Grinding The Line

 

 

 

When students have problems getting a piece to fit and ask for help I will mark the glass with my sharpie and tell them to go take it off at the grinder.  The picture below is a piece of mine that needed to be adjusted so I marked the overhanging area with my marker which you can see the arrow pointing to.

 

 

Alas, too many people go over the entire piece rather than just the area that has been marked with a Sharpie.   Don't grind other areas of the glass-- just grind the area that has been marked otherwise you're piece will end up being too small.  This may seem obvious but I watch this problem occur on a weekly basis.

Also, students are amazed to learn that the harder you press the glass against the grinder wheel the quicker the grinding process will go.  You can file this information under 'Good To Know.'

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Fitting In

 

When you are new to the art of stained glass it can be a major accomplishment to get things to fit together.   It becomes easier with time, patience and a lot of practice, but there is something that's often overlooked when getting pieces to fit into place.  Positioning is one thing but maintaining the shape of the piece is another thing entirely.  I always tell people that you CAN fit a square block into a round hole (if the square is small enough) but that won't be the end effect we are aiming for.  Look at the 'circle' in the center of the pieces below and you can see that although it fits into place it certainly isn't circular.  There are both points and flat areas on that supposed 'circle'!

 

 

Here we see that things look MUCH better. The center circle is indeed circular and would never be mistaken for a triangle or a stop sign or a lumpy bump of glass.

 

 

If your pieces don't resemble the pattern your window will never look like your pattern.  Next week we're going to delve a bit into the science of grinding.  Come back next week and learn how to get those circles circular and those straight edges straight.

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

 

 

 

Perfect Corners and Alignment

 

 

Alignment issues are always most prominent across straight lines.   Beginning stained glass crafters have so much to pay attention to that once something fits they just assume that it is correct, but that is not always the case.   We want things to not only fit, but align correctly as well. 

Look at the pieces that form the corners of the two borders in the picture below.  They fit, but they do not line up correctly.    The orange arrows in the image on the right highlight the problem areas where alignment is off.

 

Here is the same border with perfect alignment.  Note how the lead lines connect perfectly as they cross paths (highlighted in red). 

 

 

The first step to perfect corner alignment is making sure that your corner pieces are perfectly square.   If they are square they can't poke out beyond their correct position.  If they are not square they will ALWAYS poke out somewhere no matter how you turn them.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Either End

 

Each week I see too many people using their Breaker/Grozier Pliers incorrectly which leads to their break not following the score line.  In the picture below the score of the cutter runs along the curved black line.  This should be easy to separate  because it follows the 3 to 1 curve rule, however the pliers are incorrectly placed which will greatly increase the likelihood of the piece breaking.   Never position your pliers in the center of a curve! 

Always position your pliers at either end of the score that you made with your cutter as shown below.

When you position your pliers in the center of the curve  the glass has to break in two directions at once.  On a straight cut you could succeed with that method but on a curve you'll probably lose one or both the the points at the ends of the score line.  Even with a straight line it's most desirable to start at the edge of the glass.   Always position your pliers where you started your score line.  If it doesn't separate then try from the other end.  If it still won't break it's  most certainly a bad cut that needs to be redone.

The moral of this Hints and Tips post is simple:   Never position your pliers in the center of a curve!

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Clean Your Glass!

 

 

Something many people neglect to do is to clean the glass they are using before they trace their pattern pieces onto it.   I've even gone so far as to tell people to clean their glass only to have them reply, "There no marker or anything on it."  The fact is that a piece of glass simply resting on a table for 24 hours allows dust and grime to accumulate (which you can't see).

Below I've taken a piece of glass from the rack and cleaned the right side of it using just a slightly damp paper towel (not soaking wet-- just barely damp).  Next I traced the same pattern piece on both the uncleaned side (left) and the clean side (right).  Then I applied light pressure with my finger and slid across the glass from the left side to the right in five different places.  

As you can see, the marker remained on the clean side but began wiping off on the left (uncleaned) side.

So take the 30 seconds or so to clean your glass with a lightly dampened paper towel to save yourself time and headaches further on down the road.  There's nothing worse than having your lines wipe away before you are finished cutting it.

Paul 

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Tracing Patterns

 

 

How hard can it be to trace out a pattern using carbon paper, right?  Well, you do have to be careful that both the pattern and the poster board you are copying it onto are securely fastened to one another.  The carbon paper itself can freely move but the poster board and the pattern MUST be held together firmly because one slight slip between the two will ruin the entire pattern.  

