All you need to know about Stained Glass

Stained Glass For Dummies

From Stained Glass For Dummies by Vicki Payne
Creating stained-glass and warm-glass designs can be a fun and addictive hobby, but to get started you need to go shopping for some basic tools and supplies and develop basic skills. Then you can practice and perfect the different techniques to your heart’s content.

A Stained-Glass Shopping List

Stained glass is a hobby that requires quite a bit of equipment. Thankfully, most of the equipment is rather versatile and can be used for both copper foil and lead came projects. Some supplies, though, are specially designed for a particular technique. Print off the following shopping lists and take them to your nearest glass or hobby shop to make sure you have what you need for whatever project you’ve set out to create.

General stained-glass tools and supplies

The following tools are needed for both copper-foil and lead-came projects:
  • Basic drafting supplies: These supplies include a metal ruler, white pattern paper, a pencil, and permanent markers.
  • Combination breaking-grozing pliers: You need both breaking and grozing pliers, but you can save a little money by buying just one pair of combination pliers. You can use your combo pliers to help you break glass and fine-tune unwanted glass shards.
  • Flux and brush: Flux is a chemical you have to use to clean any surface on your project that you want to solder; you can’t solder where you don’t flux. You can use a basic disposable brush to paint the flux onto the foil and lead surfaces of your project.
  • Glass: When you first start out with stained glass, you should work mainly with clear glass because it’s less expensive than colored glass. Then, when you’re ready to create your first full-color project, visit a glass shop or go online and purchase some smooth, colored glass (smooth glass is easier to work with than textured glass).
    Always buy 25 to 50 percent more glass than you think you’ll need for your project.
  • Glass grinder: This must-have power tool has a diamond wheel that allows you to grind away any unwanted glass edges so your pieces fit together perfectly on your pattern.
  • 100-watt soldering iron: A 100-watt soldering iron gives you plenty of heat for all your stained-glass soldering needs. Note that stained-glass artists don’t use soldering guns.
  • Project patterns: All stained-glass projects — even simple sun catchers — start as designs drawn on pattern paper, so the first step in any project is to find a pattern. You can find hundreds of patterns to work with online or in stained-glass books.
  • Safety glasses: Select glasses that are comfortable to wear so you’ll be sure to wear them whenever you work in your glass studio.
  • Self-oiling glass cutter: You can select a pistol-grip cutter that’s easy to hold in the palm of your hand or a barrel cutter that you hold more like a pencil between your fingers. Both cutters have the same cutting heads.

Special copper-foil tools

Before you start your first stained-glass project using the copper-foil construction technique, make sure you gather up the following basic tools and supplies:
  • 7/32-inch copper foil: To wrap each piece of glass in your project, you use thin strips of copper foil with adhesive backing. (3/16-inch foil is also common among stained-glass artists, but it’s a little more difficult to work with than the larger 7/32-inch foil.)
  • Foilmate roller: This little tool helps you burnish, crimp, and roll copper-foil tape tightly to each piece of glass in your project.
  • 60/40 solder: You need to use solder that’s 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead to hold your foiled glass pieces together.

Special lead-came tools

Before you can start creating stained-glass projects using the lead-came technique, you need to purchase the following tools and supplies in addition to the general stained-glass supplies:
  • 50/50 solder: When soldering lead-came projects, you need to work with solder that contains an equal blend of tin and lead.
  • Horseshoe nails: You use these nails to secure glass and lead-came pieces during the construction process.
  • Lead came: Cames are strips of lead that come in either H or U profile shapes. The glass pieces of your project fit into the cames. The most common lead-came sizes are 3/8-inch H, 3/16-inch H,7/32-inch H, and 1/4-inch U.
  • Lead nippers or lead knife: You use these tools to trim your lead came to the correct size when building your projects.
  • Rheostat: A rheostat is a temperature controller that helps you reduce and control the temperature of your soldering iron so that you don’t heat your lead came too much. Note: If you’re working with an iron that has a built-in controller, you don’t need this tool.

