STAINED GLASS STUFF
911 Richmond Rd., Ottawa, ON, K2A 0G8
tel: (613) 722-8702, fax: (613) 722-7062
email: info@stainedglassstuff.com

Glass Cutting And Breaking

We recommend the Toyo line of cutters, but which one you want to use is up to you. There is no "right" or "professional" cutter that you should use, as the cutter heads on all of them are the same. There are four original cutters, and the newest model, which has a few improvements on it. These are all described in the Tools section. We have found that most beginners like the pistol grip cutter out of all of the cutter styles.

  1. Never go over the same score line twice.
  2. Dip the tip of your cutter in a small jar with a piece of rag soaked with cutter oil in it. Most oil cutters leak if you put oil in the handle body.
  3. Keep your working surface clean of all debris at all times.
  4. Cut on the smooth side of the glass. It is typically the side with no texture, and looks and feels smoother (except waterglass). Kokomo glass can often be tricky to tell, ask store staff for help if it's not obvious.
  5. Draw the shape of the piece you want cut out onto the glass with a black felt tip marker or a gold paint pen, or if you can see through the glass, put the pattern underneath the glass. Make sure that the grain of the colour of the glass or its texture is pointing in the direction that you want it to be.
  6. