Cutting Glass Tips - Cut, Score, & Break Your Stained Glass Projects With Ease

Breaking and cutting the glass are steps 4 and 5 in our process of making stained glass with the copper foil.

This does take practice to learn to perform this process with ease and confidence, but with these cutting glass tips you should master it in no time. It is best to practice on pieces of glass before tackling a pattern.

Tools Needed for Stained Glass Cutting:

1.Breaking /grozer pliers - These pliers are used when it is hard to handle the glass easily. The grozing side of the pliers are used to chip away unwanted sections of glass (such as in a curved area).

2. Running pliers - These stained glass pliers are used to help you break the glass. They have a mark on the top of the pliers so you can apply the mark perpendicular to the scored glass. Then you just press down on the pliers to make a clean break. These pliers are great for straight cuts.

3. Stained Glass Cutter Tool - The best glass cutter we have found is the pistol grip cutter. With the pistol grip cutter, we can just replace the carbide steel heads as needed, for a clean score.

On many cutters, you'll also find a steel ball on the opposite end to be used to tap along the score line (underside of the glass) until the scored glass breaks away easily. It is best used for curved or hard to break areas.

Do not purchase a cheap cutter - this will prevent you from getting the types of cuts you want. This is an essential tool for proper scoring, so apply your funds to a good cutter.

4. Steel ruler with a cork backing - This ruler is great for large straight edges. The cork backing helps prevent slipping when marking your pattern. This ruler is also used when cutting the large edge.

Remember Your Safety - Cutting Glass Tips:

1. Wear safety glasses when cutting stained glass.

2. Keep your area ventilated well.

3. After each cut clean your area with a cloth to remove any chips of glass. If you don’t keep your area clean it could prevent clean cuts on future glass pieces and it sure can cut up your fingers and hands.

Cutting Glass Tips & Techniques:

Now that you have picked your pattern and the colors of stained glass, it is time to begin the cutting process.

The process of cutting out your pattern is completely up to you. You can cut the same color glass or you can switch around – following the flow of the pattern until you have cut all the pieces.

We like to cut out different colors of the pattern so we starts to see the pattern take shape, but for you it might be best to cut out all the “green” or the “clear pieces. Then move onto another color.

Ok, now are the crucial stages of our cutting glass tips section, so listen carefully!!! Take your first piece of glass - it doesn’t matter where you begin in the pattern – It is best to stand when scoring your glass pieces, especially large scores. This way you will be in a proper position to be able to use your body - shoulders and arms and strength for a good score.

Put the glass right side up over top of the pattern piece (right side is the textured side). Outline the piece you want to cut with a permanent, fine gold marker. We find gold the best and easiest way to follow and see the line during the scoring process. This is one of our biggest cutting glass tips!

Flip the glass over to the back side (smooth surface). With the glass cutter, follow one line (each side of the piece) at a time with a firm pressure scoring the glass on the line.

This will not cut the glass all the way through, but will allow you to break it easily. You should hear a slight scratch sound. Always score from point “a” to point “b”, from one edge to the other. Do not stop in the middle of the score line.

Another way to mark a pattern is to use tracing paper. Trace the pattern or stained glass designs on a piece of tracing paper.

Once you have the entire design traced, you can cut out each pattern piece. It is best to number each pattern piece, on the tracing paper and the design pattern so you will know where it fits on the design.

For large straight edges, use the ruler with the cork back. You will line your ruler up with the straight line on the pattern. Use the ruler as a guide for scoring the edge. This way you are assured of a clean and straight line.

Check out this article to see if the Morton stained glass cutting system is right for you!

Important Cutting Glass Tips to Re-iterate:

1. Only score the lines once. Do not go over the score. This is one of those universal cutting glass tips you must remember.

2. If you press too firmly you may break or chip the glass. If you press too light, the glass may not break easily. Remember to use a firm hand when scoring – but remember you are not breaking the glass with this score - only marking it to break.

3. The best way to score a piece is to score just inside the marked line. This will help so you won’t need to grind the piece as much to fit in the pattern design.

4.Breaking a piece with a pointed end: We like to use the metal ball on the end of the glass cutter. Tap on the underside of the score gently so as to not break off the end point.

Another method for a pointed end that works is: Score a little bit on the outside of the pointed end-marked line. Remove as much glass as possible. Then use your stained glass grinder to remove the unwanted glass. This allows you to achieve the pointed end.

5. With curved pieces of glass you may need to score and cut the piece of glass several times until you achieve the pattern you are wanting. For example, if the pattern is straight, then curves in, then goes straight again.

The best way to achieve your cut is to score a straight line all the way across. This way you have the straight portions taken care of. To get the curved section, score the line edge to edge on the glass, then break it away with the grozer/breaking pliers.

Repeat this process as often as needed until you get to the curved line you are trying to accomplish.

Here's a great cutting glass tips clip on cutting curved portions of glass

Breaking the Glass Tips:

There are several methods to break the glass.

**Tap along the scored edge with the metal ball of the glass cutter until the glass breaks loose. This method is best for rounded and curved edges.

**If you are cutting a straight line (large piece of glass), score the glass with the glass cutter, in the same manner, but break the glass by using the edge of a table. Put the score line on the edge of the work table, take a firm grip of the glass, and push down against the edge of the table.

Put the usable piece on the table and the balance of the glass over the edge. This should allow the glass to break easily along the score.

**Another method after scoring the glass is to use running pliers for smaller pieces. These pliers have a flat edge with a rubber grip on the inside of the pliers, called the jaw. You would place the pliers after scoring at the score line. The pliers have a notch to show where to place the pliers perpendicular to the score.

If you are not getting a smooth cut then you may be squeezing too hard on the pliers or your original score line was not produced firmly.

**With curved areas of the pattern piece use the breaking pliers a little at a time until you achieve your pattern. Sometimes this takes several scores and several breaks until you have worked your way into the curved section.

Continue scoring and breaking each edge of the pattern until you have the pattern design complete. Put the piece on the pattern so you can see the design come to life. Continue cutting each piece until all are cut and placed on the design.

Hopefully, this cutting glass tips tutorial will help you master this part of the stained glass making process quickly! Be sure to leave your own tips below to help other artists.

Here is an article that may help in this area as well...

Best way to cut curves and rounding lines!

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