Adding Warm-Glass Tools and Supplies to Your Stained-Glass Studio

Glass fusing (also called warm glass) is one of today’s most popular art-glass techniques. It involves heating glass to specific temperatures so that you can form and shape it into fun projects like bowls, vases, and jewelry. Before you can add this neat technique to your studio’s to-do list, though, you need to gather a few warm-glass-specific tools and supplies:
  • Didymium safety glasses: These special safety glasses protect your eyes from the glare of red hot glass.
  • Glass: To make a warm-glass project, you need to buy compatible fusible glass. The two basic categories of fusing-glass compatibility are COE 96 and COE 90.
    For any given warm-glass project, you must use one and only one type of fusible glass (either COE 96 or COE 96); you can’t mix the two together.
  • Glass kiln: Kilns are the most expensive tools you have to purchase for your warm-glass studio, so you may want to start small with a kiln that has 5-inch shelves. Then as your interest and skills grow, you can invest in a larger kiln so you can make larger projects. Make sure your kiln comes with its own shelves, posts, and temperature gauges.
  • Heat-resistant gloves: You need to wear special heat-resistant gloves to protect your hands whenever you’re working around the kiln.
  • Kiln wash and brush: You have to apply kiln wash to your kiln shelves and glass molds before you fire your project to keep the hot glass from sticking to them.

Tips for Improving Your Glass-Cutting Skills

One of the first skills you need to master as you begin your stained-glass hobby is cutting out your glass shapes accurately. Here are some tips that can help you get off to a successful start:
  • Select a high-quality, self-oiling glass cutter that fits comfortably in your hand. Always check the oil level in your cutter before you start cutting, and make sure the oil lubricates the cutting wheel as it turns. Add more oil when needed.
  • Purchase a pair of safety glasses that fit your face comfortably. Wear your glasses every time you work with glass to keep your eyes safe from flying glass chips and dust.
  • Make sure you have good lighting in your studio so you can see what you’re cutting. Cutting in low light is dangerous and can lead you to make poor, inaccurate cuts.
  • Stand whenever you cut glass. Applying the right amount of pressure to the cutter is difficult to do when you’re seated.
  • Position all your pattern templates at least 1 to 2 inches away from the edges of the glass.Doing so gives you enough glass to hold when breaking and helps support the glass.
  • Score from one edge of the glass to the other, and don’t apply so much pressure that the cutting wheel crushes the glass. Try not to have any gaps or skips in your score line. You may be overscoring if your score line is bright white and chips of glass are flying from that line.
  • Don’t go back and forth over a score line with your cutter. If your initial score line doesn’t turn out right, move over 1/4 inch and try again.
  • Use your hands to break the glass whenever possible. If you need more leverage, use your glass-breaking pliers. If you’re using a pair of breaking-grozing combo pliers, make sure the flat side of the pliers is on top of the glass and the curved side is under the glass.
  • Clean up any rough edges using the ridges inside your grozing pliers or glass grinder. Each cut piece has to be the exact size as your pattern template so all the pieces fit together during the building process.
  • Keep your cutting surface clean and free of glass chips and shards. Use a bench brush or a clean paint brush to sweep your cutting area in between cuts. If you try to cut your glass pieces on top of small chips of glass, your glass may break unexpectedly.

Foil versus Lead: Which Stained-Glass Technique Do You Choose?

When constructing a stained-glass project, you use either copper foil or lead to hold the glass pieces together. How do you know which one to choose? Keep the following factors in mind as you determine which construction technique to use for a particular stained-glass design:
  • Geometric designs lend themselves to lead-came techniques. Making a lot of straight lines meet up nicely (often a key in geometric designs) is difficult when you’re using copper foil. On the other hand, using lead came allows you to hide the small imperfections between glass pieces and keep everything on pattern.
  • Designs with a lot of small pieces work best with copper foil. Copper foil is easier to wrap around small pieces, and it keeps the project from looking bulky.
  • Sun catchers are naturals for copper foil. Because lead stretches, it needs the support of a rigid frame. Sun catchers don’t work well in rigid frames, and if you construct a sun catcher out of lead, it’ll stretch over time and pull apart.


