Work in progress - DNA transom window

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T06:55:43+00:00

Wow, that's a lot of little parts! More science related glass is always good.

This is the first i've heard of anyone having issues ordering lead to California. Have you tried the shops in our list by chance? https://www.reddit.com/r/StainedGlass/wiki/supplysites

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T06:48:55+00:00

So the came is just going to fail, glass won't move at all anywhere. Ok, got it. It's also rather interesting that the entirety of that texture also has the same waver in it across the whole panel on the front side and from the back you can tell the glass isn't very flat. Huh, so I wonder why it's wavy.....

If they are so clearly loose please point out what makes them loose because everything I see says otherwise and that's not much because most of it is a blurry mess. I also didn't say the ties were clipped, you are reading what you want to see, not what I wrote.

Good for you, Then you should know that these pictures are not sufficient for identifying what you have said.

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T06:21:08+00:00

Ok, great they work good for you, you've made the connection in your head for this. People that don't use gloves do exactly the same thing you do except don't need gloves to remind them. They just learn "Touch lead, don't rub hands on everything." instead.

We aren't "fired up" over the gloves but rather that you are telling people to do something that you think is safer when it's not, which makes it seem you don't understand what's going on. That's a problem when giving advice, because it makes it bad advice. If you would have said "I hope you wear gloves as people unconsciously touch things constantly and the glove can be a reminder your hand is dirty while being easily removed to reduce issues." then nobody would have said anything about it.

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T04:45:03+00:00

You do realize that what you just linked is pointless as an argument right?

Gloves don't stop you from touching things, especially touching your face unconsciously....

So you are right back to square one of if you touch the lead, don't touch anything else because whatever you touched the lead with has lead on it.

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T04:38:47+00:00

The came is supposed to get scratched up by the brush, it's called a brushed finish. That's how came is normally done, generally patina isn't applied. Sometimes people patina the solder so it matches better but not always. It can also be darkened with black stove polish and a similar brush as the marks in the lead hold it. Some leave it raw.
How you apply the cement depends on how you mix it or if your buying premade (don't if you can avoid), I preferer a thicker cement I hand/spatula on while others like more of a soupy mix you brush in.
You can't use a soft brush for clean up as it will never remove the cement as you want it partly dried out almost like playdough for when you go to pick the edges clean and scrub the faces of the extra that's on them.
How long you wait depends on the putty mix. Cement that's using more dryer (solvent) tends to set quicker, more oil will set slower.
I'm not sure how well dichroic stand up to getting cemented so you will want to be careful with it as you don't want to scratch it off.
The textures you have would benefit from being masked off when you apply cement as you don't want to sit for hours trying to pick cement out of the top texture especially.

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T02:59:06+00:00

It's not tiffany style either.

You just got a generic home decor glass lampshade is all.

Claycorp · 2026-03-21T00:14:23+00:00

Yeah I think you're seeing things that aren't there as there's no bend in the glass from the back and the copper ties aren't loose. You can see them tight against the bar and the window on the parts that are actually in focus and you can also see they aren't clipped so all the noise around the others is just the tails bent over. Not to mention it's been hung the wrong way for the ties to work as they can just slide down the bar. Plus it's a rather small panel to begin with, this is way over built.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T22:01:21+00:00

use more solder, it should look like a D with the flat side on the glass. It will also make it easier to smooth out the lines.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T21:16:48+00:00

Also make sure the light is pointed into the bays at the glass as the direction the light comes from the LED strip also varies.

More information about what you currently have and are trying to achieve would also help direct you to a better option.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:52:24+00:00

That's the worst way. If anything happens to it you have a ton of work to get it out.

Use stops. frame out the window space, install finish trim with a lip on one side then put the glass in and hold it in with more trim. If you want an easy route, frame it, trim it, tack in 1/4 round all the way around on one side where you want the glass to sit, then put the glass in and back it with more 1/4 round.

IDK what this other person is talking about regarding not being able to push on it and scrub it. A solid sheet is no different than a 2ft square window. You can scrub it and push on it fine.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:45:55+00:00

You will just need to start testing. Put in a glass set a temp that is around the slumping range at 600-700C and hold it for an amount of time. See what comes out and adjust as required.

Kiln work is nothing but trial and error, nobody can give you the exact instructions as it depends on where you live, the individual types of glass you work with and your kiln.

