.
Zinc takes longer to oestrus upwardly so on the corner, zinc to zinc, hold your iron on the zinc to warm the zinc and activate the flux. Then put the solder on the zinc, iron on summit and melt the solder.
Exercise with some flake zinc first.

Helpful Resources For Stained Glass Zinc

This is a useful 3 minute video showing exactly what I've been describing, including soldering a corner join. Start watching at 1min 20 seconds if yous're in a rush, equally information technology repeats the same steps for each corner.

She'south using a luxury electric saw, lucky affair!