Your Foiled Piece Has Gaps When You Put It Together…
Ahhh the disappointment when you are sure everything fits perfectly, you put it all together once foiled and Wallah…. There’s gaps.
Here is a couple of reasons why you end up with gaps….
Cutting Accuracy – Some methods of cutting glass are more accurate than others if you’re a bit less experienced. For example the ‘English’ method – cutting on a light box – works better for the more experienced. Templates that you trace around or stick onto the glass, on the other hand, are good for beginners.
Fitting Accuracy – When grinding to fit your pieces together you have to leave a small channel (1mm for foiled work) between each piece for both the solder (to strengthen the panel) and the width of the foil (this adds a surprising amount to the size of the panel overall). Either or both of these can make the piece ill-fitting.
When grinding you can use dressmaking pins to help keep the glass in place and keep the channel nice and neat, as illustrated in the photo at the top of this page. There’s more about this pinning technique at Point 4 on this page here.
- cut all, check all for size and fit, then foil and solder all at the same time or
- cut, foil and solder sections as you go along, fitting the sections together as you go
Soldering smaller sections is very helpful for those who have trouble with accuracy.
Remember though……It’s good not to be too rigid about gaps… sometimes, especially with flowers and organic designs, the varying gaps add to the life of the piece, making it seem more alive. What in nature has regular gaps? What in life is perfection!!!
- You can also use small pieces of copper foil to fill gaps in stained glass. Scrunch up the foil and slot it into the gap so it’s flush with the top of the glass.
