Mastering Soldering: Essential Techniques for a Smooth Finish
Ever feel like your solder seams are more "bumpy road" than "smooth highway"? No matter how hard you try, they just won’t cooperate. Well, guess what? I’ve got a little secret that’s going to change your stained glass game forever.
These tips are a gem straight from my Modern Maker Stained Glass Intensive if you’d like to dive even deeper into the craft, check it out! I hope to help you master those pesky seams. Spoiler alert: it’s not about speed, flux, or even the solder itself (though those do help). It’s all about the angle, baby. The angle of your soldering iron tip is the real MVP here.
Ready to make your seams smooth as butter? Check out the video below and start playing around with the angle of your tip. Try it flat, on the corner, and on the side. See how the solder behaves, learn how much heat is transferred, and take control of your soldering iron. With practice, your seams will be smooth and even, and you’ll be a soldering rockstar in no time.
Stained Glass Soldering Techniques:
Check out the video tip below and give it a go. Play around with the angle of the tip. Try it flat, try the corner, try the side. This will help you:
See how the solder behaves differently.
Learn how much heat is transferred to the solder with different angles.
Start to control your soldering iron.
With that control comes smooth, even solder seams. You might not have instant success, but if you keep at it, I guarantee your soldering techniques will improve.
P.S. If you got value from this free sample class, please Share on Facebook with your friends and fellow glassers who want to make stained glass to be proud of. Thanks!
More Stained Glass Soldering Techniques:
Look just ahead of the iron’s tip, not directly at it, as you move along the seam. It’s like driving—the more road you see ahead, the better you drive. Same with feeding solder to the tip.
Don’t be afraid to move your panel for the best angle. If you're in the wrong position, smooth soldering is harder.
Try holding the iron like a pencil and drawing it towards yourself. Rest your hand on the bench to stop wobbling. Find what suits YOU.
Drop a series of blobs along the seam and join them up for a smooth seam. This helps with feeding the solder.
Flat solder the front side first, then bead Side 2. Turn over and bead Side 2 again, making sure there are no gaps.
Bead Side 2 first for a soldering warm-up, then run the bead on Side 1.
Soldering Tips for Smooth Seams:
Experiment with temperature to find what works for you. This changes based on what you're doing—edges, internal seams, decorative soldering.
Too much flux can cause problems. It can get trapped and spit when you solder the second side.
Keep the iron tip clean by wiping it on a damp sponge frequently.
Check that your iron maintains a constant temperature. Some irons have cool spots. The Hakko FX 601 is great for maintaining even temperature.
Learning to Relax:
Don’t worry about doing the seam in one pass. It creates too much pressure. Make a run without worrying about smoothness, then go back and make the bead on the second run.
Let go of expectations—it’s liberating!
Learn to slow down. You’ll make smoother lines. Glass is unlikely to crack at the edges, but speed up a bit when soldering overlays in the middle of a shape.
Answers to your 7 Common Soldering Problems:
1. My solder won’t stick to foil.
Never fear! Here are some pointers:
Check your iron temperature.
Make sure your iron tip is clean.
Use a magic eraser or alcohol to clean the foil before fluxing and soldering. Gel or paste fluxes are best.
2. My solder won’t stick to zinc.
After cutting, wash the zinc with alcohol.
Scrub lightly with a brush and use paste flux.
3. Is it okay to use 50/50 solder for tinning and go over it with 60/40 solder?
Yes, absolutely. You can also do the back side first with 50/50 and then the front with 60/40.
4. How do you remove solder to take something apart?
Use gravity to melt the bulk off.
Heat and scrape the solder down off the seams.
Safely flick the excess off. Repeat for all seams.
Use the soldering iron tip perpendicular to the seam to ease it apart.
5. How do you achieve a smooth solder joint at the junction of multiple pieces of glass?
Continue a little way past the junction, then return and do the same from the other solder lines.
When you’ve finished the main line, go back to each "tail" and easily pick up where you left off.
6. How can I prevent a cloudy film forming beside my solder lines?
Wipe the solder clean with alcohol before you solder.
Keep wiping the flux and gunk off while you’re soldering.
7. How do you tack leaves (or other shapes) on top of beaded seams?
Let the tack solder cool.
Reapply flux.
Bring the iron tip flatter towards the seam to increase heat transmission and melt the blob into the seam.
If you have any other tips, feel free to add them in the comments below. You may help others achieve smooth solder seams and eliminate common problems. My students often find good ways of explaining things to help the penny drop!
Happy soldering!