You will need these stained glass tools and supplies to get started

You will need to obtain some stained glass tools and supplies before you start working with glass. Some of the tools and supplies I'm going to show you can be improvised from things you have around the house. Also, you don't need to buy everything at once. You can start out with the basics (I have noted which ones are basic with a red Basic after the name of the item) and buy the more specialized tools as you need or want them.

*Please note that I do not sell stained glass tools and supplies. This page is just to show you what you will need. You can get these tools and supplies from most stained glass suppliers in your own city or found on the internet.
Stained Glass Tools and Supplies

Patterns There are hundreds of free patterns on the internet. You can find most of them Here


Comfort Grip Cutter

Comfort Grip Oil Cutter










Pistol Grip Cutter







Pistol Grip Oil Cutter





Oil Cutters. Basic You will find a variety of styles as well as brands of oil glass cutters. Toyo is my favorite brand, but you can also choose from Studio Pro, Inland or Fletcher.
To keep things simple, I'd recommend starting out with a comfort grip or pencil grip cutter. They are one in the same, just different names for different brands. They are called that because you hold them like a pencil and they are comfortable to hold. These stained glass tools will cost around $30.
Don't get a cheap glass cutter from the hardware store. They aren't meant for stained glass and will cause you a lot of frustration.

Cutting OilCutting Oil Basic is used on the wheel of your glass cutter when you're scoring glass. You can put the oil in the oil cutter's reservoir if you want, or you can occasionally dip the glass cutter wheel in oil as you're scoring glass for a project.
Instead of cutting oil, you can use 3 in 1 oil, sewing machine oil, kerosene, or lamp oil. I use lamps oil because I have an abundance of it for my oil lamps. I like it because it's cheap and it doesn't have the odor that you get from kerosene.





Running pliersRunning Pliers Basic are used to break out the glass once it's scored. These stained glass tools are extremely useful and will break out almost any shape that you score. You will spend around $10 on them.






Breaking pliersBreaking/Grozing Pliers Basic are used to help you break out the glass, but in quite a different way than the running pliers. They'll cost you around $8.00. Do not use regular pliers from around the house. They are not a replacement for breaking/grozing pliers.






Soldering IronSoldering Iron Basic This is an important one. Get a good quality soldering iron. I recommend the Weller 100PG. If you take care of it, it will last a long time. I've had mine for 15 years and it's still working like it did when it was new. Around $60 depending on where you buy your stained glass tools.








Soldering Iron StandSoldering Iron Stand Basic You must have one of these since a hot soldering iron will be put down frequently when you're soldering. Make sure you get a stand that holds the iron firmly in place. The flimsy little stands that are made from aluminum and have a small V on top to hold the iron are dangerous. The iron falls off of them so please don't get one. You will spend around $10 for a stand like the one pictured.






Safety GlassesSafety glasses Basic are extremely important to have as part of your basic and necessary stained glass tools ...they are a must have. You do not want to cut glass without wearing safety glasses. The ones pictured cost $5.00









Carborundum StoneCarborundum Stone You can find them in the hunting department at Walmart (they are used to sharpen knifes), as well as many stained glass supply stores. These stones are great for taking off burrs and rough or sharp edges on the glass. They will cost around $7.00 Do not get an aluminum oxide stone.




FidBurnishing Tool or Fid Basic is used to press down the foil so there are no gaps between the foil and the glass. You can substitute the barrel of a ball point pen, a chop stick or a small wooden dowel to burnish the foil. I use a small wooden wallpaper seam roller that I had around the house. A burnishing tool will cost you anywhere from $3.00 to $7.00








Edco FoilVenture Foil
Copper Foil BasicGet 1/4" copper foil until you get confident with foiling. You have several brands to choose from. Make sure you get copper foil, not black back or silver back...just plain copper foil. You will probably want the other backings as you proceed making projects, but for now, just plain copper foil is all you need. My favorite brand is Edco. You will spend around $7.00 for a roll.



ScissorsA small pair of Scissors are used to cut the copper foil. These are just ordinary scissors available at WalMart, Kmart, Dollar stores, etc.










