Pros : What a great soldering iron. Have been working with glass
over 30 years and this is by far the best iron I have ever had the joy of using. Very light and comfortable to hold
Cons : None
Other Thoughts : This iron cuts down the fatigue of holding an iron for long periods of time.
Great tool.
Last weekend, while killing time in Detroit before a flight, I wandered into the Henry Ford Museum. If you havent had a chance to visit this monstrous attraction, make plans now. Its incredible. I was there for three hours and saw only a small portion of what the museum has to offer. There are huge machinery collections, transportation exhibits and much, much more planes, trains and automobiles, oh my. I was especially intrigued with one particular machine. The Corning Glass Ribbon Machine. Before the invention of this machine, every light bulb was hand blown. As you can imagine, this process was painstakingly slow and expensive. But then a man named Will Woods came along and changed the world. This is his story. In 1898, Will Woods was a 19-year-old kid looking to pursue his dream of becoming a glassblower. He traveled to the Corning Glass Manufactory in Corning, NY
Can you please tell me the correct way to mitre the lead for diamonds? Diamonds can be tricky. This diagram shows the way we would go about cutting the lead for a diamond. We find the easiest way to decide where to mitre the lead is by drawing lines on the diamond connecting the opposite points. Then, put a piece of lead on the glass and extend that line onto the lead. Now remove the lead and cut it where you marked. Replace it on the glass, lining it up where it belongs and mark the other end of that piece of lead. Cut it, replace it, and continue until all of the pieces of lead are cut. Reprinted with permission from Stained Glass News. All rights reserved.
Foiling and crimping. Most glass people either hate it or love it. Its one of those jobs that just has to get done one way or the other. Foiling glass is a no brainer, and the technique can be mastered in a matter of minutes, but crimpingwell , lets just say that it has its variations. One method that I picked up from the productions shop I first worked in has always proved to be the quickest and most efficient Finger fids. Whats a finger fid? What youll need 1. Masking tape 2. Your fingers Step One Extend the thumb, index and middle fingers of the hand you usually crimp your foil with; or if you use a fid, the hand you usually hold your fid with. Step Two Cut about ten short strips of masking tape approximately 3 long. Step Three Beginning with any one of your fingers, wrap