Today I want to talk about creating a lamp in Tiffany technique.

You will find out what is Tiffany technique, what tools and materials you will need and you will look at my workshop :)

The technology is named after its founder, the artist and designer Louis Tiffany, who worked in Art Nouveau style. He invented a method of joining small pieces of glass using copper foil which revolutionized the industry of glass art.

Tools:

• a glass cutter;
• clippers for breaking the glass;
• a polishing machine;
• a soldering iron;
• a set square, a marker, blueprint.

Materials:

• glass;
• solder;
• flux agent — soldering acid;
• copper tape;
• black patina.

I want to make a lamp with a beautiful butterfly, the form will be strict and concise, so that the lamp looks good in both classic and modern interior.

First step:
Sketching and choosing glass. The lamp will be rectangular with the size of 11х11х30 cm, the butterfly will be placed on two faces, so that it seems that her wings are in motion.
Pay great attention to the choice of glass, the flamboyancy of the lamp and the level of cozy light depend on it. I chose transparent glass with wavy texture for wings of a butterfly and black and red glass for the details. The faces of the lamp will be made of white translucent glass, so the light from the lamp is diffused and soft.

Second step:
Transfer the image of butterfly's wings on the glass. I transfer the outline of the butterfly on the white glass using the same blueprint.
Cut out the details. In order to make the rectangular parts even I cut using a set square.

The third step:
After all parts are cut, it is necessary to polish the glass and to customize the items so that there is no gap between the parts. It's a pretty hard work, which requires time and patience. If the parts don't fit each other, the seams will be thick and coarse.

The fourth stage:
After all items are perfectly fit each other, wrap them in copper tape. Copper tape is glued to the face of the glass like duck tape. It is important that the tape is bent evenly from all sides and fits snugly.

The fifth stage:
Soldering the fragments.
When all items are wrapped, proceed to soldering. I'm using the most simple 60 W soldering iron, tin alloy, soldering acid.
Soldering acid is needed for cleaning the seam from oxides of copper. Before soldering you have to process the seam with soldering acid. I apply it with a brush:

At the beginning of soldering I just do "grabbing": I make dots with alloy at the joints of the glass to fix glass into position.
I solder the front side in two stages, so that the seam is dimensional. To achieve a smooth soldering, the speed of movement of the soldering iron should be constant, not too fast so that the solder penetrates into the seam and not too long so that the glass is not overheated and burst. It is impossible to explain, it comes with experience.

When all sides of the lamp are soldered, begin to transform it into a rectangular form. I use a rectangular box, which is easy to lean on the side of the lamp. As mentioned above, at first I only "grab" the glass. I check whether all the sides are perfectly fit each other. Then I solder all the seams.

So we have a rectangular. Now cut out the bottom: the bottom size is 11x11 cm. At the bottom of the lamp I make a hole for the wire, for fastening the holder and for rubber feet. The rubber feet under the lamp will ensure the safety of the furniture.

Yay! Great work behind!

The final touch remains: I patinate the seams, rub them with black patina and wash them after 20 minutes. Patina is a strong acid, which oxidizes the tin and makes it black.

Yay! 20 hours behind! The lamp is ready!

For example, this lamp in other colors:

Thank you for your attention! I hope you enjoyed :)