Cutting is done with a special glass cutter using cutting oil to score the line or shape. Then running or grozing pliers are used to break the glass along the score line; easier said than done! Glass likes to do its own thing, so this takes practice and skill…and sometimes a lot of wasted glass! Rough edges and inaccuracies are then removed with a glass grinder or a carborundum stone and every piece is then washed thoroughly to remove all traces of cutting oil. Then each piece is edged with a very thin adhesive copper foil which is pressed onto the glass using a fid to give a nice smooth, close fit. The foil has to be applied evenly on the front and the back to minimise what you can see. Sounds easy, but it’s typically 3/16″ wide (4.8mm) so there’s not a lot to play with. Then you assemble your pieces and get the soldering iron out, using solder that’s typically 60% tin/40% lead but it depends on your preference and what you are soldering. It takes practice to get a nice round bead of solder on each line, and all the edges need to be soldered as well.

At the planning stage you will have thought about where any hanging hooks will be positioned and how they will be attached. Sometimes these need to be embedded in seams using wire to give strength. Frames can make this easier, but I will often leave the tops (and sometimes sides too) frame-free, for example with mountains that I think suit being open to the elements.