Foil Trouble

by Donna
(Lowell, MA)

Hello,

I am working on a piece that consists of 4 different clear, heavily textured glass. No matter what, I can't get the foil to stay on the glass.

I did grind it, cleaned it several times, and when I fid (burnished it), the foil looks ok. In the curves it can just be brushed back.

Do you have any idea why? I have tried several foils.

Thank you,
Donna

Answer

Hi Donna,

Thank you for submitting your question.

You have a problem that frequently occurs with heavily textured glass, especially around curves.

First of all, use Edco brand foil if that isn't what you're already using. It has more stretch to it and can be worked into curves easier than Venture foil.

Make sure you ease the foil into the curve as you apply it. It is easy to pull the foil too tight as you go around the curve. When it comes time to burnish the foil, it is then difficult to get it to fit well into that curve. It will pop loose as fast as you try to push it back down.

Wipe the glass, well, with alcohol before you apply the foil. If the glass is heavily textured, you might need to use a tooth brush to scrub the alcohol into textured surfaces where the foil needs to stick. Wipe it dry after the alcohol scrub. Foil seems to stick better to an alcohol wiped surface.

Use an orange stick, wooden chop stick or even a piece of copper rod (that is used for making hinges for stained glass boxes), to burnish the foil around the curves. You need something narrow to fit down into the crevices. Make sure you burnish every bump and crevice around both sides of the curve so the foil is pushed down and touches glass every bit of that curve.

Try using a wider foil. It could be that your foil is too narrow and there isn't enough overlap to get it burnished well into those crevices.

Good luck with your project. If you'd like to, please put a picture on the photo gallery when it's done. We'd love to see what you're making. The textured glass should give it a lot of sparkle.

Sue