Koi Pond Stained Glass Mobile

18. Foil, flux and solder each individual flower petal. Arrange the petals on the bottom of an upside down bowl, create one ring of five petals first and solder together. Then create a second ring of petals on top of them, staggering them so that the points of the second ring poke out in-between the points of the first ring of petals.

19. Cut 16-gauge wire into two 6 inch lengths, twist them together in the middle and solder them to the inside of the bowl or cup created by the petals.

20. Solder the flower on top of one of the lily pad that does not have a hanging ring.

21. Once the flower and pad are together make a hanging ring and solder it inside the flower so that the pad/flower combo hang flat.

22. To make the flower stamens slip a bead onto each of the wires coming out of the flower, use pliers to make a small loop at the end of each wire to keep the bead from coming off. Holding the flower upside down, put a small drop of instant glue on the top of each bead where the wire comes out and let the glue dry. This will keep the beads up at the top end of the wire so that you can see them. Once the glue is dry finesse the wires for a natural look.

23. To make the dragonfly glue two flat back glass nuggets (flat back to flat back) with two-part epoxy. Put them aside to let the glue set. These will be the eyes/head of the dragonfly.

24. Foil, flux and solder the body and wings of the dragonfly.

25. Solder two of the wing sections together for the left side wings and the other two for the right side wings. Prop the wings at an angle and solder the inside ends of the wings together to make the dragonfly look like he's flying.

Then solder the completed wings to the top edge of the body piece.

26. Once the epoxy is set on the head/eyes wrap foil around the joined area and flux and solder together. Then solder the eyes/head to the wide end of the body of the dragonfly.

27. Solder two small rings of wire on the top seam of the wings to hang the dragonfly. Add lengths of wire folded in half to the bottom of the dragonfly body to form wings. Fold the wire into "V's" then solder the bottom of the "V" to the body. Then bend the ends to look like little "L's" for feet.

28. Let the pieces cool, then wash them off with the same cleaner that you used before to remove the flux and debris. Dry the pieces.

29. Rub all the sides and edges of the solder with steel wool to polish it to produce a shiny surface.

30. Spray and wipe the piece down with stained glass cleaner. When dry, wipe on a thin coat of stained glass polish. Let it get hazy, then buff it with a soft cloth until it shines.

31. Using your hands, pliers and wire cutters bend and shape the copper ground wire to shape the "arms" of the mobile.

32. Put a split ring on each end of the fishing spinners and slide them onto the copper "arms", one in the center and one at each end. Use these spinners and split rings to attach each stained glass element to the mobile along with some fishing line. The dragonfly is the only exception. Tie a piece of fishing line to one loop on one wing then tie the other end to the other loop on the other wing. This will create a "yolk". Then slip a split ring with a spinner attached onto that line. Balance the dragonfly and put a drop of instant glue on the ring where the fishing line touches it to hold it in place.

33. Make a hanging line for the mobile and hang the main or top "arm" up so that you can hang your pieces onto the mobile. Remember to play with the counter balance to produce a balanced mobile. Put one large object on one end and a group of smaller objects on the other end. Bend the "arms" a little or even make them shorter (or make a new longer one) in order to balance the whole piece.

34. Add a small drop of instant glue to each knot to secure it. Then using your pliers, close each loop in the copper wire so that the pieces will not slide off when the mobile is transported from one location to another.

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