Weatherproofing copper foil...?
NewsGroups | Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?
 rec.crafts.glass    Post an article   get this group's latest topics as an RSS feed add this group's latest topics to your My MSN content add this group's latest topics to your My Yahoo content
Subject Author Date
Weatherproofing copper foil...? Kris Krieger 06-03-2008
Posted by Kris Krieger on June 5, 2008, 10:46 pm
Please log in for more thread options

> wrote:
>> messagenews:9a52d896-8546-435d
> -a05c-d39621636019@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > Hi,
>>
>> > I want to make sme fixtures for outdoors. I'm doing copper foil.
>> > Can the
>
>> > patina and whatnot be weatherproofed in any way? I thought about
>> > paste- waxing the lead lines, or lacquering the whoel assembly, but
>> > any info would
>> > be great.
>>
>> > Thanks!
>>
>> > - Kris
>>
>> You could wax it every now and then with something like Clarity Glass
>> Wax but...it's my experience that overall, copperfoiled work doesn't
>> fair all that well when left to the exposed weather. The solder seams
>> tend to get rather ugly (oxidized) over time.
>>
>> --
>> since there's no seal between the glass and the foil, it's not
>> possible to
>
>> weatherproof foiled work. that's why god invented lead came with
>> putty.
>
> Not quite true...I've made water crystal catchers that hold water and
> don't leak. Basically a diamond shaped box. Before putting the last
> diamond on, fill with water then solder the last foiled diamond in
> place and hang from one end.
>

SOunds interesting - do you have any pics posted on-line? I'd like to see
that.

- Kris


Posted by Chemo the Clown on June 6, 2008, 11:26 am
Please log in for more thread options
5cd2c378@t12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>
>
>
> > wrote:
> >> messagenews:9a52d896-8546-435d
> > -a05c-d39621636...@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>
> >> > Hi,
>
> >> > I want to make sme fixtures for outdoors. I'm doing copper foil.
> >> > Can the
>
> >> > patina and whatnot be weatherproofed in any way? I thought about
> >> > paste- waxing the lead lines, or lacquering the whoel assembly, but
> >> > any info would
> >> > be great.
>
> >> > Thanks!
>
> >> > - Kris
>
> >> You could wax it every now and then with something like Clarity Glass
> >> Wax but...it's my experience that overall, copperfoiled work doesn't
> >> fair all that well when left to the exposed weather. The solder seams
> >> tend to get rather ugly (oxidized) over time.
>
> >> --
> >> since there's no seal between the glass and the foil, it's not
> >> possible to
>
> >> weatherproof foiled work. that's why god invented lead came with
> >> putty.
>
> > Not quite true...I've made water crystal catchers that hold water and
> > don't leak. Basically a diamond shaped box. Before putting the last
> > diamond on, fill with water then solder the last foiled diamond in
> > place and hang from one end.
>
> SOunds interesting - do you have any pics posted on-line? =A0I'd like to s=
ee
> that.
>
> - Kris- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I don't have any pics of the ones I've made but they are just like
these: http://www.tglass.net/Bevels.htm scroll down about half way.

Posted by Kris Krieger on June 6, 2008, 12:40 pm
Please log in for more thread options

>> innews:0da96b22-dee6-48e5-85a3-61ec
> 5cd2c378@t12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > wrote:
>> >> messagenews:9a52d896-8546-435d
>> > -a05c-d39621636...@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> >> > Hi,
>>
>> >> > I want to make sme fixtures for outdoors. I'm doing copper foil.
>> >> > Can the
>>
>> >> > patina and whatnot be weatherproofed in any way? I thought about
>> >> > paste- waxing the lead lines, or lacquering the whoel assembly,
>> >> > but any info would
>> >> > be great.
>>
>> >> > Thanks!
>>
>> >> > - Kris
>>
>> >> You could wax it every now and then with something like Clarity
>> >> Glass Wax but...it's my experience that overall, copperfoiled work
>> >> doesn't fair all that well when left to the exposed weather. The
>> >> solder seams tend to get rather ugly (oxidized) over time.
>>
>> >> --
>> >> since there's no seal between the glass and the foil, it's not
>> >> possible to
>>
>> >> weatherproof foiled work. that's why god invented lead came with
>> >> putty.
>>
>> > Not quite true...I've made water crystal catchers that hold water
>> > and don't leak. Basically a diamond shaped box. Before putting the
>> > last diamond on, fill with water then solder the last foiled
>> > diamond in place and hang from one end.
>>
>> SOunds interesting - do you have any pics posted on-line?  I'd like
>> to s
> ee
>> that.
>>
>> - Kris- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> I don't have any pics of the ones I've made but they are just like
> these: http://www.tglass.net/Bevels.htm scroll down about half way.
>

Interesting, I hadn't seen that before. I'm guessing that the water
eitehr spreads out the "rainbows", and/or makes teh "rainbows" more
intense...?



