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Stained Glass Flower Cell

Stained Glass Flower Cell

My passion for stained glass, and consequently glass, is totally justifiable, since I have spent my entire life watching stained glass take shape in my father's company.

Although it is a beautiful art, in Brazil it is very little spread. And most people still think stained glass is church stuff. What is not true.

Stained-glass windows look beautiful on windows, house doors, ornaments, and can be modern or classic.

Stained glass is made today as it has always been: glass pieces joined by a metallic alloy. This metal alloy can be an H-shaped lead channel, where glass from both sides are fitted.

Or it could be a copper ribbon, glued to the glass and tinned, a technique used here to make the flowers.

Using stained glass flowers to compose a mobile is, to me, just perfect. Because in the light is magic.

Material

  • Flower petal mold;
  • Currency of R $ 0,50;
  • Colored glass: yellow for the kernel and 6 more colors that have transparency;
  • Glass cutter;
  • Kerosene for the cutter;
  • Pliers for cutting glass;
  • Cutting and cutting pliers for assembly;
  • Overhead projector pen;
  • Glass or sandpaper or emery glass;
  • Scissors;
  • Copper tape;
  • Fine and flat tip welder;
  • Solder paste;
  • Small boring tip brush to pass the paste;
  • Tin;
  • Argolines used in costume jewelery (at least 7);
  • Bracelet used in the assembly of imitation jewelry;
  • 2 acrylic loop of bag handle of 10 cm in diameter;
  • Hot glue and stick;
  • Thicker chain used in the assembly of jewelry and a clasp to hang the mobile;
  • Nylon wire;
  • Bijouterie wire;
  • Penduricals to choose: acrylic crystals, metal bugs, wire with mirror and what more your imagination to send;
  • Fabric gloves;
  • Protective goggles;
  • Mask.

Way of doing

Print and cut the mold. To download the template click on the image.

Download Templates

Click here to download the download files to your computer (PDF)

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Separate the colored glasses, the $ 0.50 coin, the kerosene cutter, the overhead projector pen and the pliers.

I chose glasses of strong colors so that in the light the effect is even more beautiful.

For small parts, I prefer to always work with two pliers.

And in the photos I was using a smaller coin, but the right one is even a $ 0.50.

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Let's start with the wheels that form the core of the flowers.

Put the coin on the yellow glass and do the risk by passing the pen around.

I'd rather do it all at once. There are 6.

Before cutting the wheels properly, separate each and remove the excess. For this, the cutter has to be with kerosene and with the lid half open.

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Make cuts with medium pressure, back to front or back to back, as you prefer.

"Just do not go and go back with the cutter in the same place"

Hold the piece firmly.

Position the pliers close to the edge on both sides of the cut, with the cut-out facing up and breaking down.

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We have to cut through parts until we get to the round.

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Go cutting small parts as we saw above and breaking, until you get to the format that we want.

When you finish cutting, there will still be some corners left.

Break these corners gently with the pliers.

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Let's go now cut the petals. They are 6 of each color, thus adding 36 petals.

This is the cut-out scheme of the petals, which I find easier, but you can adapt to your own way.

Scratch all six petals and separate them from the plate if you are using a plate.

To separate each one of them, we will use the first step of the cutting scheme.

Let's cut the bottom of the petals, passing the cutter with a medium front-to-back or back-to-front pressure, never going back and forth in the same place, inside the hazard.

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Then, place the pliers near the edge and cut, with the cut-up facing up and breaking down.

Do this with all the petals.

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In the second step, cut one side of the petal.

Run the cutter through the scratch, in the straight part, to a small part of the upper curve, as in the diagram.

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Break with the help of the pliers.

Now the other side. Do not forget to cut through the risk.
And break with the help of the pliers.

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And finally, cut what's left of the rounded top.

Also break the small excesses, gently, with the help of the pliers.

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Cut all parts. Do not be discouraged. It's already beautiful, imagine everything ready!

As we are going to work with copper tape, there is no option: the parts have to be all very well sanded.

For this you can use an emery for sanding glass (which is my case) or you can also use a sandpaper or a file.

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The emery has to be with water.

The water is not to let the part warm up and also not to fly dust of glass. It stays safe, at the bottom of the emery.

Shuffle the entire part slopingly in relation to the sandpaper, first on one side.

Then leaning on the other side.

And finally straight, at 90° in relation to the sandpaper.

Do this with all the pieces until they well sanded. Do not forget to leave the pieces of the core well rounded.

