Stained Glass Digest - The Basics

Everyone has to start somewhere right? Before I started doing Stained Glass, I would always look at the windows in local cathedrals and be in awe, but never really realize how much work went into creating that window. I didn't know what to do, or how to do it. With this Blog, I would like to start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. (Rogers and Hammerstein begins playing in the background). The tools an artist has in his arsenal greatly effect his or her abilities. There is a large difference in the minimum tools required to start and what makes the craft of stained glass easier and more enjoyable.

The Minimal Tools:
Cutter - The Glass cutter is a device used to score your glass. There are many different styles of cutter from the very basic green bar with a brass ball on the end, all the way up to cutters that automatically oil your cutting wheel and are ergonomically fit for your hand. The cutter is one tool that I actually prefer the old basic cutter for. A basic cutter can be replaced in its entirety for less than the cost of the models with the replaceable wheel. The brass ball is quite useful (although annoying to my wife) to get difficult cuts to break correctly. The basic cutter is also available at just about any hardware store that carries glass or plexi-glass.

Pliers - You will need two different pliers to get started in Stained glass.
Running Pliers: Running pliers will help you to get a clean break from a relatively straight score. That doesn't mean that you can't run a curve, you just don't use these for a tight curve.
Grozing Pliers: Grozing pliers are what you will use to break most other scores. You can also use these pliers to groze off sharp edges left behind from the break when the break doesn't follow the line you had planned.

Soldering Iron - Like the cutter, there are many different types of soldering iron. The soldering irons you find at your local electronics or hardware stores typically won't do for stained glass work unless you find the right tip. Stained glass soldering irons have a wide tip (about 3/8") to help you lay a smooth bead of solder along your seams. I personally like the adjustable watt solder irons. That allows you to work with your solder at a speed that is comfortable for you. Before I had my adjustable wattage iron, I was forever having problems laying a nice smooth bead of solder. After that, once I found a the wattage I like, it works for me.

Safety Glasses - Nothing says pain or permanent eye damage like a shard of glass stuck in your eye! Always, Always, Always use some form of eye protection. The less you want glass in your eye, the fancier the glasses you should wear! This is another item that is usually available from your local hardware store. They might not be very pretty, but they are definitely functional. Wear them! Even if you are just going to "cut this real quick"...those real quick cuts are sometimes the worst for popping glass right into your eye.

That's it! Those five items are all you need to get started in stained glass. Total investment of less than $100 American. Now....that is the absolute minimum. You could spend hundreds or thousands of dollars getting nicely equipped with other tools. Many of which I will recommend strongly to anyone who doesn't want to loose their religion while making a window for a church!

One of the goals of this blog is to provide reviews of the basic and not so basic tools of the trade. I also plan on reviewing different consumables (glass, foil, lead, flux, etc.). Once I am done giving justice to the cold glass world, I plan on starting on my newest fascination hot and warm glass. I am glad you are reading my blog, I hope to see you as a follower soon!

Ciao!