Your first stained glass piece can be a pretty frightening thing to get yourself involved with. All the different stained glass supplies, glass grinders, and saws that its hard to know where to get started and which equipment that you need to buy in order to make a go at your first project.
The good news is that getting started with your first piece is actually a lot easier than most people would think. When most people think of stained glass, they think of the big windows that grace the biggest churches across the world. No sense trying to build something for a church when you just want a little decoration for your office. As long as you get a good stained glass cutter, you can master the fundementals within a couple hours. There are also plenty of retailers that offer local classes in case you need some hand holding.
The best and most trusted stained glass is spectrum glass They offer a wide variety of colors and textures that will suit pretty much any project that you'd like to get start. Even better, you can get a sample of spectrum colors and any dealer.
Another question that most people wonder whether or not its going to be cost prohibitive to get started. The answer is no. Sure, it might make your projects easier to cut with a powerful stained glass saw, but a basic cutting tool will work fine. at first, you'll need to purchase some basic equipment. Some of the essentials are safety glasses, glass cutter, breaking pliers, glass grinder, solder, flux, a stained glass pattern, and some stained glass. Do not get intimidated by the large list though, its easy to find deals on all of these items so they're typically low cost.
As your skills develop with time, it might be a good idea to invest into higher end Gryphon, glastar, or inland stained glass grinders
which will make your projects more efficient. Its ok if you need to put if off though, you can get buy with nick's grinder mate for under twenty dollars. A power stained glass grinder will make projects go faster by smoothing out rougher edges, but its always a good idea to learn the basics first.
Stained glass art is a great and enjoyable experience. Its something that the entire family can get involved with and as your skills improve you can continue to challenge yourself with new and exciting pro. Don't let a salesperson talk you into every Morton Glass products available (there are a lot!), just stick with the basics and you can get your stained glass career started off with little expense!
