D & L Stained Glass helpful hints:

1. When using clear glass with copper foil, use a copper foil with a back color that matches your intended patina color. Foil is available with copper, black or silver backing.
   
   
2. Foil comes in many widths. Because art glass varies in thickness, you might need to use more than one size in a project. Chose a foil width with a minimal overlap for each piece of glass. A smaller overlap makes a more delicate solder line and doesn't cause the foil to split on inside curves.
   We carry 36 sizes and types of copper foil.
   
   
3. When storing your glasscutter, keep the tip in a jar of oil. This helps prevent rusting. With self-oiling cutters, this helps keep the wick saturated and it won't leak as much.
   
   
4. Just as much light is transmitted through a clear textured piece of glass as a clear smooth of piece of glass. Use a textured clear to obscure vision without blocking light.
   
   
5. The water level in the grinder must be enough to be considered wet. The diamond surface must be WET. If you notice white dust while grinding, you need to add more water.
   
   
6. If your reference line is washing away with the water, you can water proof the line by going over it with chapstick prior to grinding.
   
   
7. For marking on dark glass, try a silver Sharpie pen.
   
   
8. 60/40 is a faster melting solder than 50/50. The pasty range between solid and liquid is 13 degrees on 60/40, and 60 degrees on 50/50. If you're having trouble getting the solder to puddle up try 50/50 because it melts slower. If your solder looks lumpy with cold peaks try 60/40; it will melt faster, maximizing the heat output of you soldering iron.
   
   
9. When soldering a hinge on a stained glass box, paint the moving part of the hinge with white out correction fluid. It will keep the solder out of the hinge.
   
   
10. When you are puttying, turn on some of your favorite music. It will make the job more pleasant.
    
    
11. When foil wrapping nuggets, first clean the nuggets with alcohol, wrap a narrow foil around the edge of each nugget, put them all in a clean margarine tub with the lid on and rattle them. It burnishes the foil better and quicker than by hand.