 

Then there's MLS otherwise known as Missed Line Syndrome.  The more complex the pattern, the greater the chance is that you will accidentally miss tracing a line or two (or three or four).  The easiest way to avoid this is to use a colored pen while tracing.   Red works best but in the example below I didn't have a red pen handy so I used a bright blue pen.  Just use something that stands out and is easily differentiated from the black line that your pattern is drawn in.

 

A black pen tracing over black lines makes it hard to see just what you've gone over and what you haven't.  The same goes for a dark blue pen--  it's just too hard to see a difference.  Below you can see that the angel pattern on the right was traced using a bright blue pen.  The blue outline allows you to easily determine whether you've already traced a line or not.   

 

 

Anything that saves time is worth doing.  That's what these tips are all about.

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Hinge Points

 

A Hinge Point exists when you have a straight line running through your entire stained glass piece Without anything cutting across it.   These lines will easily fold as if they were a hinge (hence the name) and make your piece weak.    Below is a pattern that has multiple hinge points which our student Susan wanted to make.

If we don't fill the center with glass you can see where a straight line forms (as shown along the dotted red line).

Worse yet, this pattern is FILLED with straight lines!  Any of these or multiple instances of these lines WILL hinge in on themselves destroying your hard work.

Here's an example of what is certainly going to happen if we make the suncatcher without taking precautions to prevent the hinging from happening.

The easiest way to alleviate the problem is to fill the center with a solid piece of glass. It can be a tricky cut but it would easily prevent the piece from hinging along any of the axis.  If you don't like the idea of the design being changed by filling in the center then use a piece of plain window glass and the look is maintained.

Alas, Susan wanted to hang a crystal in the opened center of her suncatcher so we had no choice but to reinforce it internally by placing small pieces of re-strip in between the blue and the yellow pieces of glass (as indicated below by red marks).  Re-strip resembles copper foil and can easily be cut to size and hidden between pieces of glass before they are soldered together.  When re-strip was applied to this suncatcher the finished result was as study as if we had filled the center with a piece of glass since it prevents the line from folding.

Lastly,  I see people using re-strip incorrectly all the time on facebook.  The re-strip MUST cut across the hinge point, not follow the hinge point (in parallel) as shown below.  This offers no strength at all and the piece will still hinge.

We're going to look deeper into hinge points and how to avoid them in our next Hints and Tips.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

 

Following the Flow

 

Tracing your pattern accurately is a very important step in the stained glass making process. I often watch people rush through the tracing of their patterns and end up with clunky representations of what they are trying to make.   

The first important rule of tracing is that straight lines NEED to be made by using a straight edge.  I care don't how good you may be, your interpretation of a straight line will never be as accurate as a line made with a straight edge-- and trying to grind crooked line straight is one the the toughest things to do.

The second important rule is to place your hand inside of any curve you are tracing rather than outside the curve.  In the diagram below the hand rests incorrectly, outside of  the curve making it necessary for the entire hand and arm to move the complete length of the curve being traced.  There's an easier way.

By flipping the pattern upside down we can now place our hand inside the curve and even rest our wrist on the table.   Now when you trace the curve your hand and wrist acts as a compass and creates a smooth flowing curve.   You won't be able to get the entire curve in one pass-- for that you'll need to reposition the pattern to line up with the curve that your hand makes, but this is far easier than shifting your entire arm and body to follow the curve as shown above.

Simple tricks like this can make your patterns much more accurate and lead to far less time consuming grinding at the grinder.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Support You Windows (Part 2)

  

There are right and wrong ways to move your windows and for some reason people ALWAYS want to transport them incorrectly. The most important thing to understand about windows is that glass doesn't bend-- It breaks.  With that in mind, first and foremost:  NEVER CARRY YOUR WINDOW LIKE A PLATTER!

 

With no support in the center it can easily flex which leads to a broken window.

 

 

When moving your window both hands should be on the top edge and the window should be in a vertical (hanging) position.

 

 

 

Always start with both hands on the same side of the window.  If it's rectangular then your hands should both be on the longest side closest to you. If it's square it doesn't matter which side you hold.

 

 

 

Lift your hands but keep the opposite side of the window on the table (as if you were turning the page of a book) until the window is in a vertical position (the way that it will hang).  Your hands will be (and should ALWAYS be) on the top.

 

 

 

It is now safe to lift and transport your window.  In the vertical position your window is strong because it can't flex.  If you have to rotate it (perhaps to wash it) simply put one hand on the side you want to be the top and then rotate the window to its new orientation after which you then move your second hand to the top of the window along side your first hand. 

