Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... an enormous sinkhole into which my time has gone.
First of all, let me start by roughly describing them.

I wanted to use brass bars to make a framework, then do a free form arrangement of smaller bars and stained glass inside. The idea is to make it difficult to really see much of anything in my bedroom when the window is open and the curtains are pulled open, while not blocking air flow during the warmer months.

So: brass bar stock, cut to length with my chop saw and a grinding blade, is shown here and here. Note the torch set in the first pictures. They use MAPP gas and oxygen, and didn't really get hot enough- I had to buy an oxy-acetylene torch for this job, which was NOT cheap. (On the other hand, I've been looking for an excuse to buy one for years.)

Here is a shot of how I joined the corners. I had to use silver solder rather than actually welding them- and that shit, too, is expensive. I ended up with this, and soldered on a rod across the bottom with a loop at either end to attach it to the window frame. Details are shown here, here, here and here. I found that when I used a wire brush attachment for my drill that the silver solder was the same color as the brass. Yay!

I then bought a ring roller, which is a device for taking straight metal and bending it into circles, and fed some thinner bar stock through it to make curving shaped that I then soldered into the frames like so.

Meanwhile I had been using a small glass bandsaw to cut out the shapes of leaves, then putting copper foil around the edges. I also ground the edges off of some slices of agate that I had bought and foiled those. Many an hour was spent on this phase, and a lot of bad words were said. I learned that while a really intricate oak leaf may look cool, it's a major pain in the ass to cut and foil. But ultimately I got through them all, and laid them out in the frame on the counter. Here's a closer look at them.

Then I went to attach them all to the frame. The biggest challenge was that the brass bars had to be heated a lot before the solder would stick to them- but fortunately I had a large chunk of granite (a scrap from someone's countertop) in the back yard. I laid it on the counter, put the frame on top of it and used a propane torch to heat the stuff up. I put two chunks of scrap glass under each piece to hold them up while I soldered, and had to keep moving them around.

The end result, when all was said and done? Here. And a little closer. Another angle.

I managed to do all of this without cutting myself, setting fire to anything (for more than a few seconds, anyway) or destroying anything. In the process I learned a LOT about metal working, and am going to move on to more things along these lines.

I don't know how effective it really is at keeping my privacy, but it's better than nothing, right?
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:14, 5 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

Hey, king of the links, are you trying to usurp Spakka?
Tis nice though
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:15, Reply)

I didn't want to swamp the place with big images.
There are sixteen photos- I didn't want to listen to endless whinging about large files cluttering up the board for people who insist on surfing from their phones.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:17, Reply)

Okay! I'm seriously impressed now.
They look great.
( girlinthehole, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:18, Reply)

Just wait.
I have an even more impressive project lined up for the next one- a coffee table done to look like a koi pond.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:20, Reply)

Loon
that looks fucking amazing. Have you considered making and selling this sort of thing to order? might help tide you over a little, particularly now you have the kit.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:48, Reply)

I'm considering it.
The thing is, a set of those would have to go for a couple thousand dollars, as it took me about eighty hours time, a couple hundred in materials, a hundred for a new bandsaw blade at the end of it, and a bit for torch gas. Not many people would spend that sort of money for it.

I think I could probably make a scaled down version with less intricate cuts. But I need to know what size window it's going in!
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 3 Jun 2009, 2:01, Reply)

Aaaaw, mate
that is frickin sweet!

I am seriously impressed with that. Well Done!
(Bazongaloid, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:49, Reply)

I am the proud owner of one of the Loon's glass work albiet small and able to fit into a suitcase.
Hopefully if I keep sending the naked pictures to him, I'll be able to procure some more pieces.
( girlinthehole, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 20:55, Reply)

Wow!
Awesome!
Can I place an order?
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Tue 2 Jun 2009, 22:15, Reply)

Sure.
I'll warn you, though, they'll be expensive- I would guess it would take me about 40 hours to make another set, and it's a good $200 in materials alone.

On the other hand, I'd bet I could make wooden louvered ones in stained glass that would let air and light through but obscure you. Those I could make much more easily and cheaply.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 3 Jun 2009, 1:52, Reply)