I've always used 3/16" black backed foil. To me, it makes sense. The glass is
roughly 1/8" thick, which leaves about 1/32" (give or take) of wrap-around on
each side. Yeah, you've got to be precise. It does take practice, certainly.
You'll probably get frustrated sometimes, but the other option is to go up in
size to 7/32." You'll have more room for error, but you'll also have thicker solder seams. Which also means, more solder used. And well... solder isn't exactly
cheap these days. Most retail chains will charge you from $18 to $25. Less
solder, and thinner solder seams not only look nicer, but will save you some
cash. Save the 7/32" for when you make a big, heavy panel or a larger
lampshade someday.
Black-backed foil is great for those who use patina a lot, like we do (we use a
lot of opalescent glass, which looks beautiful with blackened seams.)
You can get the copper backed foil, but know that the copper color will peek
through the glass if you're using anything transparent- cathedral, wispy, clear,
etc. Silver-backed is always an option, but we use patina so much that black-
backed makes more sense for us to buy. Any of these brands are fine. We like Edco. It's cost effective for us. Venture Tape is a little thicker. Still good. Hobby Lobby, if you have one, sells Studio Pro products, so you can get it there
(always get a 40% off coupon though, before going in!)
Here are my picks:
3/16”: Edco Black-Backed Foil $7
Studio Pro Copper-backed foil $8 (HL)
Venture Silver-Backed foil $16 (includes shipping)
7/32”: Edco 7/32" Black-backed foil $11
Studio Pro 7/32" Copper-backed foil $10
For burnishing the foil, you can also get yourself a wooden fid, or you can
just use a Sharpie or a wooden pencil.
Check out my foiling tutorial HERE
roughly 1/8" thick, which leaves about 1/32" (give or take) of wrap-around on
each side. Yeah, you've got to be precise. It does take practice, certainly.
You'll probably get frustrated sometimes, but the other option is to go up in
size to 7/32." You'll have more room for error, but you'll also have thicker solder seams. Which also means, more solder used. And well... solder isn't exactly
cheap these days. Most retail chains will charge you from $18 to $25. Less
solder, and thinner solder seams not only look nicer, but will save you some
cash. Save the 7/32" for when you make a big, heavy panel or a larger
lampshade someday.
Black-backed foil is great for those who use patina a lot, like we do (we use a
lot of opalescent glass, which looks beautiful with blackened seams.)
You can get the copper backed foil, but know that the copper color will peek
through the glass if you're using anything transparent- cathedral, wispy, clear,
etc. Silver-backed is always an option, but we use patina so much that black-
backed makes more sense for us to buy. Any of these brands are fine. We like Edco. It's cost effective for us. Venture Tape is a little thicker. Still good. Hobby Lobby, if you have one, sells Studio Pro products, so you can get it there
(always get a 40% off coupon though, before going in!)
Here are my picks:
3/16”: Edco Black-Backed Foil $7
Studio Pro Copper-backed foil $8 (HL)
Venture Silver-Backed foil $16 (includes shipping)
7/32”: Edco 7/32" Black-backed foil $11
Studio Pro 7/32" Copper-backed foil $10
For burnishing the foil, you can also get yourself a wooden fid, or you can
just use a Sharpie or a wooden pencil.
Check out my foiling tutorial HERE
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