Working with stained glass is a time-consuming hobby, but the rewards are extraordinary. Seeing the beautiful things you have created with your own hands is very rewarding. Step by step instruction on the entire process of creating with stained glass is beyond the scope of this article; it would take more time and space than is available. What I can offer is some advice on glass cutting, essential tools and some general tricks to make your work easier and more enjoyable. There are many fine courses available on the art of working with stained glass. Find a course that fits in with your time and budget and use the tips presented here; you will soon be showing others your beautiful works of art.
For scoring your glass, you will need a glass cutter. This instrument does not actually cut the glass, but creates a deep scratch that will help you break the glass where you want it broken. There are fairly inexpensive industrial cutters, but you will save yourself much frustration by spending a little more on a glass cutter than contains an oil reserve. This ill enable you to make smoother scores. You will also need grazing and breaking pliers, some cutting oil and a pair of safety glasses. Both Band-aids and rubber gloves are also highly recommended.
The next thing you will need is some kind of working surface. This surface will be subject to nail holes, spilled chemicals and many other types of abuse. For this reason, you will not want to invest a great deal of money on a surface. Simple plywood, at least half an inch thick will serve your purpose well. This will also be portable so you can clean up your material when not working; this is an added advantage should you be working on the kitchen or dining room table.
A soldering iron is the next necessary tool. These come in many styles and price ranges. Try to find one that has both a pencil-shaped tip and a chisel-shaped one. This way, you will always have the correct tip for the project you are working on. You will find yourself preferring one tip or the other, but it will help to have a choice.
One of the most time-consuming tasks in working with stained glass is applying foil to the edges of your pieces. This can be done very well by hand, but they make a simple foil dispenser that will help speed up the process. This handy item can be loaded with two different widths of foil, and is definitely worth getting in order to speed up the tedious task of foiling so you can spend more time of the fun tasks.
Needle-nose pliers and a flux brush will prove invaluable. Do not bother getting these at a glass supply place; you will find they are less expensive at a general hardware store. A grinder is a nice thing to have if you are planning on doing a lot of work with stained glass. It is one piece of equipment, however, that is not necessary. A piece of emery cloth will work just find for smoothing the edges of your glass.
You will need supplies for making and transferring patterns onto your glass. Any expensive paper will serve this purpose, but your best bet would be visiting your local newspaper printer. You can often get an end roll of newsprint, for very little cost, that will last the rest of your life. A good set of markers is one area where you do not want to skimp. Purchasing a set of markers that can be used on glass, metal, paper or plastic will ensure you always have the right marker. These should last many years. Actually, there are very few tools you buy when you first start out that will ever need replacing. Working with stained glass is one of the few hobbies that actually gets less expensive over time.
A final hint about cleaning your finished piece is necessary. There are commercial products made specifically for this task, but you can make a simple, inexpensive substitute by putting a mixture of fragrance-free soft soap and baking soda onto a nail brush. This will work very well and is not likely to scratch your masterpiece.
Creating with stained glass is a rewarding craft. There are few who would not like a gift of one of your pieces and you will experience a sense of pride and accomplishment with each creation. Take time to learn the shortcuts and make sure you have the necessary equipment, then enjoy your new hobby.
