GRAHAM MURIHEAD FOIL OVERLAY

Here's the Graham method. I do a lot of this and it works for me, though some may not agree with everything. It sounds like a pretty fussy method, and could probably be simplified, but I never have problems with it. I tend to stick with what works.

1) Get yourself some sheet foil. Venture has it in 12"X12" sheets for about the same price as a roll of foil.

2) Cut and grind your piece of glass, as you usually would, then cover the presentation side with the foil. Burnish it down well.

3) Trim the foil around the edges, so that it just covers the surface, then foil around the edges as normal. Again, burnish well.

3) With a pencil, or marker if some kind, draw your pattern on the foil. Then, with an X-acto knife or some such, cut out your pattern, removing the bits where you want the glass to show through.

4) The pattern should contact the edges (cut right up to the foiled edge) in as many places as practical. This will help in keeping the overlay in place.

5) Burnish, very carefully again, to ensure that everything has good contact with the glass. You don't want any little bits allowing flux to get under them.

6) Apply flux sparingly, it doesn't take much, and the more

you use the greater likelihood that some may get under the foil.

7) Very quickly apply a thin layer of solder. Allow to cool, then add a little to build up a bit of a bead. One more time, press it all down to ensure full contact with the glass.

8) Clean, patina etc. as usual, but with care, so your washing or polishing rag doesn't grab a bit of foil and raise it from the glass.

This is just about the coolest way to make a bunch of grapes,

a fully detailed flower or the feathers in a bird's wing from

a single piece of glass.

A sample, which was just made for illustrative purposes for one of our classes