How to Do Stained Glass - Soldering Stained Glass

In the commercial stained glass studio, it is common to see 200 watt soldering irons in use with 1/2" to 5/8" inch diameter tips. These irons can deliver sufficient heat to the 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" wide lead cames which are quite often encountered in the windows which are produced commercially, for kitchen cabinets, restaurants, churches, libraries and the like. Irons of this wattage weigh at least two pounds, and quite often more.

For hobby work, and if you are not a speedy person, I recommend the 60 or 80 watt iron. If it is a well made iron, it will deliver all the heat you could possibly want, and they weigh only a few ounces. As you pick up speed, you will want to consider a 100 watt iron. A good 60 watt iron will deliver a tip temperature of around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, but will not maintain that temperature consistently if you are working quickly, hence the recommendation for a higher wattage. Be sure to get a plated tip when shopping for an iron.

DON'T LET THE SOLDERING IRON OVERHEAT! Provide yourself with some method of shutting off the electricity reaching the iron intermittently, so that the iron doesn't reach temperatures high enough to melt the lead came. Lead will melt at 650 degrees Fahrenheit, so you should shut off your iron before it begins to show symptoms of melting the lead. The iron cannot get hot enough to melt copper foil, but if you let the iron overheat when soldering foiled work, your solder will flow like wine, and pour right through the small seams between the glass pieces and wind up on the workbench beneath your work piece. You can check out the temperature from time to time on a piece of scrap lead. If the iron is too hot, it will melt the lead. It is better to let it melt a piece of scrap, than to melt a piece of lead already incorporated into the work piece.

There are three ways to shut off the electricity, each a little more convenient than the other:

1.) Simply unplug the iron from time to time. This is not too handy if the receptacle is near the floor.

2) Install a plug-in toggle switch on the outlet, or install an in-line switch on the cord of the soldering iron.

3.) Buy a wattage controller such as the one shown here. This device can be plugged into an electric outlet, and in turn, a soldering iron can be plugged into it. It works on the principle of an electric blanket, alternately cycling on and off. There is a dial that is calibrated from 0 to 100, representing the percentage of time the current will be allowed to pass through.

Inland Craft makes a handy 100-watt soldering iron called the Temptrol, which has a temperature controller built in.