Solder60/40 Solder Basic Make sure you get pure 60/40 solder, not solder used for electronics work. All stained glass suppliers carry solder, and you can get it at most hardware stores, although I recommend getting it from a stained glass supplier only because they carry the best quality solder for stained glass work. It will cost you from $12 to $20 a pound, depending on where you buy it and what brand you buy.








Glastar GlasfluxClassic 100 FluxFlux Basic is necessary when you solder. There are several brands available. Make sure you get one for that is appropriate for copper foil, and try to get one that does not produce a lot of smoke. Classic 100 is a good, odorless and smokeless flux. You will pay around $5.00 to $10.00 depending on the brand and where you buy your stained glass tools and supplies.







Flux BrushFlux Brush Basic is used to apply the flux, but you can use a Q-Tip to instead. That's what I use because they are cheap and disposable. If you buy flux brushes, you will pay around $3.95 for 12 of them.









PatinaPatina will be used when you are finished soldering and cleaning a copper foil project. It will turn the solder either copper or black (depending on whether you buy copper or black patina). It will cost around $3.00











Smoke AbsorberFume Extractor/Smoke Absorber BasicThis is one of the most important stained glass tools to use when you solder. I will discuss fume extractors more when you get to the soldering instructions, so you can wait to buy one until then. A fume extractor will cost $55 to over $200 depending on the system you decide to get.








Marking PenFine Tip Permanent Black Marking PenBasic like a Sharpie. I use the Fine Point Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent Marker, but they only come in boxes of 12. The Sharpie will work fine while you're learning. It will cost about$2.00








poster boardWhite Poster Board Basic is used to make pattern pieces. I get mine at a stationary store like Staples, and Walmart has it for around $2.00 per sheet.>










Ball Point PenMedium Tip Ball Point Pen is used when you trace the pattern to make pattern pieces. It will give you the correct width line to cut out, leaving the right amount of space to allow for the copper foil.






Carbon PaperBlack Carbon Paper is used when you're tracing your pattern on to the poster board.












Pattern ShearsPattern Shears/Scissors are used by some people to cut out pattern pieces. They are supposed to leave the correct space between each pattern piece to allow room for the foil or lead (there are specific shears for each one).





Stained GlassGlass Basic Get a few pieces of ordinary double strength window glass to use for practice. Most hardware stores carry window glass. Wait to get your colored/stained glass until you know what you want to do for your first real project. The stained glass will cost you from around $4.00 to $8.00 per square foot piece. You can get your stained glass at the same store where you buy your other stained glass tools.






Glastar GrinderGryphon GrinderGrinderBasic A grinder is used to smooth down the edges of the glass and to re-shape pieces that are a little large. The same things can be accomplished with a carborundum stone, it just takes a little longer. Grinders cost around $60 to $200




Most of these supplies and tools for stained glass can be purchased at Delphi Glass I order from them and I'm extremely happy with their service and prices. However, if you have a local stained glass supply business, that's the place you should visit first, especially for buying glass. Each piece of glass will look a little different, so it helps to see what is available and pick out exactly what you need.


This is where you can Contact Me
This page was last updated on October 12, 2012

Free Stained Glass Patterns Search

Please be aware that the patterns you find at this free stained glass patterns search are protected by copyright laws. They are not for resale, or commercial or non commercial distribution, which includes books, web sites, on-line forums, ebooks, pamphlets, or photocopied distribution. Please read each web site's individual rules for the use of their patterns.
To make searching easier, use this free stained glass patterns search to find patterns quickly. All of the free patterns for stained glass, that could be found on the internet, have been put into categories.

All you have to do is:
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3. Click.
New Categories and Patterns will be added as they become available.
The patterns in this free stained glass patterns search come in various formats. Some might need to be resized before you can use them. There are several resizing programs available. My favorite is Rapid Resizer.
Quite a few of these patterns are in black and white. Many of the web sites also show the finished item in color. You should be able to see the color version by going to that web site's free patterns page or home page.

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This page was last updated on October 16, 2012

Comments

Unknown said…
Thanks for this info about stained glass
Unknown said…
It is amazing to use Tinted Glass .. It will be more artistic...

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