Well, they do! The necklaces themselves look lovely, and if you’ve ever had the sudden impulse, while out and about, to get a closer look at anything from the details on a flower to the pattern of a friend’s fingerprints, then you’ll know that these necklaces are actually quite useful, too. This necklace project is a great beginner’s soldering project, as well, so if you’ve ever felt the desire to make those much more complicated microscope glass pendants or found object ornaments that need to be soldered, then you can start right here. For the magnifying lens, any glass lens will do, whether you upcycle it from an old pair of glasses, tear apart a broken telescope to obtain it, or rescue a vintage glass lens from an antique store. If this is your first time soldering, however, you will have to assemble a little collection of supplies. You’ll need a good-quality soldering iron. Back before soldering got really big as a craft, I tried out several hardware store brands and was frustrated by all of them, and never did get the hang of soldering until I sprung for the hot pink soldering iron from Simply Swank. That was back before every big-box craft store carried its own hot pink soldering iron, though, so you’ll have an easier time finding yours than I did. Along with the soldering iron, you need lead-free solder, acid-free flux, copper foil tape, a heat-proof work surface, a synthetic sponge, a couple of clamps and clothespins and tweezers to hold your project as you’re working (a jeweler’s extra hand tool works best, but I personally did without it until I happened to find one at a yard sale a few years ago), and a little brush for applying the flux. It’s a lot of stuff, I know, but you only have to assemble it once, and then just store it together out of the way to set up in minutes the next time you want to solder. NOTE: Double-check that your solder and flux are lead-free and acid-free, respectively. They’re easy to find now that soldering jewelry is commonplace, but you don’t want to use the materials used for stained glass soldering, because they’re toxic. To set up your area, duct tape your clamp to the heat-proof work surface in a way that lets you open and close the clamp, but also will cause it to hold your glass lens hands-free while you solder. Wet the synthetic sponge and place it near your work area to wipe excess solder off of your soldering iron. Ventilate your work area by opening a nearby window or running a nearby exhaust fan. Begin to heat the soldering iron, and check that your work area is free of cords to get tangled in, flammable materials, and all kids/cats/creatures who might jump on the table or pull at cords or distract you while you’re holding a very hot tool. Gently wash your glass lens with a mild soap and warm water, and dry it off with a soft cloth, so that it’s perfectly clean and perfectly dry. Next » Stick the adhesive copper foil around the entire perimeter of the glass lens, allowing the tape to very slightly overlap the front and back sides of the lens. Using a tool or just your fingernail while pressing hard, burnish the copper foil tape very well across its entire surface, crimping the foil neatly at edges and corners. The solder will stick to the foil, which sticks to the glass, so making sure that the copper foil is stuck to the glass perfectly is critical. Place the lens into your clamp and make sure that it’s sturdy enough to allow you to work hands-free on it without knocking everything over. Next » Brush flux across the copper foil where you will be working first, then unroll a length of solder from its spool. Holding the soldering iron like a pencil in your dominant hand, and the spool of solder, with its length unrolled, in your non-dominant hand, gently touch the solder and the soldering iron together just over the surface of the copper foil. As the soldering iron begins to melt the solder, allow it to flow onto the copper tape, then move the soldering iron and solder together across the length of the copper foil so that the solder flows smoothly and evenly to cover it. Carefully rotate your glass lens in its clamp as needed (it’ll be hot!), and add more flux as you move to a new spot of foil or the old flux burns off. You can easily add more solder to a spot on the foil, or use the soldering iron alone to remelt and smooth or redirect a lump of solder already on the foil. Soldering is actually a very forgiving craft, so continue until all the copper foil is covered, even those slight overlaps on the front and back of the lens, and you’re happy with the overall look. Next » Rotate the soldered lens in its clamp until the area that you want to be the top of the lens is up. A lens as heavy as mine seemed to call for a sturdier finding than a mere jump ring, so I pulled one of the metal handles off of a small binder clip to use for each of my necklaces. Any other found items will work with solder, as long as their melting point is higher than the melting point of solder. To attach a jump ring or other finding to the soldered lens, first melt a lump of solder onto the spot where you want the finding to rest. Then, holding the finding with a clamp in your non-dominant hand, rest it on top of that mound of solder, and use the soldering iron in your dominant hand to re-melt the lump. As the lump melts, push the finding into it so that the solder will harden around it, and use your soldering iron to smooth out any imperfections. Next » Your finished magnifying lens will need to be cleaned again, and you can polish your solder with silver polish if you wish to make it shiny. Use your favorite method to attach the magnifying lens to your favorite necklace cord or chain, and wear it with pride, knowing that no longer will tiny things flaunt their dominance over your vision.
