When you first think about taking up a stained glass hobby and learn a bit about what it takes to get started, you’ll find that you’ll have to decide if you need to get a stained glass grinder right away.
The cost of a grinder is the biggest item you’ll need to consider among the collection of tools and supplies you’ll need to get started. So for many, this is a pretty big decision to make. The truth of the matter is that whether or not you get a grinder will probably determine whether or not you actually end up doing some great projects and decide to continue working with glass.
Many people see a magnificent Tiffany-type lamp, or marvel at the elegance of tasteful stained glass as an accent in a home, and think that if they learned to make stained glass themselves, they could create something at least nearly as pleasing for their own home.
And when you do the research and learn about what it takes to make your own stained glass windows or lamps, you’ll discover that it’s not that difficult or expensive to learn the craft yourself. Only a few basic tools are required. And for many years in the past there was no such thing as a motorized stained glass grinder.
So a new hobbyist may think: “The artisans who made all the great stained glass windows in Europe’s cathedrals or the original artisans of the Tiffany lamps didn’t have an electric grinder, why would I need one?” And they go online and get one of the stained glass kits that includes the most basic tools but doesn’t include a grinder. Then they start their first project only to find they can barely put it together if they’re using lead, or that they’re done before they start if they’re attempting their first project using aluminum foil.
While there were no electric grinders in the past, the new glass crafter will quickly discover that after cutting the glass, the edges are sharp. And that when glass breaks, it doesn’t break in a perfectly straight line up and down the edge. It’s like when you break a piece of peanut brittle in two. The broken edge is sharp at the top or bottom and is always sloping.
No matter how precisely you score the glass, it won’t always break where you want it to, and the cut piece won’t be the precise shape. It will try to nibble at it or try to make new small marks on the edges and end up making sharper, more sloping edges that still don’t exactly match the pattern.
If you’re doing a major project, the channel on channel will allow some irregularities to be covered, but if your idea was to start with a frustrated project, you’ll be done before you start. So you have two options: learn to grind and smooth edges by hand with hand emery stones and sandpaper or go online and order an electric grinder.
You need a stained glass grinder to smooth the edges of the glass after cutting it and to roughen the edge if you are making foil to allow it to adhere well. You will be pleasantly surprised how you can use the grinder to perfectly shape the piece of glass to fit your project exactly. Doing this by hand is tedious and time consuming.
The availability of the home use electric stained glass grinder at a reasonable price can be said to be the main thing that has made it possible to make your own stained glass lamps and window blasting as a hobby. What used to take hours can be done in minutes. You don’t have to be a full-time crafter today to make an exquisite stained glass window or lamp. Give it a try and if possible get one of the stained glass kits that have a grinder as part of the package. You’ll be glad you did.