Never place your hands on opposite sides of the window!  This inevitably leads to carrying the window like a platter. 

Your hands should always be on top of the window.

 

 

Again, and most importantly: Never hold your window as if it were a platter (horizontally).  Carrying it as a platter provides no support to the center and allows the window to flex which causes glass to break.

And that's all there is to it.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Support Your Windows

 

 

 

There are plenty of times when we rest our windows along their edges.  Most times we don't think twice about it but if you are resting your window on the corner of a table, for one reason or another, there is a general rule of thumb to doing so correctly.

One case where this often happens is when students wash their windows in the sink.  They will rest the window on the edge of the sink (similar to the picture) below while they grab a sponge or a brush with their free hand.  This is the wrong way to handle the situation.

 

 

 

Instead, be sure to have the weight of the window rest on one of the lead lines that come out to the edge of the window.  Why?   First of all it gives your window much more support but ultimately it's because the brass channel can easily bend or become dented.  We always position the soft brass channel that surrounds the outer edge of our windows so it forms a straight line.  Sometimes that means that there's a little space between the channel and the glass.   Resting your window on an edge where there isn't a lead line can easily put an unsightly dent in the channel.

 

 

Keep your edges straight by resting your windows along the most solid parts of the border-- the lead lines.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Numbering Patterns

 

 

You wouldn't think that there could be good ways and bad ways to put numbers on your patterns right? would be difficult.  Just put a number on every piece, right?  Nothing's ever easy though and there ARE a few simple rules to follow that will make things much easier when placing your cut glass pieces onto your pattern.

 

Let's start by imagining a window with a bird and two different flowers in it.  Most people want to number each subject matter separately.  For example, they will number the bird first, then one of the flowers, then the second flower, followed by the background.  This actually scatters your numbers all over the pattern making them extremely hard to find.  Instead start in the upper left and work your way to the right.  Your next number should ideally touch the last number that you wrote.  Follow any path you like but keep the next number as close as possible to the piece you previously numbered.  For example,  37 should be as close as possible to 36 and not on the other side of the pattern.

 

In the pattern below (which has been numbered correctly)  you can easily and quickly find piece 91 because it has other 80 and 90 numbers near it.  It is NOT nestled up at the top between 9 and 7 for example).  

A great exercise is to follow the numbers in the pattern below so you can see just how it all plays out.  Just remember that the next number in the sequence is somewhere near the last number.  They can still be hard to locate, but at least you know the general location of the piece.

 

 

Other things to remember:

1) Your pattern that you are building on, the pattern that you have cut out, and especially the glass you have traced the pattern onto must ALL be numbered or the numbers are pointless.

2) If you are using tracing paper to make your copy onto poster board, number the pattern while the tracing paper is is still in place this way you only have to number things once.  This also helps prevent numbering errors and saves a GREAT deal of time.

3) It's easy to miss a piece.  Don't worry.  If that happens look number it the same as a piece next to it and add the letter B to it.   38B for example.

4) DON'T FORGET TO NUMBER THE GLASS YOU HAVE TRACED YOUR PATTERN PIECE ONTO!   I see this happen all the time where the pattern and the poster board pattern have numbers but not the glass itself.  The purpose of the numbers is to help you place your glass on the pattern.  If you haven't numbered the glass after you traced around the poster board pattern onto it you've numbered your pattern for nothing.

And that's it.  Happy numbering!

Grinding Stock Bevels

 

 

 

The general rule of bevels is to never grind one before wrapping it.  They are machine made and the edges are smooth and perfectly even allowing for the foil to adhere securely.  We never grind a bevel because they can chip and thus ruin the beveled effect with distracting glints of light poking out around the ground edge.

 

That said, there's an exception to EVERY rule.  Occasionally a bevel border will be slightly short in which case you must space the bevels out to fill the distance.  Then there are times when the bevels are too long to fit the subject matter.  Your only option at this point is to break the rule and grind your bevel(s).  Of course there's a correct way to do this and an incorrect way.  We're going to show you both and then tell you what you SHOULD do.

Below is a diagram of your standard stock (pre-made shape) bevel.  The red arrows point to an enlarged corner and shows you how the tapered edge comes out perfectly to the corner.

