Stained Glass Tools
You do not necessarily need to be a professional artisan employed by the Tiffany Glass Company in order to be a stained glass artist. All you really need to start out is a few simple stained glass tools and you can start making your very own pieces of Art Nuevo. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Patterns
A good pattern is probably one of the most essential stained glass tools that an artisan will need in order to start on his masterpiece. You can get some patterns that are already full sized, but others may need to be enlarged. You should always make two copies of the pattern before storing it away for future projects. One of these copies should be used layout and assembly and the other should be cut apart using stained glass pattern shears.
Pattern Shears
Pattern shears are another one of those stained glass tools that a artisan needs to get before he starts. These special shears have three blades allowing for space within the patterns for the copper foil or lead came. If you do not allow for the space taken up by the lead or copper holding your glass panels together, it will not turn out right.
A glass cutter
Making stained glass panels or lamps involves cutting lots of little different pieces of glass so that they fit into your pattern. Of all the glass stained tools you need to procure, the glass cutter is not the one you want to skimp on. A dull or damaged glass cutter will spell trouble for any project, instead of scoring the glass making it easily breakable, it will only scratch it instead making the break uneven.
Pliers
You use pliers to break the glass after your score it and you may need several types in order to make your job easier. Breaker pliers are dual purpose pliers that you use to break a score and to remove the small sections of glass deep inside curves. These pliers have both a flat jaw and a curved jaw. Breaking Pliers have just a smooth flat jaw and are used primarily to help break bigger pieces of glass. For really difficult scores, you may need a pair of running pliers. These have a curved jaw that applies equal pressure to both sides of the score line.
Grinder
Even if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget for your collection of stained glass tools, you still want to invest in a good grinder. A grinder is necessary if you want to make projects that look good. A good grinder will allow you to shape your pieces to fit better, making the overall piece more pleasing to the eye. Copper foil also adheres better to a grounded edge.
Soldering Iron
Another important stained glass tool is a decent soldering iron. After you cut and assemble your glass pieces, you need to solder the pieces together to form a single pane of stained glass. 80 to 150 watts is what you want to look for when picking out an iron.