Posted by Chemo the Clown on June 6, 2008, 1:53 pm
Please log in for more thread options
7bfc1c31@t12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>
>
>
> >> innews:0da96b22-dee6-48e5-85a3-61ec
> > 5cd2c...@t12g2000prg.googlegroups.com:
>
> >> > wrote:
> >> >> messagenews:9a52d896-8546-435d
> >> > -a05c-d39621636...@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
>
> >> >> > Hi,
>
> >> >> > I want to make sme fixtures for outdoors. I'm doing copper foil.
> >> >> > Can the
>
> >> >> > patina and whatnot be weatherproofed in any way? I thought about
> >> >> > paste- waxing the lead lines, or lacquering the whoel assembly,
> >> >> > but any info would
> >> >> > be great.
>
> >> >> > Thanks!
>
> >> >> > - Kris
>
> >> >> You could wax it every now and then with something like Clarity
> >> >> Glass Wax but...it's my experience that overall, copperfoiled work
> >> >> doesn't fair all that well when left to the exposed weather. The
> >> >> solder seams tend to get rather ugly (oxidized) over time.
>
> >> >> --
> >> >> since there's no seal between the glass and the foil, it's not
> >> >> possible to
>
> >> >> weatherproof foiled work. that's why god invented lead came with
> >> >> putty.
>
> >> > Not quite true...I've made water crystal catchers that hold water
> >> > and don't leak. Basically a diamond shaped box. Before putting the
> >> > last diamond on, fill with water then solder the last foiled
> >> > diamond in place and hang from one end.
>
> >> SOunds interesting - do you have any pics posted on-line? =A0I'd like
> >> to s
> > ee
> >> that.
>
> >> - Kris- Hide quoted text -
>
> >> - Show quoted text -
>
> > I don't have any pics of the ones I've made but they are just like
> > these:http://www.tglass.net/Bevels.htmscroll down about half way.
>
> Interesting, I hadn't seen that before. =A0I'm guessing that the water
> eitehr spreads out the "rainbows", and/or makes teh "rainbows" more
> intense...?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Yeah sorta...depends on how the sun hits them...sometimes they cast
some nice rainbows across the room.

Posted by Kris Krieger on June 6, 2008, 5:01 pm
Please log in for more thread options

[edited for brevity]
>>
>> > I don't have any pics of the ones I've made but they are just like
>> > these:http://www.tglass.net/Bevels.htmscroll down about half way.
>>
>> Interesting, I hadn't seen that before.  I'm guessing that the water
>> eitehr spreads out the "rainbows", and/or makes teh "rainbows" more
>> intense...?- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Yeah sorta...depends on how the sun hits them...sometimes they cast
> some nice rainbows across the room.
>

I got another thought from your mention of the water-filled items, and
decided to cut my glass with the texture *inside* - i'm starting off with
clear glass (just because I got a proverbial bee in my bonnet about clear
textured glass ;) ) and will assemble it and see how it looks. If it look
OK that way, my thinking (for better or worse <L!>) is that having the flat
side out might add to its longevity (because, fro your bevel work, the flat
side is also facing the "element" so to speak, i.e. the water).

Since the weak spot is the adhesive that sticks to the glass, I'm also
going to play with some silicone sealant on scraps to see whether it'd look
OK to run a thin bead along the lead:glass interface (I'm pretty good at
getting thin beads). The solar-cell has to be silicone-sealed anyway.

If the clear glass looks nice, I'll make a few more before moving on to
colored glass- especially since it'll take fewer LEDs to adequately light-
up the clear. Who knows, I might even try to put some bevelled sections
into the lights ;)

So, I got a couple ideas from your input, *and* learned about something new
- thanks :) !

- Kris




Similar ThreadsPosted
sliver back foil December 22, 2006, 7:38 am
Copper taping machines September 24, 2007, 5:46 am
Re: Cleaning up copper after torch firing Enamel... February 29, 2008, 9:24 pm
Re: Cleaning up copper after torch firing Enamel... March 1, 2008, 4:31 pm

The site map in XML format XML site map
 Contact Us | Privacy Policy