Whattaya Think?
UNPUBLISHED RESPONSES
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WHATTAYA THINK • SGN #67
UNPUBLISHED RESPONSES • page 3
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When asked the most helpful piece of advice I could pass along to beginners it would be: Accuracy counts!
• Accuracy makes the final construction easier whether leaded or copper foil
• Accuracy makes for a better looking finished product
• Accuracy increases confidence in your ability to do just what you want to do
• Accuracy enables you to later do the more challenging project (where errors are multiplied)
– Diana StobertIn the 5 years I have been doing stained glass, there were probably about 3 or 4 pieces I've worked on that got very frustrating. Either pieces didn't fit after they were carefully cut and put through the grinder, or a color or texture just wasn't right. The best thing is to have an extra board or two or several boards going on at once... to put that piece aside and not get discouraged. When you pull it back out, it will be like a new piece and maybe you'll have acquired just the right glass for the job. I have a piece I worked on for 2 years, and it wasn't a large project by any means but was just waiting for the perfect glass to come along and finish. It is probably my most prized piece yet. Doing a piece to satisfy your eyes takes time when you are new at picking glass. Enjoy your craft, and you will be satisfied in the end.
– Shirley A SmithInstead of marking round pattern with a pen onto the glass, use stick glue sparingly. It holds, and pattern doesn’t move about. Less grinding needed.
– Betty ParkThe best advice I can gave is to be patient. If you hurry, you break glass and make MISTAKES. When working on a big piece, give yourself a break and make a simple project that you can be finished in a day or two.
– MLE ErnstWhen a person is just entering the world of stained glass, there are MANY tools and gadgets that clamor for our attention. What I found was this: invest in a quality cutter, but not the most expensive, until you decide what is comfortable in your hand. Or even later, invest in the Cutter's Mate, but don't invest a lot of $ until you try out a few.
Next, use the Morton Safety Break M-80 breaking bar. It has saved me from wasting a truckload of glass. It is amazing how well long and/or narrow strips and curved pieces will break out.
Last but not least, if you work in lead, the Stanton lead stretcher is going to be your best friend. It will straighten and stretch beautiful strips of lead, and save you many episodes of self inflicted broken ribs and other various battered body parts. I know I sound like a commercial, but these are three of my favorite tools. I wouldn't want to go to my shop unless they were there to meet me. (One other one is my Gryphon mitre saw, but that is a letter for another day/issue!)
– Debra Dick