Page 4 of 4 - How to make "Birds on Branches" in Stained Glass

Click on the steps below to advance to the desired topic (there are 5 steps on each page):

To Page 1
Steps 1 - 5 Beginning with Step 1 "Lets get started!"

To Page 2
Steps 6 - 10 Beginning with Step 6  "Compressing the foil to the glass"

To Page 3
Steps 11 - 15 Beginning with Step 11 "Tips on edge/perimeter beading"

You are on Page 4 - Steps 16  thru 20   
Step 16 - Set-up for applying the patina
Step 17 - Applying Jax Pewter Black 
Step 18 - Cleaning station, waxing, brushing/buffing 
Step 19 - A close-up of the soldering, patina finish, and waxing 
Step 20 - Bluebirds project done!

Step 16 - Set-up for applying the patina

This is my set-up for applying the patina, there are other methods, this is how I do it. I use a tub large enough to contain the Bluebirds, a one inch brush with half the length of the bristles cut off to reduce splashing, rubber gloves, and a separate jar for the patina so I don’t contaminate the whole bottle. 

After all the soldering is complete I wash the piece with dish detergent. The next step is to heat up the piece, in the summer I place it on my hot driveway for about an hour. In the winter it goes next to my heater (I live in New Hampshire) or I use a hair dryer to heat it up. 

Jax Pewter black is applied with a brush, while wearing gloves, in a well ventilated area. The patina does give off fumes, I try to avoid them. I then wash the project with dish detergent. Depending upon how dark the patina came out I may reheat and the piece and reapply a second coat of patina. It is often, but not always the case, that the first application of patina acts as a primer for the second application. After the second application of patina I wash with dish detergent again, then set it aside to dry. Once the piece is dry it may have a chalky blackish gray appearance. A coat of glass wax seems to darken and add a shiny luster to the patina and the glass.

The Jax Pewter Black has been brushed on, front, back, and the perimeter. Next I will wash the birds with dish detergent. A trimmed down paint brush also comes in handy for washing. I would like the patina a little darker so I will dry and re-heat the birds before I apply the Jax for second time.  

A sheet of plywood with a piece of carpet stapled onto it serves as my cleaning station. In this photo the wax has been brushed on the birds and allowed to dry. I remove most of the wax with a towel. Then the brushes remove the excess wax from all the nooks and crannies. Finally I take the soft cloth, wrap a single layer around the small brush bristles and do a final brushing/buffing. The combination of wrapping the soft cloth over the small brush bristles does an excellent job. 

Please let me know if you thought the tutorial was helpful. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. You can email me at chpawy@aol.com. Thank you!

Joseph E. Godek, Artist