After sandpaper wash all parts to remove traces of glass dust and dry thoroughly.

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That's the copper tape we're going to use. There's no way, it's imported.

You find in import houses of glass and the like for stained glass.

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Then we have the pieces all beautiful and sanded, the copper tape, a pair of scissors and 6 little rings.

Let's start 'hooding' our parts.

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Remove the protective tape from the tape and glue it to the side of each piece.

Leaving the same amount left over from both sides.

I prefer to do this with my hands, but if you want, there are instruments that help to pass the tape on the glass.

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Stick well.

Leave a little more than the splicing and cutting.

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Glue the scraps of ribbon over the glass, pressing with your fingers on both sides of the glass.

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Do this with all the pieces.

In the ring, cut a small piece of copper tape, go through the ring and glue one side of the ribbon on the other.

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Tighten tightly. There are 6 little rings.

Now let's hit the tape on the glass.

I use the cord of my scissors, which is rubber, but you can use anything else rubber.

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Pass the scissors handle by smoothing and tapping the tape on one side and the other on the glass.

And then on the side. Make sure everything is secure.

Do this on all parts.

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Let's weld: here we will need the welder, solder paste, paintbrush, tin, fabric gloves and mask.

I also have a temperature controller for the welder, which is optional.

Oh, and have something to support the hot welder. I use a piece of tile.

The paste is the welding vehicle, without it you can not tin the copper tape. So, pass the paste all over the tape, but without excess. On the side of the piece. And on both sides of each piece. And wear gloves all the time, the paste burns!

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With the welder already warm, stretch the tin wire a bit, and pick up small drops of tin at a time with the welder.

Wear a mask all the time, the smoke is toxic! Pass on the side of the piece, steadily, without leaving excesses. Also pass on each side of the piece.

The gloves are still very important! The piece heats up and can burn your hand!

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To tin the ring, hold it with the tip and pliers on both sides.

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With all the pieces tinned, mount each flower on the table.

With one hand, hold the tin wire and with the other the welder.

Melt drips of tin over the flower splices. Do not read the welder on the parts to avoid leaving the place. Let the tin drip.

And if all goes wrong, melt the solder by holding the welder on it and start over.

With all the pieces of the flower attached, turn it aside.
And seal the whole amendment.

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Holding the tin wire with one hand and the welder with the other will melt the tin over the seam until it fills.

When it's ready, turn it over and it's every part where we've just soldered.

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Also weld a ring on the tip of one of the petals.

Hold the ring with the pliers, position it on the spot and drop a drop of tin with the welder.

Ride all the flowers. And after assembling, wash them well with a soft sponge and detergent.

Dry with a soft cloth.

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Separate now what we are going to use for mobile assembly: acrylic rings, flowers, chains, other rings, hot glue, wire, crystal, pliers, nylon wire.

With the hot glue, glue the rings together in this way.

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The glue serves as support.

Make a chisel with the jewelry wire over the places you glued. Arrange the flowers in the sequence you want them to stay in the mobile.

Do not forget that the tips will also meet. With the pliers, cut off growing pieces of chain.

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The flowers can not be beaten, remember this when choosing the sizes.

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Open the ring with the help of the nose pliers.

Fit each flower and its chain into the ring and close.

Do this with all the flowers.

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Hold each flower in place by turning the chain over the acrylic ring and tying it tightly with the nylon cord.

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At this stage, your mobile is like this, with all the flowers.

If you want, you can leave it that way.

But as for me, the more pendurals the better, I'll put a few more things, but it's up to you.

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I made a string of crystals and a metal butterfly, which we found in jewelry shops, and finished with a larger crystal. That on a nylon cord.

I made a size bigger than the flowers and tied in the middle of the mobile.

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I also made crystal wire and mirror, gluing the mirror squares with the neutral silicone. And I tied 2 on the sides, also bigger than flowers.

You can tie as many as you want.

The mirrors reflect the light, giving a show apart.

You will need a thicker chain and a clasp to hang the mobile.

I have a different chain, but you can use a common chain of jewelry.

Remember that she has to carry the weight of the mobile.

Turn the chain around the top of the mobile and attach the chain with the help of a small ring or nylon cord.

And ready! Here your mobile is ready.

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Put it in a place that beats the sun, does not get rain, and every time it is windy a lot, take your mobile, as a precaution.

The tinted flowers will never rust. But it may be that in time the other little pieces of metal will rust, then it will only change them.

Video Editorial: Mosaic Artists Love This Glass!