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It's Just All on Stained Glass Art

By: Penny Maseko

If you want the proper cutter for stained glass, it is best to go to a stained glass supplier. Cutters in hardware stores are generally made specifically for cutting clear glass.

Stained glass cutters need to be lubricated to keep the wheels rolling freely. Most stained glass cutters, like Toyo or Fletcher pistol grip and pencil grip cutters, have a reservoir for lubricating oil which runs down a wick to the cutting wheel.

Pencil grip stained glass cutters have a ball on one end which is used to tap the stained glass underneath the score line to begin a running break so that the glass can be pulled apart. Stained glass that has been scored can be pulled apart by hand; but sometimes, the glass pieces are too small to grip. Glass pliers can be used to separate the pieces that are too small to grasp.

A good score is done in one continuous motion. Starts and stops will only cause a bad score line which will end up in a bad break. Going over a score line twice dulls your stained glass cutter and makes a bad score line.

Since stained glass making is such a fine art much attention is paid to the type, colors and quality of glass used and/or the quality of the paint used on the glass. The soldering iron, while absolutely crucial to the outcome of the project is often given little or no consideration and attempts to use one borrowed from a friend or found in the tool bin in the garage are often made. The right soldering iron and type of solder can make the difference in the overall quality of the finished stained glass window or other project, however, and should be given more attention.

The ideal soldering iron would have a temperature control keeping it at a constant level between 100 and 200 watts. It would also have an iron coated or plated tip to make it long lasting and easy to use. The tip should measure about 1/4 inch and be comparable to a flat tip screw-driver in shape. You should replace the tip often to keep your projects flowing smoothly and to help keep your joints neat and clean.

To make the glass used in stained glass windows, a lump of the molten glass is caught up at one end of a blow pipe, blown into a cylinder-like shape, cut, then compressed into sheets and cooled. This process may be varied in order to produce different effects. "Flashed glass" is made by putting a ball of molten white glass inside of a layer of molten colored glass which, when blown and flattened, results in a less concentrated color because it will be white on one side and colored on the other.

Various metal oxides are added to produce different colors of stained glass. Golden, yellow and vermillion glass is sometimes created by using uranium, cadmium sulfide or titanium. Adding gold produces a beautiful ruby color Cobalt creates most shades of blue. Chromium and iron oxides can also create green shades. Copper oxide is very versatile and depending on the conditions it is used under it can create ruby red, bluish or green colors. This makes stained glass beautiful art.

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