The Readers' PageLETTERS ABOUT WORKING WITH DISABILITES
from SGN #68:• Diane Hosteter
• Margaret Jambor
• Lisa Warriner
• Bert Ochterbeck
• Sue Vitagliano
• Richard Alley
• Shirley Dooley
• Pam Wegner
• Ron Chase
• Joanne DiNardo
• Vickie Kamerik
• PAM WEGNERI have had to work sitting down for the past 5-6 years because of a back injury. I do everything in a seated position, including cutting, grinding, and soldering. I've had almost 30 years experience, so I've got an advantage over Jeanette, who has only been doing stained glass for two years. Here are my suggestions for her:
She can sit on an adjustable-height stool or chair so that she can gain as much height over her work as possible in order to look down on it. Hopefully, her back can take the more stooped-over position. I just use three smaller, shorter, sturdy tables—one for grinding, and two old end tables for cutting and laying out the foiled pieces for soldering. I'm quite tall, so if Jeanette needs an even shorter table, she can cut the legs down, or use a long coffee table that's the right height, or possibly find tables specially built for people in wheelchairs and/or furniture built for "little people," or someone could custom build something shorter but longer (more like a work bench).
When grinding, the trick is to be as accurate in cutting as possible, so less grinding is needed. Otherwise, make sure you have a good pattern line to follow that won't wash off quickly as you grind. This is especially important for a beginner.
I find soldering to be the easiest task to do sitting down. For larger projects, simply turn the piece as you solder so each side is closest to you, making it easier to reach the middle. I quickly learned how to cut quite well in a seated position. I try to buy smaller pieces of glass so that when I cut, I'm only dealing with glass that is 12x12 or smaller, as opposed to larger sheets. Most stores will be happy to cut larger sheets down for you when you buy them, so Jeanette could buy a full or half sheet of glass and then ask to have it cut into more manageable sections, or if her pattern pieces will allow, just buy two smaller pieces of the same glass as opposed to one large sheet. If I have to cut a larger sheet, I stand up just long enough to make the score and break. Jeanette will just have to practice getting the right cutting angle while sitting. I bought a pair of Ringstar running pliers about 15 years ago, and they are a godsend. This is the best money I've ever spent on a tool—worth every penny. Much less fatiguing and way fewer bad breaks, plus they're just as super easy to use sitting down as standing upright.
I sit on a swivel chair when I work on my stained glass. I bought a regular armless office task chair that has adjustable height, swivel seat, and roller wheels. I'm not sure I'd even be able to do the grinding and placing the glass pieces onto my patterns without this chair—saves a lot of twisting and stretching on my back.
Hope at least some of this is helpful.