The Dale C. Maley Family Web Site

In our Advanced Stained Glass Class, the instructor taught us how to make stained glass candle covers. The basic process is:

-cut 10 rectangular strips (1-1/16" by 6-1/16")

-foil them up

-using blue masking tape, temporarily attach them to the OD of a carpet tube

-solder the vertical seams on the outside

-solder the vertical seams on the inside

-puddle solder on the top and bottom to give it some strength

I decided to make one of these at home, then possibly make more of them as family Christmas gifts. Since the instructor kept the cardboard tube for future classes, I had to get my own cardboard tube.

Using an online calculator, I determined what diameter the carpet tube should be, given each side of the 10 sided polygon is 1-1/16" wide........

So the instructor's tube had a radius of 1.63502" or an outside diameter of 3.27 inches.  I went to my local carpet shop and got a scrap carpet tube.  It was a much bigger diameter than the instructor's tube.  I cut the tube lengthwise, then cut it to give the correct circumference of 10.625 inches.  I put it back together using duct tape.

I cut out the 10 pieces needed.........



Then I foiled them up using 7/32" wide copper foil..........


I marked a horizontal line on the cardboard tube, to keep the pieces vertically oriented.  I attached the blue tape to the cardboard tube, and started adding pieces one at a time...........



When I got to the 10th and last piece to tape on, I noticed my glass diameter was much larger than the tube...

I checked the glass width, and found I cut the 10 pieces each about 1/32 over-size!  The error became large because it was magnified 10 times!!

I found some green rope that I used to make pull toys with.  I wrapped the rope around the tube, and it was just the right size to fit the glass

 
I did learn a lesson in this exercise, it is critical you cut the glass to the right width, or it won't fit the tube!

Once I had all 10 pieces secured with 1 wrap of blue tape, I added a 2nd wrap to keep it together while I soldered it.

Soldering

In soldering, the joint to be soldered needs to be horizontal. I used a couple of temporary wood blocks to hold the tube in position while I soldered the top joint. Once I tack soldered the OD, I removed the 2 wraps of blue tape, and finished soldering the joints on the outside.

I then removed the cardboard tube, and set the glass vertical.  I soldered the top surface to give it some strength, then flipped it over and did the other end.  The last step was to solder the inside joints.

On the top and bottom, you kind of drop hot solder onto the surface to build it up. This dramatically increases the strength of the assembly.

Next was light scrubbing and washing off the solder residue with a washing solution. The last step was to apply the black patina to the solder using cotton swabs........then a final rinse in water to wash off the excess patina.



Lighted Candle

I am not a very good photographer, let alone try to photograph something in the dark, but I gave it a shot...........

Closing Thoughts on this Project

It is critical to cut the 10 pieces of glass the right width, if you want them to fit the cardboard tube correctly.

It only took about 3 hours to make this candle cover, and it would have been 2 hours if I had cut the glass to the correct width.  These should make good Christmas gifts to the ladies in the family

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