Wrapping Glass Nuggets With Foil

by David A
(North Carolina)

Hi Sue,
Actually, I have two questions.

I'm having trouble copper foiling nuggets. Besides nuggets being not very round, the copper foil really bunches up as I fold it around the edge. No amount of burnishing removes the folds. Do you have recommendations?

I'm making a square lamp. Naturally the corners where the glass sides meet require a lot of solder and I have trouble getting a reasonably smooth bead. Should something (copper wire be used to help fill the gap, or just alot of solder. Any recommendations?

Many thanks. Love your site!

David

Answer
Hi David,

You need to rough up the edge of each nugget, on the grinder, just enough for the foil to get a good hold. The edges of nuggets are so smooth that foil just won't stick otherwise.

Use as narrow a foil as possible. You want it to barely wrap above either side of the edge. There have been times when I've cut a strip of foil down the middle to get it narrow enough. This should help with the bunching problems you're having.

Alternatively, you can wrap as many nuggets as you will be using, then put them in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake the container for a minute. When you are done shaking, the nuggets will be ready for use. This really does work and saves a lot of time.

Now, for the lamp problem...Wire in the seams will not only help fill the gap, but it will strengthen the shade as well. Run the wire precisely from bottom to top of each seam. When you're done soldering the seams, solder wire around the bottom and the top edges of the lamp. The wires in the seams will then be attached to the top and bottom wires and form a strong framework.

As you're filling in the seams, don't try to finish each seam in one go. Add some solder, go on to the next ones until you're back to the first. By doing that, the bottom layer of solder will have a chance to set before adding more. The final layer should be fairly easy to get smooth since you won't be working with a huge amount of solder.

As with any stained glass technique, practice, practice, practice!

Enjoy that lampshade and send us a picture when it's done.