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What stained glass equipment is needed to make stained glass? Some are must haves while others are nice to have. There is a great variety of tools for making stained glass. Do you need them or want them? To help you decide, I will explain which tools I feel are necessary and which ones are optional. Cutting glass is really not difficult, but you do need the right tools.There are various hand glass cutters to choose from. My personal favorite glass cutter is the pistol cutter. Be sure to pick a cutter that works well for you, as this is a stained glass tool you will use constantly. Grinders, for me, are an essential tool. Yes, you could use a diamond file, but the time and effort needed far out weighs buying a grinder. Using a grinder, allows you to smooth out cuts for better fit as well as lessen the chances of cutting yourself. Once your piece is cut out, you will need to foil it. Glass can be hand foiled without any additional tools other than a foil burnisher, but this can become very time consuming and sometimes frustrating. I have found that using a table foiler, makes it a lot easier and faster. Glass saws are really a nice tool. They can be considered necessary when you are working on complicated or intricate designs. Is it a tool you need to buy when you first start? No, but as you continue your work with stained glass, it is a tool that will make your life easier. You will be choosing your saw based on its power, cutting radius, size and of course, its price. Once pieces are foiled, you will need to solder them together. There are many choices when picking soldering equipment. You will need a soldering iron, solder, iron stand and a temperature controller. Two additional tools you might want to consider are the came bender and the came saw. These tools will make finishing your stained glass art work much easier.
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