The Process - Foil "Tiffany" Method
Stained glass art has a rich history that dates back to the late 19th century. One of the most prominent methods used during this time, and still widely admired today, is the technique developed by glass artisans known as the Tiffany method.
The Tiffany method, which emerged around 1880, is often attributed to the workshops of Louis Comfort Tiffany. However, it is important to note that it was a general evolution that was developed by many glass artisans during the last quarter of the 19th century.
During this period, stained glass art experienced a significant transformation. Artisans began to experiment with new techniques and materials, pushing the boundaries of traditional glasswork. The Tiffany method, in particular, revolutionized the art form and set a new standard for craftsmanship and design.
One of the key features of the Tiffany method is the use of copper foil instead of lead came to hold the glass pieces together. This technique allowed for greater flexibility and precision in creating intricate designs. The copper foil method also enabled artists to achieve a more delicate and refined look, enhancing the overall beauty of the finished piece.
Another notable aspect of the Tiffany method is the emphasis on color and texture. Artisans incorporated a wide range of vibrant hues and opalescent glass to create stunning visual effects. By layering different types of glass and manipulating light, they were able to achieve a sense of depth and dimension in their artwork.
The popularity of stained glass art grew rapidly during the late 19th century, and the Tiffany method played a significant role in its rise to prominence. The exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail displayed in these glass art pieces captivated audiences and became highly sought after.
Today, the legacy of the Tiffany method lives on in the work of contemporary glass artists. While the technique has evolved and adapted over time, its influence can still be seen in the intricate designs and meticulous craftsmanship of stained glass art.
At Wier Art Glass, we are excited to be able to offer a selection of unique glass art pieces that showcase the beauty and artistry of stained glass. Our collection includes patriotic designs like "America" and exquisite angel ornaments such as "Angel Carrying Love" and "Angel Cellist." Each piece is meticulously crafted with the utmost attention to detail, ensuring that our customers receive a one-of-a-kind decorative addition to their homes or a thoughtful gift for their loved ones.
The Pattern
The first step in the stained glass process is choosing an idea and creating a pattern. Sometimes the pattern can be purchased already made; sometimes you can design your own pattern with online tools such as Adobe Illustrator or Rapid Resizer. Some of the selections on our website such as the Cardinal Pair used a pattern that was made by hand using a photo found online on idea sites such as Pinterest.
Once the pattern is created, it must be traced onto Template paper to be used for tracing each pattern piece onto a piece of glass for cutting. For items that will be made over and over, I use Dura-Lar template film since it is a polyester film that can be used over and over. It is see-through, making it super-easy to trace the completed design without needing to use tracing paper.
Both the pattern and the template pieces should be numbered, especially if there are many small pieces, then the template pieces should be carefully and meticulously cut out. It is also helpful to draw arrows on the template pieces to show the direction you want to follow when you place the template piece on the glass.
Choosing the Glass
This step can sometimes be a very time-consuming process. With so much to choose from, finding just the right combinations of colors and textures can be the real challenge.
Cutting & Grinding the Glass
Each template piece is traced around onto the glass with a sharpie marker before cutting. This step requires that close attention be paid to the direction of the glass where you place your pattern piece for outlining. Once outlined on the glass, use a glass cutter to cut the pieces out along the inside edge of the outline, then use a grinder to grind away any rough edges. For super-difficult cuts, a Taurus 3 Ring Saw is used with an extra fine blade to give smooth edges, such as on the maple leaf below. The grinding step can take several trips between the grinder and the project board to get your piece to fit perfectly against adjacent pieces, leaving a tiny bit of room between them for the foil which will surround each piece of glass. "You can always take more off, but you can't put it back," so it is better to make numerous small adjustments than to start over.
Painting & Setting the Paint
Not all pieces will require painting, but it is a fun medium to combine with the glass for intricate details. I use Pebeo 160 glass paint because it can be permanently set with 40 minutes in a 325° oven. Often it will take multiple layers of paint for a project and multiple times of baking to set different layers.
Foiling the Pieces
Every individual piece of glass has to have a strip of adhesive-backed copper foil around the edge. Prior to applying a strip of copper foil to the glass, wipe the piece down with a lint-free fiber rag - especially along all the edges - to remove any glass dust left by grinding. This helps the foil to have a very consistent and reliable adhesion to the glass. Always try to start and end your foil at a place on the piece of glass that will be adjacent to another piece (never on an outside edge). For tricky corners and curves, the foil will often split - this makes for ugly and uneven solder lines. You can limit the splits by using a dowel or a rounded fid for smoothing and turning those edges. Many artists will foil and then patch the places where the occasional splits occur. This works, but often times the little patch will come loose during soldering. On really difficult ones as you see below, the Wier Art Glass preference is to put strips of copper foil on the areas where a split will likely occur before putting copper foil along the entire outside edge, then afterward go back and trim those areas to a perfect line with the outside foil. This way, the areas that were patched, if needed, are there and held in place by the outside foiling, and if they weren't needed, no harm - just a stronger corner or curve! Although time-consuming, we want to add the beauty and structure it provides to every project.
