Stained Glass: fun to work with...and a profitable home craft

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Now press down against the glass (not too hard) and pull the tool toward your body without hesitation. Don't hunch down over the table because this tends to inhibit the natural flow of movement that you'll need when you cut. As the little wheel rolls toward you, you'll hear a crackle-like sound.

Never, never, never, go back over the cut line since it will damage your tool and chip the glass. Instead, immediately after the glass is scored, hold it on either side of the cut line (use pliers to grip the glass if it's too small to hold with your fingers) or position the scored mark along the edge of the table ... and snap the glass in two. You'd be wise to practice on an old window pane or other expendable piece of glass, and graduate to colored stock only after you learn to cut and break with precision.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now you're ready to tackle a real project. Set up your worktable (I usually put mine in front of the fireplace where the stained glass picks up the dancing light of the blaze) and sketch out a pattern (maybe something simple but fun like the apple, bug, or pea pod suncatchers shown in one of the accompanying photos).

Once it's drawn, transfer a carbon copy of the design onto either poster board or heavy paper and cut out the individual segments. Next, fill the sections of the outline with cut glass or selected glass nuggets, and wrap each piece in lead came. (The came can be snipped to size with ordinary scissors ... and remember to use the "H" shape on glass that abuts, and the "U" channel around the outer edges of the design.)

Now brush flux onto the lead at each joint, and solder. A little practice and patience will reveal how much solder to use and how hot the iron should be. You'll find that sometimes a third hand is just what you need to hold several pieces of glass in position at once as you solder ... and a little modeling clay- strategically placed-will do that job just fine. Finally, if the object is a suncatcher that will be suspended in a window, add a tiny hanger wire through the lead.

Forget "cute" gimmicky designs if you're thinking of marketing your work. They get "stale" and "wear out" too fast. Instead, study the qualities of the glass you work with before jumping into a project ... and then try to use those qualities to project a timeless beauty. When you can do that, I guarantee you'll have more buyers clamoring for your work than you'll know what to do with!

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