Which Solder Should You Use for Stained Glass? A Student’s Guide
- Paul Urteaga
- Sep 30
- 3 min read
When you’re learning stained glass, it’s easy to focus on choosing a beautiful pattern or picking the right colors of glass. But once you start cutting, foiling, and preparing to join your pieces together, you’ll face a question every student has to answer: Which solder should use for stained glass? The truth is, not all solder behaves the same.
Choosing the right type can make your project easier, sturdier, or shinier, depending on what you’re building.
At Caveman Glassworks, we’ve helped students decide between three main types of solder for stained glass: 60/40, 50/50, and Lead-Free. Let’s walk through each one in real-world terms so you’ll know exactly which belongs on your project.
60/40 Solder: The Go-To for Most Projects
If you’re making a suncatcher, lamp repair, or a beginner’s panel, 60/40 solder is your best friend. Made of 60% tin and 40% lead, it melts between 361–374°F. This means it flows smoothly and gives you just enough working time to shape clean, rounded bead lines.
Students love 60/40 because it forgives mistakes. If your hand is a little shaky, the solder still spreads evenly, and when polished, it shines beautifully. For a first lamp repair or a suncatcher that’s going to hang in your window, 60/40 helps you achieve professional-looking results without being a pro.
Think of 60/40 as your “default” solder — perfect for most stained-glass projects, especially when you want something that looks good and isn’t too difficult to control.
50/50 Solder: Built for Structure
When you move on to building larger stained-glass panels or working with lead came, 50/50 solder becomes more useful. This alloy, half tin and half lead, melts in a wider range (361–421°F). That wider range makes it feel stiffer and harder to control on delicate copper foil projects, but it shines in situations where strength matters most.
For example, if you’re soldering a large rectangular panel for a doorway, the stiffness of 50/50 helps reinforce the structure. You won’t get the same mirror-like shine as 60/40, but you will get seams that hold up under weight and tension.
In other words: if your project is big and heavy, 50/50 may be the right tool for the job, even if it doesn’t look quite as polished.
Lead-Free Solder: For Safety and Special Cases
Sometimes, the project itself or the environment demands lead-free solder. Common alloys combine tin with silver or copper, and they melt hotter — usually 430–440°F. This makes them harder to work with, since the solder needs more heat and doesn’t flow as easily as lead-based options.
So why use it? Two reasons: safety and compliance. If you’re repairing a stained-glass lamp for a child’s room, or teaching in a school where lead is restricted, lead-free is the clear choice. It also works well for jewelry or decorative items that might be handled often. The tradeoff is that your seams won’t have the same shiny silver glow — they’ll look a bit more matte gray.
If avoiding lead exposure is your top priority, lead-free solder is worth the extra effort.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Type of Solder | Melting Point | Ease of Use | Appearance | Best For |
60/40 | 361–374°F | Smooth, forgiving | Shiny, polished finish | Suncatchers, lamp repairs, student projects |
50/50 | 361–421°F | Stiffer, harder to control | Duller | Large panels, structural lead came work |
Lead-Free | 430–440°F | Requires more heat, less flow | Matte gray | Jewelry, classrooms, safety-conscious projects |
Keep Learning at Caveman Glassworks
Choosing the right solder for stained glass is about more than chemistry — it’s about matching the material to your project. If you’re just getting started, stick with 60/40. If you’re building something heavy or structural, try 50/50. And when safety matters most, go with lead-free.
Want to keep building your skills? We recommend checking out these related Caveman Glassworks blog posts:
Each of these articles connects to today’s lesson, giving you more insight into how to select materials and perfect your craft.