Foil overlay can also be used at this step by applying a sheet of adhesive-backed foil over the whole piece of glass, then cutting away parts of the foil where you want the light to come through the glass as you see on this Texas Bluebonnet. The painting was done and set beforehand, and the foil overlay was cut away leaving the painted areas as you see here.
Foil comes in several forms, such as copper-backed, silver-backed, and black-backed. The type of foil you choose is very important on glass you can see through. For instance, on clear iridized glass that you want to leave the soldered finish silver rather than using a black patina on the solder, you would want to use silver-backed copper foil.
Looking at the steps so far, you're probably thinking, "Wow, that's a lot of steps before even getting to solder!" You're right - every single piece of glass takes an average of 25 minutes to choose, outline, cut, grind to the perfect shape, and foil. This doesn't include any painting or foil overlay. If you translate that to a finished lamp with 987 pieces, it comes out to 24,674 minutes or approximately 411 hours. At Wier Art Glass, every project is a labor of love which is filled with intentional glass choices and meticulous attention to detail.
Tack Soldering
This step is where the foiled pieces come together. Tacking the pieces together with just a little bit of solder between each piece allows for ease of moving things as necessary before committing to the placement of the design pieces. A tiny bit of a substance called Flux is applied to the foil on adjacent pieces. The solder is melted using a very hot soldering iron and is touched to the fluxed copper, causing the solder to stick to the copper.
Final Soldering
Final soldering is where you make your beautiful solder lines. Each piece will stay put as you create your solder lines due to having been tack-soldered in more than one place. Using a very hot soldering iron and 60/40 (tin/lead) solder, each seam and edge is carefully and meticulously soldered together. One preference we have at Wier Art Glass that not all artists do (due to expense and additional time required) is to build up the solder on the outside edge instead of just lightly coating the edges with solder for a flat edge. This is a time-consuming process, but we want all of our unique creations to have the beauty and stability that this additional effort provides.
Cleaning the piece
Once the final soldering is done, the piece should be washed with water and dawn dishwashing soap, then carefully dried. One additional thing we do to clean the piece is to spray it down with white vinegar to neutralize the acid in the Flux used in soldering. We keep a spray bottle and a specific soft toothbrush to use for this step. Simply dry the piece with a paper towel after this step.
Affixing the ring or wire hangers, wire embellishments
Always try to affix the ring(s) for attaching chain or ribbon for hanging to a seam rather than an outside edge - this prevents any outside edges from ever "pulling away" from the glass. Depending on the piece, wire can serve to both hang the finished piece as well as embellish it with curls and/or adding beads or charms to the finished piece.
Re-cleaning the piece
At this step, simply re-spraying with white vinegar and brushing the areas where the wires or hangers were affixed in order to neutralize the flux is all that is needed.
Applying Patina
This is where the solder lines become black (or copper) instead of silver in color. In many cases (such as the angel above) it is beneficial to leave the solder silver, and just wax it to make it shiny and protect the finish, however other times a black or copper (or a combination of the two) is desired. Simply use a brush or soft cloth to coat the solder lines with the patina liquid to cause a chemical reaction that turns the silver solder lines the color chosen for the patina. It is a good idea to poor a tiny bit of patina into a separate container, and dip your brush, Q-tip, or rag into that to apply to the piece rather than dipping into the bottle of patina. This is done in order to keep from contaminating the bottle off patina over time. Once all the solder has patina (front, back, sides), pat it dry with a paper towel to get off any excess patina. Go back over any missed areas or any areas that need more patina after patting it dry, then pat it dry again. Let it sit for a little while (30 minutes or so) to let it dry on the solder lines before applying polish/wax - this will help the piece to have blacker lines. One thing to note about copper patina is that it often "turns", just like copper. This is natural, but the shine can generally be restored with re-polishing.
Applying Polish
Applying both polish and wax may be over-kill, but it does make a very nice shine. We use a polish/wax called Clarity. Cover the piece with the polish using a soft rag, then let it sit for a few minutes until a white film is visible over the piece. At this point, use generous amounts of elbow grease to make the piece clean and shiny.
Applying Wax
The wax allows for another layer of shine protection to make Wier Art Glass pieces retain their beautiful appearance for many years. Two different waxes have made it to the preferred list in our studio - Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax and Renaissance Micro-crystaline Wax. The steps above for polish are applied here as well.
Buffing
And the final step - more elbow grease. Using a super-soft cloth, carefully hand-buff the piece - front, back, and sides - to a brilliant shine. Inspect the piece carefully for any areas in which some haze is left, such as corners. For this, our preferred method of removing that haze is to go over any of those areas with an electric toothbrush with soft bristles.
Please remember: It is important to ensure a watchful eye when children or pets are near your custom creation. It is made of glass and contains lead. Foiled pieces are coated with a protective wax, but should still not be handled excessively by children or allowed where pets can chew on them.
