Problem With Foil Lifting

by Sandy Brouhard
(Granbury TX)

After I finish soldering and wash my piece, sometimes I lift the inside edges up. What am I doing wrong?

How do I know when I need reinforcement?

Your website it the best information out there.

Thank you,
Sandy Brouhard

Answer

Hi Sandy,

Your foil problem is a common one. It is usually the result of the foil not being burnished well enough. It has to be tight against the glass and the best way to do that is with a small wall paper roller. The roller works much better than a fid. It gets rid of wrinkles and presses the foil down very tight.

The reason the foil lifts is because water gets under the foil, that hasn't been burnished well enough, while it's being washed. The water loosens the foil and makes it very easy to lift, especially when you are wiping the glass.

Reinforcement

You will reinforce a foiled or leaded panel if there are hinge joints. Those are joints or seams that go from one side of the panel to the other. It is very easy for the panel to bend or even fold in half if there is a hinge joint that has not been reinforced. Make sure you run the reinforcement across the hinge joint, not along it.

Another place you would reinforce is if the panel is going in a door that will be opened and closed frequently; for instance cupboard doors and entry doors. With doors, you reinforce as much as possible to keep the panel from bowing after the door has been opened and closed over a period of time. Slamming a door with a stained glass panel is not a good thing, so reinforce that panel heavily.

For large panels, our rule of thumb is to reinforce every 1 1/2 to 2 feet of length and/or width. If you have a panel that's 4 feet high, you would reinforce at the 2 foot point, or as close as you can to 2 feet. The larger the panel, the more you will reinforce it.

We use copper restrip for reinforcing both lead and foil panels. It if fairly easy to work with and has incredible strength. We also use reinforcing rods as well as restrip for very large panels. The rods are joined to the panel with wire. They stick out over each end of the panel and are attached in the window frame itself.

I hope this information will help you, and other people that have similar problems.

Sue