Crescent Moon: a full moon panel for your first ground curve

Cut pattern for Crescent Moon: 25 pieces of glass separated by lead lines on a square panel. — The cut pattern exactly as the generator draws it, here at 14 in square: 25 pieces in 7 glass colors, the narrowest piece 0.7 in across and the tightest interior angle 41 degrees, both clear of the 0.375 in and 30 degree limits every pattern on this site is checked against. The panel covers 196 sq in and the glass list adds up to 225 sq in once the usual waste allowance is included.

Crescent Moon sets a large crescent moon into a banded night sky: four full-width horizontal bands running dark at the top to glowing near the horizon, with four diamond-shaped stars scattered through the two darker upper bands. Twenty-five pieces total, cut from straight lines except for the moon's own circular edge, which makes it a natural second or third project after Diamond Lattice or Ridge Line.

Panel size runs from 10 in to 24 in. The moon's radial cuts meet the surrounding sky bands at clean right angles, and the diamond stars keep a wide angle margin at every tip, so the whole panel holds its cut safety margin across the full size range.

The download includes a full-size tiled outline, a numbered piece map, a color reference sheet, a cutting-margin pattern, and a glass and supply list.

Your first ground curve

The moon's outer circle is the only curve in the panel, and it is a convex one, which is the easier kind: you are removing glass from the outside of the score rather than freeing an inside bite. Score the full circle in one continuous pass, then relieve it with straight scores radiating outward so the waste comes away in sections instead of fighting the circle all at once.

The four bands

The gradient from dark at the top to glowing near the horizon is the whole point of the panel, so choose the four glasses as a set rather than one at a time. Lay them in order on a light box or against a window before cutting anything: a band that breaks the progression will pull the eye more than any cutting error.

The stars

Four diamond shaped stars in the two darker bands are small pieces, and small pieces are where foil work gets fiddly. Cut them slightly generous, grind to the line, and wrap them last while your hands are warmed up. A star that ends up a millimetre small leaves a solder line thicker than its neighbours, which shows.

Buying the glass

The glass list in the download gives square inches per color for the size you chose. Buy more than that: between offcuts, a score that runs off line and the occasional piece that breaks on the grinder, most cutters add 20 to 25 percent, and more when a color has strong directional streaking that has to run the same way across several pieces. Glass from a second sheet rarely matches the first, so buying short is the expensive mistake.

Bench setup, tools, and working dimensions

Set the printed pattern on a flat board at least 2 in larger than the selected panel on all sides. For a 10 in panel, a 14 in by 14 in board is enough. For a 24 in panel, use a board close to 30 in by 30 in so the glass can sit fully supported while you score the moon curve. Tape the tiled pattern down only after checking the printed scale with a ruler over a 6 in or 10 in reference length.

Use a pistol grip or pencil grip oil cutter, running pliers, grozing pliers, a grinder with a fresh or clean bit, pattern shears or a craft knife, copper foil, a burnisher, flux, solder, and a soldering iron that can hold steady heat. Keep a fine marker for glass, a soft cloth for cleaning, and a small square for checking that the band joints stay level.

Panel size	Useful bench clearance	Typical printed tile count to handle	Curve working advice
10 in	About 14 in square	Few tiles, easy to tape on one board	Break relief scores with light pressure only
16 in	About 22 in square	Medium tiled sheet, check alignment twice	Use 6 to 8 relief scores around the moon waste
24 in	About 30 in square	Large tiled sheet, tape from the center outward	Support the full circle while running the score

Cutting and assembly procedure

Start by cutting the paper templates accurately, then group them by glass color before touching the glass. Mark every template number on the glass with the same orientation as the map. For streaky glass, add one arrow on each piece so the direction does not drift between bands.

Cut the straight band pieces first. Score long horizontal cuts with your shoulder, elbow, and wrist moving together, not with wrist movement alone. Break these long scores over the edge of the bench or with running pliers placed at the start of the score. Leave the moon pieces until the bench is clear, since curve work needs room and calm handling.

For the moon curve, make one clean continuous score on the outside circular edge. Do not stop at each radial division. After the circle is scored, add straight relief scores from the waste edge toward the circular score, stopping just short of it if you are not confident. Run or tap the relief cuts first, then remove the waste one section at a time. Grind only enough to reach the pattern line, since heavy grinding can flatten the curve and make the surrounding bands harder to fit.

Dry fit the full panel before foiling. The goal is an even channel between pieces, not perfect contact. If one joint is tight enough that the pieces lift, grind that area before foil is applied. Foil the small stars and narrow moon tips last so the foil does not get worn while you are still adjusting the larger pieces.

Common mistakes and practical recovery

If the moon score stops before completing the circle, do not restart exactly on the old end mark with heavy pressure. Start slightly behind the stop, follow the existing line, and use extra relief cuts so the break does not search for its own path.
If a straight band edge chips by less than 1 mm, grind it smooth and keep the piece if the final solder line will still be similar to its neighbors.
If a star point breaks off, recut the star. A missing point makes the solder blob visible because the piece is small and the eye reads the diamond outline quickly.
If the band gradient order is reversed during cutting, stop before foiling and compare all four rows under the same light. It is faster to recut one band piece than to desolder a completed row.
If the panel grows wider during dry fit, check for foil overlap, glass burrs, and one tight central joint. Correct the tight spot instead of grinding every outer edge.

When a moon piece is slightly small, the best recovery is usually controlled soldering, not forcing the surrounding glass inward. Keep the piece centered in its opening, foil neatly, and let the solder line absorb the small difference. If the gap is more than about 2 mm along a visible section of the curve, recutting gives a cleaner result.

Special cases and checks before soldering

At the small end of the size range, the stars and moon tips need more handling care than the long bands. Use lighter grinder pressure and shorter grinding sessions, about 3 to 5 seconds at a time, then test fit again. Heat from long grinding can loosen marker lines and makes tiny pieces harder to hold safely.

At the large end, the main risk is pattern creep. Tiled paper can shift by 1 mm at each join, which can become several millimetres across the panel. Before cutting, draw one full horizontal control line across the assembled paper pattern and check it with a straightedge. If the line steps at a tile seam, retape the sheet before making templates.

If you are changing from copper foil to another assembly method, check all gap and edge assumptions before cutting. The pattern is drawn for stained glass work with normal cut clearance, so a method that needs a wider joint may change how the moon meets the bands. For general process questions, see the FAQ before adapting the drawing.

Before soldering, lift each corner of the dry fitted panel by a few millimetres with a thin card and confirm that no piece rocks. Rocking means the glass is riding on a burr, a foil fold, or a high spot. Fix it at this stage, because solder locks that stress into the panel.