DIY Network

Broken-Glass Suncatchers Broken glass can be beautiful—when you make these playful suncatchers. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-112

Capture the light with your own broken-glass creation.

Even the best glass crafter will sometimes break some glass—but your crash doesn't have to go to the trash. Instead, save those pieces of broken glass and turn them into a playful suncatcher.

B. Original host Michele Beschen used rough triangles of broken glass to make charming star-shaped suncatchers. But there's no limit on your designs: Just look at your glass and let your imagination run wild.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Materials:

pieces of broken glass
copper or silver foil tape
liquid flux
lead-free solder
soldering iron
glass "gems"
jump ring
flat, heatproof work surface

• Lay out your pieces of glass and determine the design of your suncatcher. Michele had several triangular pieces and chose to make an abstract star (figure A).

• Wrap the edges of your glass pieces with foil tape (available at stained-glass supply shops). The tape will protect your hands from the sharp edges and give the solder something to stick to. Burnish the tape to make sure it's stuck down securely without air bubbles.

• Lay out your design again, making sure all the glass pieces are touching.

• Brush liquid flux over all the joints between two glass pieces (figure B).

• Solder your design together with lead-free solder (figure C). Don't worry if globs of solder fall into the middle of your suncatcher—you'll be filling in that area later.
  Safety Alert: Be extremely careful when working with solder and soldering irons. Make sure you're working on a flat, heatproof surface; Michele uses a large ceramic tile. Always let soldered joints cool completely before handling, and be sure you keep your soldering iron away from flammable materials and accidental touches.

• Wrap a few glass gems with foil tape and set them in the center of your suncatcher. Brush liquid flux over the tape and the nearest edges of the suncatcher, and solder the gems together and to the suncatcher, dribbling melted solder into the empty spaces (figure D).

• Finish the edges of your suncatcher by spreading flux over the outside foil edges and soldering over the foil.

• Solder a jump ring near the center of your suncatcher for hanging, then enjoy your work (figure E).