 

 

First off, if you have to grind a bevel use a dull grinding wheel! This will prevent your bevel from chipping.  In the example below you can see that 1/4 of an inch has been ground from the left side of the bevel. The left red arrow shows how the tapered edge no longer meets the corner as it does on the right side of the bevel.  This lack of symmetry is very obvious and very distracting.  We can't avoid having the tapper missing the corner but we CAN make it less obvious by grinding both sides of the bevel.  Instead of grinding 1/4 of an inch away on one side we can take half of that (1/8 of an inch) and take it off of both sides.   The green arrows point to this solution.  The bevel itself remains symmetrical and the amount of mismatch is far less noticeable.

 

I would place this ground bevel in the center of the border to help keep the string of bevels symmetrical. There is actually another way to handle this problem as well. Instead of taking 1/4 of an inch off of a single bevel you can take 1/16 off both sides of of two different bevels. The mismatched taper to the corners would be extremely negligible this way. The only 'problem' with this method is that the more bevels you grind, the greater the odds are that one or more bevels will chip. For that reason it's always good to have a dull grinder wheel on hand that you can switch over to while grinding any bevels that need to be adjusted.

 

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Properly Using A Sponge

 

We use sponges often when making windows but I've seen a problem developing that I'm going to call out.  These Scotch Brite sponges (and their knock offs) seem to be everywhere now and for good reason-- that scrubby green or blue side is very handy when washing things  The problem is that the green or blue side is a piece of soft but scrubby plastic fibers that cover the sponge and allows very little water to pass.

 

So, when putting a piece of sponge in your Soldering Iron Holder make sure that the scrubby side of the sponge is down and that the sponge itself faces upwards (as seen below).   The same holds true when cutting a new piece of sponge for your grinder.  The sponge itself should be against the grinding wheel, not the green or blue scrubby side.  If the scrubby side is against the grinding wheel it is actually preventing water from getting to the wheel.

That said, it's fine to use the scrubby side of the sponge when washing flux off of your windows.  I even recommend it.  It helps clean your lead lines thoroughly so that the copper or black patina will take to the lead more efficiently.  However, do NOT use the scrubby side to wash your windows after they have been patinaed.  The scrubby side is abrasive and can scrub the color off of your lead lines.

And there you have it!

Paul

Bayou SaléGlassWorks

Wash That Glass!

 

  

Whenever you have a piece of glass that you can see through you MUST wash off any markings that go to the edge of the glass before you wrap that piece in foil.  This pertains to clear colored glass as well.   Look at the picture below and notice how the black marker runs off the edge of the glass.   If you wash the glass after it's been foiled you will still be able to see marks on the glass.

 

 

 

Below we have a perfect example.   From the back side you can easily see the marker that was covered by the foil even after the rest of the numbers were washed away.  Since it's under the foil the only way to fix the problem now is to remove the foil, wash away the marker, and re-foil it.   If you don't notice until after the window has been soldered you only have two choices:  1) break out the piece and replace it, or 2) live with it.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Doing it correctly from the start, no matter how pressed for time you may be, will always save you time (and effort) later on down the line.

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks

Cutter Maintenance

Your glass cutter is the most important piece in your stained glass tool kit.  Although your cutter is small and can easily be hidden in your pocket you should never overlook it or take it for granted.   Cleaning your cutter will make your glass cutting go much smoother. 

First, let's identify the cutter parts.  Yours may not look exactly like the one in the picture below but the same parts exist and are located in the same place no matter what brand of cutter you may be using.  The scoring wheel is at the extreme bottom of the cutter.  It's VERY small and resides in a slot that the wheel's axle is mounted to.  The cutting wheel actually spins while you are cutting.  If it can't spin freely your score line will be disjointed which results in erratic breaks.  As the wheel is spinning, small bits of dirt and dust particles become trapped in the slot above the wheel.   Once the slot is packed with dirt and grime your cutter stops performing well.  It's your job to clean it out so that your score lines run smoothly.

Cleaning is very simple and takes less than 5 seconds.  Simply take a straight pin and gently push it into the slot above the wheel to force out any grime and grit that has accumulated there.  It may take a few pokes to clean it out but when you've made a few passes with the pin you will hopefully be able to see through the slot.   If your cutter has a long oil wick you may not be able to see through the entirety of slot but you will see a lot of dirt and debris come out.  You'll know you are finished when the pin travels through the slot with very little effort.  

Always keep your cutter's wheel in a SMALL amount of oil when not in use. An old coffee mug with a circular piece of sponge lightly soaked in oil is the best place to store your cutter when it is not in use.  Just take a sponge and cut it into a circle that fits snuggly in the bottom of the mug.  Again, make sure the entire bottom of the mug is covered or your cutting wheel will slip off the sponge and onto the bottom of the mug thus defeating the purpose.

Paul 

Bayou Salé GlassWorks