Suncatchers with foil

by Nell Richter
(Spring, Texas)

When I make a one piece suncatcher and surround
the edge with foil, then solder, the edges closest
to the glass are always rough, I have tried for
years and cannot figure how to get the edge on the
glass smooth.

Answer

It sounds to me like you haven't burnished the foil well enough. If the foil is tight against the glass, the edges against the glass should be as smooth as the rest of the soldered foil. I can't think of any other reason for this to happen.

One other thing...if you are making suncatchers out of one piece of glass, I assume the foil eventually starts to pull away from the glass where you have attached the jump ring. You need to make the suncatchers from three or four pieces of glass, and attach the jump rings where an internal solder line meets the outside edge. That will keep the foil from pulling away.