Cut, Solder, Celebrate: Part Two of Our Stained Glass Class

From choosing the perfect glass to soldering the final pieces, the second half of our stained glass class was all about teamwork—and a little sparkle.

Charlie Yellow

• 2 min read
Cut, Solder, Celebrate: Part Two of Our Stained Glass Class
Teamwork makes the glass work.

Choosing Our Colors

Before the second half of our private stained glass class began, Alex had already prepared several sheets of colored glass that matched our design perfectly. We spent time carefully choosing which pieces to use. Before we started cutting, Alex suggested a simplified version of our design to save time—what would have been six pieces could be reduced to just two. We’d been thinking along the same lines, but her suggestion was even more efficient than ours, and it helped us a lot!

Cutting with Confidence

We cut all the glass pieces smoothly and quickly. This time, I felt much more confident than I had during our first class. I think writing my previous blog post helped me mentally review how to handle the glass, which led to fewer mistakes.

Grinding, Washing, Wrapping

Once all the pieces were cut, we used a grinder to refine the edges and shape any parts the glass cutter couldn’t handle. Then we rinsed off the glass dust with water and dried each piece with a microfiber cloth. After that, we wrapped each piece with copper adhesive foil.

Foil wrapped and everything where it should be—seeing it take shape was pure magic.

The Soldering Struggle

One step I forgot to mention before—there’s a clear liquid applied to the copper edges before soldering. I believe it helps the pieces bond together. Then we joined the glass by melting metal along the copper lines with a soldering iron. I couldn’t get the hang of soldering at all, so I happily left that part to my husband—he did an amazing job!

He soldered like a champ. I watched in awe (and maybe slight envy😒)

Making Something Together

There are so many steps involved in making stained glass, and I realized that everyone has parts they’re good at and parts they’re not. That’s why it was so fun to work as a team—we helped each other, complimented each other, and made something beautiful together. It turned out to be a lovely way to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, too.

Thank you for such a colorful, fun, and safe class, Alex!