What Are SunCatchers?
Everyone has seen SunCatchers, they are often found hanging on windows from a suction cup. In addition to being used as window ornaments, SunCatchers are also popular Christmas tree ornaments, night lights, key chains and bag tags. Light passes through the translucent colored areas, highlighting the beauty of the design. Originally, SunCatchers were made with lead frames and plastic crystals that were melted in an oven. This presented two problems: 1) Lead melts at a temperature very close to that which melts the crystal – creating the potential for a real mess in your oven! 2) Melting crystals was not a commercially viable way to manufacture large volumes. In the late 1970’s David Wehr, founder of PinLine, developed a new method that allowed for commercial production of SunCatchers. This new generation of SunCatchers is made of zinc and filled with epoxy. The key was special tape (which is still in use today), which seals to the frame without allowing epoxy to seep through small holes
