Be Safe!
-
Before you begin find a place to work that has great ventilation where you can open a
window and use a fan. Use a soldering smoke absorber if you can, to remove toxic fumes.
-
An area safe from children and pets is recommended.
-
The less you move an unfinished project, the less likely you are to have damage.
-
Please read and follow all directions carefully. When working with glass, protect your feet
and legs by wearing pants and closed toe shoes. Eye protection is essential. Protect your
lungs and make sure to wear a dust mask when soldering.
-
Use a heat resistant work surface.
Let’s get started
1. Remove 8 diamond glass bevels from packaging. Clean bevels and four glass gems with glass cleaner
or rubbing alcohol. Dry with a lint-free cloth
2. Apply foil to the edge of the glass so that it extends evenly over both sides of the glass. Fold or crimp
foil over edges making sure to fold corners neat and flat. Burnish foil using fid or a wooden craft stick.
Press foil flat against glass on the outside edge first, then both sides of the glass. Don’t scru
b as you may
rip the foil.
3. Solder is a mix of tin and lead in different proportions. Use solid core solder 60/40 best results with
foil. Lead Free is used when projects are handled--kaleidoscopes, jewelry boxes or objects for young
children.
4. Follow diagram to connect diamond bevels together. You will need 4 for the top part of the
suncatcher and 4 on the bottom
5. Before soldering, tape the pieces together to form a square. Avoid placing tape in the corners.
6. For the top part of the suncatcher, apply flux to copper foiled pieces at the corners. Tack solder the
corners, and then remove the tape. Apply flux to and completely solder all seams. Hold the iron tip
above the foil, perpendicular to the seam. Hold iron as you would a carving knife. Feed the solder into
the tip as you move along the foil. Repeat this process for the bottom part of the suncatcher.
7. Time to add the jump rings. The top part of the suncatcher will need one jump ring on top and 4 on
each point at the bottom. You can use a “t
hird
hand tool” or a “helping hand tool” to assist you with
holding the jump ring while you solder to the suncatcher. It makes this process much easier. Apply flux
to both the jump ring and the point, align the jump ring next to the point and tack solder. Flip over and
secure the other side.
8. Repeat the same process to the bottom sun catcher, but do not apply a jump ring to the top.
9. If your Quartz Crystal does not already come with a cap, you can make one. Wrap Copper foil around
the end of the crystal that you would like to be the top. Apply flux and then solder all the way around.
Apply flux to the jump ring and the area on the cap where you would like the jump ring to connect too.
Tack solder and flip over and secure the other side.
10.
Connect your finished quartz crystal to 1.75” of chain. Connect the end of the chain to a jump ring.
11. Now you need to connect the chain with the jump ring to the inside of the top. Apply solder to the
inside middle area of the top part of the suncatcher. Also apply flux to the jump ring. Hold the top part
