This day both Anna and Ildiko were at the studio ready to begin taping their pieces. They started with a sticky sided tape made of very thin copper foil. Each piece must be entirely taped, and burnished. The copper tape will allow the pieces to hold together when we solder them and will also give them a strong bond. The girls need to have each piece clean and free of glass dust for the tape to adhere. 
Anna burnishes the piece of tape she has just applied. I ussually use very high cost tools for this process like a wooden clothespin or wine cork. This will make the tape smooth and closely adhered to the glass.
Once the piece has been foiled the girls can begin to tin their work. This process involves the use of solder which is part tin and part lead, and a soldering iron to melt the solder onto the copper tape which has been thoroughly fluxed. The flux will help the solder to adhere to the the tape.
We're getting closer to our goal and of course when we can lift the piece off the the board and see how the light projects through the piece can be an exciting moment. Remember to click on the photos for a larger view. Until next time....
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment