You will need:
A simple pattern with 3-5 pieces (choose one from one of the many stained glass sites on line)
Glass in the colors you’ve chosen for the pattern
A glass cutter, and cutting oil.
A breaking tool
A glass grinder
Copper foil tape and a fid (something to burnish the tape)
60/40 Solder, flux, wet sponge and a 100 watt soldering iron.
Plaster of paris powder
Car wax
Copy the pattern exactly. Number each piece in both copies. Cover one copy with clear Contact™ paper to protect it from water damage. Cut out the pieces from the other.
Using rubber cement, glue the pieces to the proper color of glass.
Use the glass cutter to trace around each piece, break pieces away as you go along. Sharp curves must be done incrimentally.
Grind the edges so they fit together, and fit on the protected pattern perfectly. There should be no gaps. Once you have the shape close, you may take the glued pattern off, so you’ll be able to see how well they fit together.
Once you’re satisfied that all the pieces fit together, wash each piece, especially the edges, with warm soapy water. Rinse well, and dry. Then wipe the edges with alcohol and allow to dry.
Starting at a place that will touch another piece of glass, wrap the edges of each piece with copper foil tape, being sure that the glass edge stays in the middle of the foil. over lap the end by about 1/4 inch.
Using something fairly hard and inflexible, (popcycle sticks work) rub the tape so there are no wrinkles or air bubbles.
Put the pieces together where it is safe to solder. Plug in the soldering iron, be sure it’s resting on a nonflamable stand. If the iron is new, once hot, coat the tip with solder.
Roll out a foot or so of solder.
Put a small amt of flux on the copper foil at the joints near the edge.
Holding the iron in your dominant hand, like a pencil, and the solder in the other hand, dot solder at the fluxed places. Wipe the iron tip on the wet sponge to remove excess solder and cool the iron.
Put the iron on the stand while applying flux and rolling out more solder stick. This alows it to come back to temp.
Now flux the edge of the entire piece. Hold the iron and solder as described and coat the entire edge. put the iron down.
Now flux a full joint using as little flux as possible.
Now, holding the iron and solder in the same way, run the melted solder along the joint. The iron shouldn’t touch the melted solder, but hover close enough to melt it. At the end of a run, lift the iron and solder stick away from the piece. The solder lines should be smooth and rounded. If they are flat, you may be going too fast, or the iron is too hot. If the solder runs through to the other side, you’re going too slow.
Once you’ve finished the first side, allow it to cool then turn it over and solder the second side.
When finished, you shouldn’t see any copper foil.
Once the piece has cooled completely, dust it with plaster of paris powder. Leave it for about 30 minutes. Using a stiff brush ( a tooth brush works) scrub away the powder and flux. Wipe any excess, off then carefully wash the whole piece with soapy water, don’t submerge the piece, use a sponge. rinse & dry thoroughly.
Put wax on all of the solder lines allow to dry then polish well.
Back to The give the cat a pill.
My vet showed me a very cool, humane and nearly fool proof way.
You’ll need:
A pill
A 5 cc syringe filled with tap water.
A bath towel
A cat
Wrap the cat in the bath towel, so all the sharp parts (except teeth) are secured in the towel.
Open kitty’s mouth as previously discribed. Place pill far back in the mouth and immediately put the syringe in the mouth and squirt in the water. Kitty will swallow the water and pill without a hitch.
Just don’t waste time between the pill and the water.
