Leaded Glass Pendant Light From Scratch
by JGJMatt in Living > Decorating
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Leaded Glass Pendant Light From Scratch
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Hello fellow makers,
In this Instructable I would like to show you how to make your own leaded glass pendant light.
It is one of those projects where I bought the supplies years ago and just never got around to it, little did I realise how much fun it ended up being.
This is also a brilliant introduction into leaded glass work as it is a simple design to cut and solder and once you get the hang of it there are so many other projects you can tackle...leaded glass windows, glass terrariums...
You also don't need any expensive equipment for this project and you can salvage some old mismatched pieces of glass to give it a stained glass effect.
Let's get started!
Supplies
To make your own you will need the following:
- Glass panes (my cut pieces was 4X 12cm by 8cm, so a pane of at least 24cm by 16cm is needed)
- Glass cutter (I prefer a diamond tipped one)
- Copper tape (I use 5mm width)
- Soldering iron (I would suggest buying an inexpensive temperature controlled 80W+ soldering iron with a wide tip to use exclusively for the leaded glass making)
- Solder (I used a 60/40 rosin fluxed solder)
Amazon - Solder wire (good quality)
- Flux
- E27 Light fitting
- Fabric Cord
- Brass rod (For this I used a 2mm rod)
- Isopropyl alcohol (for cleaning off the flux)
- Metal Polish (Brightens the solder afterwards)
- Marker
- Sanding paper (400 Grit)
Optional
- Cutting oil or kerosene
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Cutting the Glass:
First we will need to cut our glass into smaller panes.
- When cutting glass make sure you wear eye protection and gloves! -
Avoid working over carpet because of the risk of getting glass shards on the floor if the glass breaks.
I would suggest getting some old pieces of glass to practice your cuts on before moving to the final pane you will be using.
Start by marking out the panels using either a whiteboard marker or a wax pencil, If you want the same size I made you will need to mark out four 12cm by 8cm panes.
Cut should not be very long. Scores longer than 50cm have a high failure rate when breaking.
To score the glass dip the cutter in the cutting oil and grasp it like a pencil. An oiled cutter creates a smoother score line. Make sure to look at the wheel/diamond tip and make sure it is lined up the way you want the glass to cut.
Apply pressure to the glass and you pull the cutter along the surface. Listen for a smooth sound like ripping silk. A gritty sound means that you are pushing too hard or that you did not oil your cutter. The less sound you make, the better your score will be.
Run the cutter from edge to edge, do not go back and forth.
Next I place the pane of glass on top of my ruler with the score facing up, align the score with the edge of the ruler and apply pressure to the sides. This will crack the glass along the score line.
Using a piece of 400 grit sandpaper remove the sharp edge. Not only does sanding reduce the chances of your being cut, but sanded glass is less likely to chip along the edges and has some added strength.
Copper Tape:
With the panes cut to side we need to add the copper tape in preparation for soldering.
Peel off the adhesive protection paper and start sticking it on the side of your glass pane, making sure the tape is centred on the edge. I find it easier to do each side separately than trying to stick it around the corners.
Don't worry if you have a tear or wrinkles as the solder will cover the imperfections. The most important part is to make sure all joints overlap or you will be left with gaps in your solder.
With the tape stuck onto the side I take either a piece of leather or cloth to rub down the tape well making sure it adhered well, do not do this with your bare fingers!
Trim any untidy bits with a sharp hobby knife.
Soldering: Part 1
Now that all your panes have a copper edge we can start forming the pendant.
Start by preheating your soldering iron.
Then you want to solder tacks (small blobs) on each of the corners to hold everything together when you start soldering the seams later. To make it easier you can also use painters tape to hold the panes in place when making your tacks.
When the tacks have cooled you can remove the tape and check that the piece is square, you can easily make adjustments by heating individual tacks and adjusting.
Soldering: Part 2
Time to solder the seams.
Don’t worry if you’re not making a perfect line straight away, it takes lots of practice to know how much solder to put on and how fast to move along the seam.
- Getting good soldering joints is a balancing act between heat and time. If your iron is hotter you need to move faster. Conversely, if you prefer working more slowly then turn the heat down.
- Keep the tip of the iron clean by wiping it on a wet sponge every now and again.
- Make sure you have enough flux to melt the solder, keep adding more when necessary.
With the hot soldering iron in one hand and the solder in the other, move them both slowly along the seam together. The solder will melt and run down on to the foil.
There should be enough solder to cover the foil and fill any gaps between the pieces. Filling these gaps with solder strengthens the piece. Your solder seam should be beaded (slightly rounded) rather than flat.
The Fitting Holder:
We now need to make the frame to attach our light fitting to.
I start with the brass screw on nut that comes with your light fitting, then cut four pieces of the brass rod.
Now you want to solder each of the of the four rods around the brass nut spaced out equally. I find it easier to first place four blobs of solder on the nut where the rods will connect and then tin the tips of the rods with solder, that way you can just heat up the joints to attach the rods without needing to add solder as well.
With the rods soldered to the nut you can place it onto your leaded glass pendant, centre it and mark the excess rod and snip it off using some wire cutters.
Soldering the Holder:
Tin the ends of each rod, apply flux to the top corners of the leaded glass pendant and solder it into place.
Clean and Polish:
At this point your pendant is probably very sticky and dirty from the soldering flux.
Wait for the glass to cool completely then you can clean off the flux using some isopropyl alcohol and a cloth. For stubborn hard flux on the glass you can use a sharp hobby knife blade to scratch off the flux before wiping with the alcohol.
You want to avoid using a strong solvent such as acetone as it can dissolve the glue underneath the copper tape.
Next I added a drop of metal polish to my cloth and wiped down the solder seams to brighten them up.
The Ceiling Fixture:
I designed this simple ceiling fixture using Fusion 360 that can be printed out and saves you from buying a complete pendant fixture.
Assembly:
Start by connecting the cable inside of the lamp fitting (seek advice from a trained electrician if you are unsure).
The cable is then threaded through our 3D printed Ceiling fixture and the fitting is screwed into the finished leaded glass pendant.
The Bulb:
All that's left to do is to select your bulb, personally I prefer Edison style carbon filament bulbs as the bulb itself will be on display but the LED filament versions also looks great if you plan to keep the lamp on for long periods.
Let It Shine!
