Saturday, September 21, 2013

Using Glass Beads In Your Suncatchers

Using glass beads in your suncatchers is an easy inexpensive way to brighten up your stained glass creations.



Flat oval or round glass beads have a variety of  end uses.

They are commonly used in mosaics, jewelry, stained glass lamp shades, wind chimes, wall hangings and even on the bottom of tropical fish bowls as a substrate.

Flat oval beads are the most suited for use in stained glass suncatchers because of their reflective qualities and because they are relatively easy to foil.

Round beads can be used but they are much more difficult to foil and solder into a project.

When added to your stained glass suncatcher projects, glass beads provide a "custom" touch that easily distinguishes your creation from others, even when using identical patterns.

Oval glass beads are made in a host of colors but for use in stained glass suncatchers, we recommend using opaque, translucent or clear colors to get the most light distribution.

Incorporating glass beads into your suncatcher creation is easy.

Just clean the glass beads like you would the rest of your stained glass and foil the edges in the same manner.

Make sure that the foiled edges are burnished well before you begin to solder the beads into your pattern.

This will eliminate any possibility of the beads popping out of the finished piece at a later time.

You can purchase flat oval glass beads at any arts and craft store or online.  EBay and other online auction sites are good sources for a cheap supply of beads.

If you haven't thought about using glass beads in your suncatchers and you want to create something a bit more unique, give it a try!

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