There are few art forms in the world that have the beauty of stained glass. If you travel around the world, you will see breathtaking examples of stained glass throughout the world. In churches, beautiful homes, and national monuments there are so many examples of the possiblities of this wonderful art form. We are lucky that we've had so many wonderful teachers that have been willing to carry on the teaching that has allowed this artwork to thrive. Many people seem to think that getting started making stained glass is difficult, but with a few pointers anyone can get started for little time and little money. Here's whats required for a basic project.
The first, and one of the most important things you will need in order to begin, is obviously the stained glass itself. Fortunately, there are many options available, I prefer to use a certain brand though. Spectrum Glass is the standard in the glass industry. It's the most widely used glass and for a good reason, it's quality and is easy to work with. It really doesn't matter if you're looking for blue or red, rough rolled or smooth, Spectrum has what you need and the texture you need it in. One of the neat advantages to working with Spectrum is that as your skills progress, you might start using your own stained glass patterns. Most software programs come loaded with Spectrum glass built in so you can design your piece, see it on screen, and then go out and buy the glass if you like it. Its like seeing a preview.
One of the first tools you want to invest in is a good stained glass cutting tool. The name is somewhat misleading because the tool doesn't do the actual cutting, it only scores the glass which you will break eventually. The amount of money you can spend on stained glass cutters varies widely, you can spend a little for a basic one or a lot for a more specialized cutting tools. The traditional cutters will be ok for basically any job, but there are speciality ones for glass strips, to cut circles, or to trace stained glass patterns.
A stained glass grinder is another lifesaver that most artists will invest in relatively quickly after they've started their first project and determined they are in it for the long haul. You can get some basic models that are for starters for under $60 dollars and they work really well. The purpose of the grinder is to smooth out any rough edges right after you've broke the glass with a rough cut. While it's not exactly necessary to have a higher end stained glass grinder early on, its a nice thing that most hobbyists will invest in off the bat.
Other than those tools, there are some minor tools that you probably want to grab when you progress. A good option might be to check out buying a newbie's stained glass starters kit and then you get the whole lot of tools for one low bargain price, they will give you everything you need to begin. Once you are far enough along, you can also look into some handy tools like the ones that Morton Glass puts out. Morton makes tools that make the life of a stained glass artist just a little bit easier. SO, there you have it.Sometimes when you look up at all the amazing glass produced by stained glass artists it's easy to get intimidated, always remember though that every needs to start at the beginning and as long as you keep practicing, then you will improve!