: I am building a cedar strip Guillemot, and am considering putting a
: hand-hammmered copper external stem (mainly because I think it
: would look nice). Has anyone tried something like this? Thoughts
: on whether the copper stem should be attached before
: fiberglassing (i.e. glass over the metal stem) or attach after
: 'glassing? Is this a really bad idea for reasons I haven't
: thought of yet?

A very interesting idea! I say go for it- on top of the glass. As a fan of the hammered copper wares of the Arts and Crafts Movement, I think it could look quite stunning. Be sure to let us know how it works out, either way.