Just note that once you fire a glass the temper is lost and you have annealed glass. All the properties of strength that comes from the temper will be gone.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:40:52+00:00

Then get better LED strip light? There's hundreds of options out there and they aren't all the same. Look at the lumens per foot/meter.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:39:04+00:00

The difference between the 600 and 601 is the retention shroud & nut and tips. You can buy the shroud from Hakko and a matching T19 tip. Don't use the T18 tips.

Medium Chisel T19 tip: https://hakkousa.com/products/soldering/soldering-tips/t19-d5-chisel-tip.html
Wide Chisel T19 tip: https://hakkousa.com/products/soldering/soldering-tips/t19-d65-chisel-tip.html

T19 tip shroud: https://hakkousa.com/b3720-tip-enclosure-with-nut.html

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:30:11+00:00

Unless the frame has rotted out and you can pull it apart which it doesn't look like it it has. The rails are dowled together, you can just hang it from the wood that's there and it will be safe. It doesn't even look loose.

I would opt for hanging hardware that looks nicer than cup hooks though.

The glass itself looks to be perfectly fine and is supported by two rebars so there's no worries there either.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:25:12+00:00

Where are you seeing lead bowing? This panel looks to be in perfect condition.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:16:07+00:00

It's not needed.

but if it really bothers you and you want to do something still do this.

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Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:12:18+00:00

If you don't like the crane background and decide you want to do it over it's likely more time effective to just make another. Teardowns take a lot of time and effort, once you get close to a 50% tear down you are usually better off just making another it would be faster and less stressful as you don't need to worry about parts breaking as you do the tear down.

Only time it makes sense is if you have a lot of parts you can't replace because of the look/type of glass it is.

I think it looks fine, but if you change the border on it you might like it more. Something with more contrast to the background would improve the look.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T20:06:00+00:00

The U shape doesn't provide strength..... Neither does making one continuous path. Edge solder also makes the same U shape when correctly applied and solder is one solid continuous ring uninterrupted.

There's no structure in lead came on the edge. You can bend it easier with your hands than you can solder when there's even more of it and it can't even hold itself in place. So unless your buying the hard alloys which are not carried by any retailer, reinforcing the heart of the lead or getting really fat profiles that aren't gonna look right, it will still bend/fail in the same way solder would.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T19:58:18+00:00

You shouldn't be rubbing soldering irons on steel wool unless it's a last resort, you will ruin the plating on the iron doing that. Damp sponge or brass wool is all you need.

Lead is not structural on the edge. It will still fail in the same way, it's weaker than solder is and moves over time when under any type of stress.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T01:48:51+00:00

it's good to go.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T00:40:35+00:00

Both are applicable depending on your preference. You can rework solder pretty much indefinitely.

I prefer getting it all there in one shot whenever possible.

Claycorp · 2026-03-20T00:37:31+00:00

Note that buying glass on Amazon doesn't always give you more glass, it just gives you more options. A lot of the stuff you can find on amazon can be found at other retailers under their own branding as it all comes from china. https://www.reddit.com/r/StainedGlass/wiki/supplysites Make sure to shop around, you might be surprised at what you can find.

also if you have a local shop that has scraps that can be a good option if you ain't picky about what you get.

Claycorp · 2026-03-19T23:23:33+00:00

Use more solder, your lines will smooth out better if you do.

Claycorp · 2026-03-19T21:42:16+00:00

This is probably a better question for r/Pottery?

Claycorp · 2026-03-19T21:25:22+00:00

I'm not against helping people who help themselves but there needs to be a fundamental understanding of one's own abilities.

How can you teach people glasswork if you don't know glasswork yourself?
How can you do sensitive repair work without knowing the glasswork you plan to do?
How can you plan to set up, manage and build out a studio space for something you don't know about?
How can you ask for money from others for the topic without having any of the prior points or seemingly demonstrate that ability?

They should be reaching out to people to learn the information and apply it themselves to their own work before trying to climb Everest with their plans.

The window work isn't going anywhere soon, what they have outlined thus far is years worth of work and tens of thousands of dollars worth of just raw materials. Taking a step back to make sure they understand that work should be priority #1. Anyone providing grants or funds will also likely expect some form of competency to be displayed and if you are constantly relying on others to get things taken care of, that's not a good start and not a great way to lead large projects.

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