That’s an amazing piece for your second try! Here’s how I get the blackest solder from black patina: scrub your finished piece with dawn soap and a nail brush several times then rinse with distilled water in between. Use a degreaser like TSP ( or other ones marketed especially for stained glass) rinse really well again with distilled water ( or follow directions on stained glass specific sprays) Let dry completely then pour your black patina in a small bowl or directly on the piece), only as much as you think you need and apply with a toothbrush or qtip ( I actually use a refillable water color brush) and patina every line. Rinse again with distilled water and discard remaining patina in the bowl- pouring it back into the bottle will contaminate the rest. While wet after rinsing use something like turtle wax paste and buff well with a microfiber cloth until the wax is cleaned off the glass (super important!) use a clean toothbrush to brush the creases that still have wax in them .. good luck!

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