Glasgow artist Stephen Richard offers clear advice for developing an even bead on stained glass projects. He uses a "patting" technique, where drops of solder are added evenly spaced around the edge of the glass surface. Once these initial drops are in place, he solders them together, achieving a smooth surface. In this way, he avoids the common problem of the molten solder running out of control along the glass edges.
Artist Dianna McGhee emphasizes the importance of buying solder and flux from a stained glass supply store. Hardware store solder does not have the correct percentage of lead. She recommends using two types of scissors that cut the correct spaces between the glass pieces to fit the lead and copper foiling. Another tip she uses is to have several foil widths available to match the glass widths. These tools support accurate beading.
Artist Micha Smith explains that evenly wrapped copper foil must line all the edges of a piece so that the solder lines will be of even thickness. He prefers to wrap his entire piece before he begins to solder. When laying down the beading, he likens his technique to drawing a line with a marker. Smith recommends that the bead be added in a continuous smooth gesture, without stopping.
Artist Melanie K. Fitzwilliam offers tips for repairing copper foil and the beading it supports. Removing the broken glass areas comes first. Any broken beading is removed with a soldering gun. New glass and new copper foiling are added to the areas needing repairs. She deals with the beading itself by adding new flux and then soldering the repaired area into place. Knowing what to do when breakage occurs is quite helpful.