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It is preferable to remove as much material first with your hand tools before you use the grinder – this helps save your grinder bits and is generally quicker.
#Shape mosaic how to
So you need to know how to score glass successfully and then how to use the running plier to snap the scores without them breaking off in the wrong direction.Ī glass grinder is a very simple, easy to use tool that allows you to clean up those jagged edges and smooth away unwanted material. You don’t actually cut glass – you score it. For larger pieces, the glass scoring tool is easy to use but there are some definite tricks to working with glass. Try out the NippinSquares with your wheeled nippers. Keystoning is done with wheeled nippers and is vital to creating curves that don’t have those ugly gaps.Ĭutting stained glass requires practice and patience.
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It is vital to learn how to hold them correctly in order to 1) maximize the leverage power so you don’t wear out your hands 2) achieve straight cuts when needed and 3) know how to cut curves, squares, triangles, and circles. However, using a wheeled nipper proficiently took some time and lots of practice.Īs mentioned above, wheeled nippers are used a lot in mosaics. Due to my stained glass background, I was able to transition my skill in using the glass scorer, running pliers and glass grinder into mosaics. It costs more, but depending on your design, can become an essential tool to have. It comes into play when you need to cut out shapes that are impossible with hand tools. There are several different bits for grinders available that work with all sorts of materials. For smoothing those rough edges or getting rid of that teeny-tiny bit, a glass grinder works wonders. Wheeled nippers work well on NippinSquares because they are 1-1/2" square and you don't need any other tool for cutting these stained glass pieces.įor larger pieces of stained glass, however, a glass scorer and running pliers are the best tools for cutting and shaping it. They are great for NippinSquares, cutting vitreous tiles, stained glass, china, mirror, even smalti can be nibbled with wheeled nippers. Wheeled nippers are the most common tool mosaic artists use. There are 4 tools that I use a lot and love. Plus, your opportunities open up for bigger and better designs when you master these skills. The more cutting techniques you become skilled at, the better your mosaics will become. Getting that perfect cut can be frustrating – the cuts are wrong, they leave jagged edges, or just breaks your tiles into tiny pieces you can’t use.
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