Anyone starting out in the hobby will wonder why there are so many stained glass tools available on the market today. It is certainly possible to make great looking stained glass windows and suncatchers without buying so many tools, but it won’t necessarily be easy if you’re a beginner. There are many tools that will help you become awesome at this craft without breaking your bank!
Stained glass grinders
Any stained glass professional who makes leaded windows can easily do their job/hobby without the use of a grinder. For most of us, though, who make suncatchers and panels using the copper foil method a grinder is a gift from above! A stained glass grinder is basically a diamond coated cylinder that spins above a flat surface. The edges of individual pieces of glass are run along the grinder bit to smooth the surface down and shape the piece into the exact desired shape.
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Fortunately, most artists do not need an expensive grinder with extra functions. An average/decent grinder is all that is really required for this type of stained glass tool. A good stained glass grinder can be purchased for a little more than $80. This cost can easily pay itself off in just a few medium to large sized projects. While hand tools that do the same job are available, a grinder is one of the most important of the many stained glass tools an artist should consider purchasing.
Copper Foiling Tools
Anyone who uses the copper foil method of stained glass has probably realized that for a beginner, the copper foil can be tricky to apply evenly. Fortunately, there are several stained glass tools available to tackle this step of the process. One tool that will make your life easier is the copper foil dispenser. A dispenser can hold many sizes of copper foil. It has a steady base with a hole near the bottom that lets the foil out as you work with it. This helps prevent the foil from twisting up and slowing you down.
Stained glass tools that help the foiling process also include a copper foil aid. The one that I like to use most often mounts to the surface of a table. It holds two types/sizes of foil. The best aspect of this tool is that it has guides that help line any piece of glass up perfectly with the copper foil. Using this device speeds up the foiling process because you don’t have to endlessly worry about centering the glass on the strip of foil!
