Acrylic Windchime Sail

I don’t know if this is the correct category to put this, so forgive me if I’m wrong. This is one of the sails I made for a windchime my husband made. (The other is a goat, but the windchime isn’t finished yet). It was my first attempt at cutting acrylic, as I’ve only had my Glowforge for one week. I am thrilled with how well acrylic cuts, and plan on making a lot more of different designs for windchimes or just (faux) stained glass. Although only the shape is cut from the Glowforge, I am excited about the endless possibilities! Needless to say, I am excited to be able to create such fun things and have them turn out so precise! Glowforge is amazing!

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Nicely done. The correct place for the is Made on a Glowforge. I’ll more it.

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That is beautiful work! Are you cutting the acrylic and then putting down the metal seams? Stained glass has been on my list since literally before I had my machine and yet other than little tiny things I haven’t moved forward on it. This is really inspiring!

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I’ve been making different sails to go with the current holiday, mood, or season.

None as elaborate as yours though. Well done.

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that does look like lead came.

do you have any issues with damage to the acrylic when you solder the came?

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Thank you! I appreciate it. Next time I’ll do it right!

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Yes, I cut the acrylic first, but I cheated - it’s not soldered lead, but self-adhesive lead strips that I bought off Amazon, which comes in a roll and you cut to length. Then I just color in the areas with glass paint and let it dry for 24 hours. Less time-consuming, and I don’t have to worry about working with actual glass or the expense of it. I am pleased with the results it gives, and I’ve done some other “stained glass” pictures that I have in my window. But I do love how, with the Glowforge," I can get shapes that are actually shaped and not just a square pane of glass.

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yeah, my wife HATES all the grinding to get custom shapes.

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Maybe your wife might want to try this method then. It’s definitely not as elegant as stained glass, but except for being flat on one side, the effect is still the same - you see the painted color and even the lead lines from the back. I’ve never done actual stained glass myself, but had a friend who did and watched her for a bit. Too stressful for me, especially trying to get the glass cut properly! With the self-adhesive strips, if I make a mistake or decide to change a line, as long as I haven’t pressed it down really good, I can lift and move it. :slight_smile:

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Nice!
Yes, I was immediately enamored with the precision of a laser the first time I saw a piece of art done on one about 40 years ago. The price point of glowforge allowed me to finally participate. :sunglasses:

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That’s a great idea! I know I was doing farm animals because we have a farm, but I never thought about holidays! Or moods, or seasons!

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The more I look at what it can do, the more amazed I am with the Glowforge. I only found out about GF a month ago, when our daughter bought one. So, of course, I had to have one too!

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Wow this looks great! Nicely done!

It is very time-consuming, but you can give the acrylic any texture you wish such as this example…

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i think the OP was talking about the lead came.

I’ve now added this to my :glowforge: wishlist :slight_smile: Thanks for the heads up!

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Could you put the lead strips on both sides? Might not be worth it, but for the right project…

Thank you!

That’s beautiful! Would definitely add contrast, almost making it look like patterned glass. Might do that for the windchime strikers too.

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That’s a thought, to put the lead stripping on both sides, but I’m lazy! :slight_smile:

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