Stained Glass Express - The Blog / Category_For Beginners

Just look at their thumbs! They are lined with little cuts! Right! So annoying! Comes from pushing little pieces of glass against the grinding wheel. Unlike when we started out in business in 1988, now there is a gadget to solve your every problem. There are lots to solve the cut thumb problem. Above: Thumb Pushers by Inland. Sku 2753tp. Low price and simple and easy to use. Above: Grinder tongs by Morton. Morton is the gadget king of the glass industry. Of course, they would have something. Sku 2779ga04 Above: The most substantial solution is by Glastar. The Griffi Glass Gripper. Sku 2051 Above: The most unusual solution are Finger Gloves. Not really made for this purpose but folks tell us they use them for grinding. Sku fg

In addition to there being different types of glass which we talked about in Know Your Glass (part 1) there are also different glass manufacturers. The manufacturers that we stock glass from at Stained Glass Express are: Armstong—Clarity, richness and depth in art glass! It is difficult to know what is going on with Armstrong. They moved their factory to China many years ago and then came back. However, they no longer had a factory. So we heard it was being manufactured by Wissmach and Kokomo. We see no evidence of that and are not sure where it comes from. However, it is totally beautiful. We try to stock 24 different # but are not always successful as the supply is not consistent. Bullseye—Is based on Portland, Oregon. I toured they plant a couple of years ago and it is very impressive. They manufacture “colored glass for art and architecture with worldwide distribution and a strong commitment to research, education and promoting glass art”. They really are leaders in comtemporary kiln-glass. Their colors are rich and beautiful. Kokomo—Kokomo is oldest glass manufacturer. They have been in Kokomo, Indiana for 125 years. They are known worldwide for they hand mixed sheet glass art and colored glass. Even though Tiffany manufactured his own glass he also bought a lot of glass and jewels from Kokomo. Much of Kokomo’s glass was influenced by Mr. Tiffany. One of our favorites. Firebox—We tired our hand at importing. We have 8 beautiful colors that with a great deal of effort we managed to get here. The price is right and the colors are wonderful. Our of the 10 colors we brought in we had the forethought to bring in two reds and one pink. So while reds and pinks prices have really risen, we have some that remains affordable! GNA—GNA stands for German New Antique. Unfortunately the color glass is being eliminated and only the clear will remain. We still have some that is our clearance bin and some mirrored that is in the mirror section. However, when it is gone, it is gone. We will continue to carry the clear. It is very beautiful. Fine lines run through it and nothing cuts better! Spectrum—We stock more spectrum than anything else. We stock stained glass, fusing glass and cabinet glass from Spectrum. It cuts great and they just keep coming out with more and more fun and beautiful products. They give great retailer support. That is where The Score with its info and free patterns come from. I have toured their factory and it is BIG business! Uroboros—I also toured here. I watched each sheet being handmade! They have been in business since 1973. They have a “broad range of beaufiul and indispensable sheet glass styles for discerning glass artists worldwide.” On glass unloading days we live for the uroboros sheets. Each sheet is different and beautiful. Van Gogh—We are not certain if Van Gogh is a manufacturer but it sure is different than anything else. What I have read is that it is a glue chip glass, painted with auto paint. It is unique and beautiful. It is great for Mosaics. Not so great in the light. Wissmach—This is another very old glass manufacturer. They have been manufacturing art glass since 1904. I have toured this plant also. They let us hand pick some glass which they then drop shipped through our distributor. It was a very fun experience. We have a large stock of Wissmach and it is often the pick to match old repairs and church windows. They have also developed a fusible glass with a 90 coe. Youghiogheny—It is just beautiful glass. Each piece is a work of art. It was founded in 1976 and is now “world-renowned for uncompromising quality”. It is another one that we look forward to on glass unloading day. It is always a treat!

So many pliers—so many uses! Your first plier should be a breaker/grozer. Double duty! Their primary function is to grasp the glass securely on one side of a score when breaking it apart. Both jaws have serrated teeth to assist in their second duty, grozing. Second pair you should buy is probably a running plier. This plier is designed to apply pressure under a score causing the break to follow (run) along the score line. Metal ones have the advantage of being adjustable for the thickness of the glass you are working with. Plastic also available. Breakers. These have straight jaws and are designed to grasps the glass to assist in breaking long thin pieces of glass. The wide jaws meet only at the tip and not serrated. The Safety Break. Morton is a very clever company who make very clever tools. One is the safety break system. The small one is a two-part method that begins the start of the break anywhere along the score. It permits several glass breaking options to the user and comes with full instructions. You must have a grid surface to use it. I used this when my children were young and wanted to cut glass. Morton also has the M-80 Safety Break. It is powerful, safe and easy. The M-80 is helpful with textured or rippled glass.

Probably the most important tool decision you make is your glass cutter. There are a lot to choose from. There are two things to consider. What the wheel is made of and which shape is most comfortable for you. The heads will be either steel or carbide. Carbide is more expensive but far outlasts steel. Most of the steel cutters are what people call “ throw aways”. That is because they do not have replacement wheels. When they get dull you just throw them away. The steel wheels come in different sizes and different angles. Some are better for soft glass and others for hard glass. The size and angle determine this. You can purchase a steel wheel cutter (at this writing) for less than $10. The carbide cutters are way more expensive. Some can be in the $40 range. Many are self-lubricating which is very convenient. The most common shapes are pencil and pistol. There is also the saddle and then some more unique ones. There are also specialty cutters. There is the Score 1 Cutter that looks like a sewing machine and scores by running the glass through it. There are circle cutters that cut score with either a single head cutter or with a wheel turret. There are circle cutters specifically for small circles. Some circle cutters double as a strip cutter. There is even one that doubles as an oval cutter. There are also a series of cutter aides put out by Morton and Cutters Mate. These are things like jig systems and tools to help break after you have scored.

