{"title":"How to Copper Foil Stained Glass","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-copper-foil-stained-glass","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"SunBearGlassCraft","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMBw4a1Ucksqe-SWf24FPCw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWACSU6ykos"},"tldr":"Copper foil stained glass for beginners: pick the foil width, wrap and center it, crimp and burnish, and handle textured and concave pieces.","quickAnswer":"Copper foil stained glass for beginners: pick the foil width, wrap and center it, crimp and burnish, and handle textured and concave pieces. An easy project: about 30 minutes. You need 8 things, including copper foil tape, damp microfiber cloth and foil caddy. The 10 steps start with set Up Your Copper Foil and a Bright Work Space, check the Thickness of the Stained Glass Before Foiling and check the Edge Profile of Textured Stained Glass.","totalDurationSeconds":663,"videoDurationSeconds":663,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":30,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":30,"estimatedCost":null,"yield":null},"tools":["foil caddy","plastic fid","craft knife","glass grinder","bright work light"],"materials":["copper foil tape (3/16, 7/32 or 1/4 inch)","cut and ground stained glass pieces","damp microfiber cloth"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Set Up Your Copper Foil and a Bright Work Space","text":"Foil at a table with a bright light shining right on your work so there are no shadows on the glass edge. A table also lets you keep the right tension on the roll. A foil caddy keeps each width on its own spindle so the tape feeds off cleanly. Rachel keeps 3/16, 7/32 and 1/4 inch foil ready, and uses 7/32 most."},{"number":2,"title":"Check the Thickness of the Stained Glass Before Foiling","text":"Stand a piece of glass on its edge and look at how thick it is. Stained glass varies a lot, and the foil width needs to match so the same amount folds over each face. Thin glass takes narrower foil. Thick glass needs wider foil, or there will not be enough copper left on the faces to hold the solder."},{"number":3,"title":"Check the Edge Profile of Textured Stained Glass","text":"Turn textured glass sideways and look at its edge. Many textures look bold from the front but are nearly flat on the edge, and they foil like smooth glass. Heavily rippled glass has a wavy edge that foil cannot grip. Run those edges lightly over the grinder to knock the peaks down. It does not need to be glass smooth, only flat enough for the foil to lie down."},{"number":4,"title":"Wipe the Glass Dust Off Each Stained Glass Edge","text":"Grinding leaves fine glass dust on the edges, and dust stops the foil adhesive from sticking. Wipe every edge with a damp microfiber towel, then let the piece dry completely. A clean, dry edge is what keeps foil from lifting later when it meets flux and a hot soldering iron."},{"number":5,"title":"Center the Glass on the Copper Foil and Wrap the Edge","text":"Pull out a length of foil and peel back the paper. Start on a straight edge that will sit inside the panel, not on its outer border. Set the glass edge in the middle of the sticky side so the same amount sticks out on each face. Turn the piece as you feed the foil around every edge, then overlap the end by about a quarter inch."},{"number":6,"title":"Crimp the Copper Foil Down Over the Glass","text":"Fold the foil overhang down onto both faces of the glass. You can pinch it a bit at a time all the way around. Or use what Rachel calls the ziploc method: pinch one end, then run your fingers along the edge like sealing a freezer bag. Fold corners neatly so the foil does not bunch up."},{"number":7,"title":"Burnish the Copper Foil Flat With a Fid","text":"Burnish the outer edge first, then the faces. Rub a plastic fid firmly along the foil until it is tight against the glass with no wrinkles or bubbles. Wrinkles let flux creep under the foil, and the foil then lifts when you solder. Go over every edge and both faces of each piece."},{"number":8,"title":"Press the Copper Foil Into Concave Stained Glass Curves","text":"Start a concave piece on a flat edge the same way. When you reach the inside curve, press the foil down firmly into the curve as you go, using a finger on your other hand to follow the tape. Look under the foil at the curve to make sure there are no gaps. Crimp the straight edges first and save the curve for last."},{"number":9,"title":"Smooth the Foil on Curves With Fingernail and Heat","text":"Rub your finger back and forth over the foil on the curve. The friction warms the copper and makes it soft enough to bend without tearing. Then press it down with your fingernail rather than the pad of your finger. For concave pieces, burnish the faces lightly first, then the edge, so the foil does not lift while you work."},{"number":10,"title":"Inspect the Copper Foil Before You Solder","text":"Hold each foiled piece up to the light and check every edge. The foil should be even on both faces, tight, and free of wrinkles. Trim any tails or overlapping ends with a craft knife, and make sure no foil end sits on what will be the outer edge of the panel. Fix problems now. They are much harder to hide once soldered."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-14T14:33:24.850Z","published":"2026-10-14T14:33:24.524Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}