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Stained Glass Cutting Made Easy
by: Dave Roth
If you're interested in getting started with stained glass. The first thing you
need to do is to turn what the budget is that you want to spend. A good cutting
tool should be your top priority. A good cutting tool is the center of any stained
glass window project. If you are lucky enough to have somebody donate a stained
glass cutter to then obviously it will be a very little cost. But, cutters are
usually very reasonably priced so, even if you have to purchase one, its usually
a very minimal cost. i would start by getting a glass cutter instead of using
a big industrial glass cutter. Start out with the old tried and true glass cutter
with an oil reservoir. This simple option will be a low cost alternative to the
large and pricey cutters you find out there. In addition to the glass cutter with
an oil reservoir, you'll also need grozing pliers, breaking pliers cutting oil,
and maybe some scrapped glass to practice. This can all be picked up at a arts
and crafts store either online or offline. It's important when ever cutting glass
to make sure that you wear safety glasses. You may think its excessive, tiny particles
are likely to pop up from the glass as you cut. it's better to be safe than be
sorry.
Glass cutters don't work by actually cutting surface, they make a very fine score
that begins the break. Getting a good score is key to getting a very clean break.
I recommend the tried and true cutter with a straight shaft and oil reservoir.
One example would be the models that are made by fletcher. The oil keeps the wheel
turning smoothly. This is essential to getting a good cut. You want to always
make sure your oil is right next to you so you can keep your cutter in mint condition.
An important tip one scoring or stained glass is to keep the same glass cutter
perpendicular to the glass. Tilting it back and forth will generally not make
for as clean of a score. When you push the cutter for make sure the apply a decent
amount of force. it doesn't matter if you move the cutter forward or backward,
that's more of a question of personal preference. Its very vital that you only
score each spot once, don't score twice. This can cause damage to your wheel and
your stained glass cutter, and you definitely don't want to damage something that
you just invested in. When you've finished scoring, you want to grip the part
you will discard with the breaking pliers and grip the other side with the grozing
pliers. Do not try to bend the stained glass into breaking, but more you want
to try to pull the glass away from each other. This should get you well on your
way to becoming a stained glass expert. Remember that practice does make perfect.
The most important thing is to keep a lot of band-aids around!
About The Author
Dave Roth has been teaching stained glass for over 20 years, owns and runs
a stained glass supplies retail store in Illinois, and runs a website at http://www.scstainedglass.com.
The store features supplies, stained glass cutters, and tools. The site features
free glass patterns, glass tutorials, and other artist resources.
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