We often get asked why the solder at the hardware store cannot be used in stained glass. The solder stained glass stores sell is different than common solder you might find in your garage or at the hardware store. Normally that solder is rosin core or acid core solder. If you use these you will end up with a scum mess.

You want solder that is 1/8" in diameter. Most are a mixture of tin and lead. The mix is designated by two numbers. The first number always refers to the % of tin, the second is the % of lead. The most used solders in stained glass are 60/40 (60% tin/40% lead) 50/50 and 63/37. "Lead-free" solders have no number designation and are a mix of tin and small amounts of other metals. Also look for "pure" solders--free of impurities. You will spend less but you will get scum as you solder and ruin your iron tip. It also interferes with patina.

60/40 melts at 374 degrees and becomes solid when it cools to 361 degrees. That means you have a working range of 13 degrees. This is your best choice for copper foil work. The liquid temperature and narrow working range make it easy to form and maintain consistent high, rounded, beaded seams.

50/50 melts at 421 degrees and is solid at 361 so has a working range of 60 degrees. This solder will produce a much flatter bead than 60/40. Because of its higher melting point, 50/50 is often used on the back (or inside) of a stained glass project to protect against "melt through" when soldering the front. Because it spreads and flattens out, 50/50 is often used when soldering lead joints.

63/37. Melts at 361 degrees and becomes solid at 361. No working range! This solder is also known as decorative or quick set solder. It is great to bead up the ourside rim of copper foiled pieces. It is used to create dimensional effects in the solder itself and can be manipulated to produce a vaiety of textures and designs.

Lead-Free melts and cools depending on the mix of metals. It performs similar to 50/50. This should be used for pieces that will contact food, that will be handled frequently or will be where a child could touch it.

Did you ever have a project that seemed to grow after it was foiled or leaded? A special type of scrissors called pattern shears solves this problem. They have three blades. The center blade removes a strip of pattern material as you cut out the pattern. This compensates for the thickness of the lead or foil which will be placed between the glass pieces.

Cathedral. Glass that you can see through.

Opalescent. Glass that you cannot see through. It allows some light to show through, but not a clear image.

Streaky. A mix of two of more cathedral colors.

Cloudy/Wispy. A mix of a little (wispy) or a lot (cloudy) of white opalescent with a cathedral glass.

Seedy. Tiny air bubbles in the glass.

Granite, Hammered, Ripple, Catspaw. Fairly rough textures that may be pressed into the surface of the molten glass by a textured roller during manufacturing.

Waterglass, Baroque. Made only by Spectrum Glass. Created by manipulating the hot glass during manufacturing.

Mottled. Glass with organic spots of varying colors and densities.

Antique. Glass that is made by the traditional mouthblown method. Lines and random bubbles.

Semi-Antique. Machine made glass that resembles antique.

Glue chip. Fernlike or "Jack Frost" texture.

Iridescent. A shimmering, irregular colorful surface that looks like an oil slick.

Fusing Compatible. Used for fusing or beadmaking. It looks like regular glass, but is labeled at the factory to show that the pieces will contract at the same rate when cooling.

It is caused by flux boiling through the solder you’re laying down. That’s why you notice it more on the second side of a project – by then you have sealed off the other side, it can’t splatter out the back. As you may have guessed, the best thing you can do to limit this is use less flux.

The other possibility is that your soldering iron is hotter than necessary and causing more boiling. If you are sure you’re not using too much flux, try putting a temperature control on your iron.

Submitted by Wanda Shorty from an old issue of Stained Glass News

Hello Folks! Here is a little bit of information for those interested in starting a home based craft business.Here is a pricing equation that might help you get started. Materials + Overhead + Labor + Profit = Price Direct Costs: The direct costs associated with the manufacture of any craft include money spent for raw materials and finishing products as well as for any directly related services. Overhead: These costs are rent, utilities, office supplies, depreciation, etc. It is figured as 1/3 of materials or 1/3 of labor whichever is higher. Labor: To figure cost of your labor, find out what it would cost in your locale to hire others to perform identical or similar tasks. For example, when you are working as a manager, then your hourly wage should be manager wage. If you are doing general work like cutting, grinding, etc, your hourly wage should be as non-skilled labor. Profit: Your business profit should be the same as any retail business. Most galleries and stores will mark up your wholesale price by 100%. Therefore, you should mark up your product by 100% before you offer it for wholesale. Example: Materials and Firings: $25.00 Labor: $14.00 Overhead: $ 8.34 (33.3% of $25.00) Cost to Manufacture Product: $47.40 Profit $47.40 (cost to manufacture product x 2) Price of Product: $94.80 The price you come up with for your product is the starting point for actually setting your price. You will now need to consider if the product is something you will be retailing yourself or wholesaling. You must now think about what the market will bear and if you are in the right market for your product and price points. If you have any other questions, let us know! SGE