How to Make Stained-Glass Flip Flops
Design a pair of stained-glass flip flops to walk around in style.
Materials and Tools:
pair of flip-flops
adhesive-backed paper
permanent marker
stained glass
3/8-inch-width copper foil
20-gauge wire
flux and brush to apply flux
soldering iron and solder
glass cleaner
towel
glass enamel paint
artist's paintbrush
burnishing tool
glass scorer
glass-breaking pliers
round-nose pliers
glass-grinding machine
glass and silver bead assortment
scissors
safety glasses
toaster oven
Steps:
1. Trace around each flip-flop with a permanent marker onto a piece of stained glass.
2. Score the glass on the traced lines with a glass scorer. Break the glass with breaking pliers.
3. Wearing safety glasses, grind the edges of the glass shoes on an electric grinder. Clean the glass with glass cleaner and a towel.
4. Wrap the edges of each glass shoe with 3/8-inch copper foil tape. Burnish the foil with a burnishing tool.
5. Place the shoes right side up. Apply flux to the copper foil on the upper side of the glass pieces. Melt solder onto the foil with a soldering iron.
6. Flip the shoes over, apply flux and solder to the copper foil on the other side of the glass shoes.
7. Flux and solder the side edges of the foil on the shoes.
8. Cut two pieces of 20-gauge wire 6 to 8 inches long for each shoe to make the straps.
9. Apply flux and then solder the wires to the shoe soles on each edge slightly past the halfway point toward the heels.
10. Drill a hole into each sole near the toe for the wire thong straps. Pierce the glass with the grinding machine. The wires will be fed through holes later.
11. Paint desired designs on the upper part of the soles with glass enamel paint. Dry the soles in a toaster oven set on low heat for 20 minutes.
12. String an assortment of glass and silver beads on the wires to form the straps on the flip-flops. Thread the wires through the holes in the sole and twist them on the underside with needle-nose pliers to secure.
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