Stained Glass Pen Boxes

[larrystephens]

We have been making Texas Flag pen boxes and have now made 10 sample designs for these Art Stained Glass boxes. I wanted to get an idea of which design(s) are most pleasing. The picture shows 10 different tops and the Texas Flag Box shows what the finished boxes will look like. Let me know which ones you think are good. I plan to make these to sell to my pen customers and also other pen makers. All comments are appreciated.

 

[elkhorn]

Larry, I know its not your poll above, but I like 4, 6, 8, 10. One suggestion would be a clear "stained glass" top so the customer can view the pen.

Thanks.

 

[TurtleTom]

Larry, I know its not your poll above, but I like 4, 6, 8, 10. One suggestion would be a clear "stained glass" top so the customer can view the pen.

Thanks.

I think this is very debatable. The owner knows what the pen looks like, and with a nice colorful box like this, he'll know where it is.
I like them. Is that came or foil?

 

[larrystephens]

Clear top

Larry, I know its not your poll above, but I like 4, 6, 8, 10. One suggestion would be a clear "stained glass" top so the customer can view the pen.

Thanks.

That is a very good idea!

 

[larrystephens]

Larry, I know its not your poll above, but I like 4, 6, 8, 10. One suggestion would be a clear "stained glass" top so the customer can view the pen.

Thanks.

I think this is very debatable. The owner knows what the pen looks like, and with a nice colorful box like this, he'll know where it is.
I like them. Is that came or foil?

Boy, you are getting technical on me, I'll have to ask the artist.

 

[TurtleTom]

Sorry, I used to make these boxes many years ago. Came is all lead that you solder at the joints, it's traditional for hundreds of years. Foil was invented by Tiffany; you wrap the glass in copper foil and solder everything to make a round form all over.
If you want to turn it black, dip in a warm copper sulfate solution, it's quick.

 

[Skie_M]

That's foil. You can't use lead came on exteriors, just the zinc window braces/brackets.


I'ld prefer a design that had a "window" for viewing of the box contents. Say, placing a beveled "diamond" shape in the top center.

This design uses 2 color elements. The orange represents the base color of the box, while the red represents the beveled diamond shape clear glass insert for the "window" into the box.


Lead came (pronounced almost like cane, and in fact is a derivative of the same word meaning a 6 foot length of a material, such as wood, reed, or other such material... lead came was originally produced in 6-foot lengths by pouring it into molds made of cane) is made to have a shaped cross-section that looks like an H with rounded sides. The 2 pieces of glass butt up against the middle of the H and provide stability and rigidity. Taking one piece of glass away would result in instability and weakness... so it's not made to go round the edges of a piece or for use in 3-D stained glass art, like a box. To made the edges stronger, a flat piece of zinc was tinned and bent into a U channel, to fit round the edges of the work and then it was soldered to the lead lines all around the edges.

Copper Foil methods for stained glass developed recently, only in the past hundred years or so. The copper foil was adhered to the glass in several different methods for many years, only recently was the extremely easy to use copper tape developed. The copper tape is made wide enough to just wrap round the edges of a piece of glass. The glass pieces are all laid flat so that the copper foil is adjacent to another piece of foil ... the major join lines are fluxed and soldered first, to hold it all in place while the artist then lays down smooth flowing lines of solder. The entire exterior is also tinned in the same manner. Using this method allows parts to stick OUT of the 2-D plane of structure, giving rise to 3-D stained glass art, like my dolphin, stained glass lampshades, candle holders, ect ... plus boxes like these.


My dolphin ...

 

[larrystephens]

My boxes are definitely came.

 

[TurtleTom]

I think if I was selling leaded boxes today I'd spray the came with a couple coats of lacquer and put a warning note informing the customer of the extreme danger to young children. A baby would put that pretty thing in it's mouth very quickly if the mother didn't know to keep it away, and most modern mothers wouldn't know I'm afraid.
I used mirror for the bottom of most of my boxes as it gave it a nice touch, I thought. Protect the other side with a coating of lacquer.

 

[larrystephens]

CORRECTION, I just talked to the artist and the method is not came, it is called Tiffany Foil.

 

[HamTurns]

I like whatever #4 in the picture relates too. It didn't match a description.

Happy turning
Tom

 

[TurtleTom]

The roll of solder has to state the lead content. Lead free solder is vastly different in use than leaded solders and I have never used it. All my experience was with 63/37 which is the ideal in lead solders as it is a eutectic alloy with the highest strength and the lowest melting temperature of 361 degrees F.
I would not be comfortable selling leaded boxes without lacquer coatings and a warning. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 put severe restrictions on lead use on items destined for child use below the age of 12. It's possible someone could buy one of these as a child's box since it is so brightly colored and glass is very pretty.
Protect yourself and your consumers.

 

[Skie_M]

Silver solder is quite a bit safer, and is rated safe to use for modern plumbing work. The melting point is a bit higher, around 390 degrees F, but it happens to be a little stronger than the lead/tin solder types.

I haven't tried it out, but I've been told that other than taking a little longer to melt, it works exactly the same way.

I'll be getting a roll of it soon ... but it's expensive! It's nearly twice the cost of "regular" solder.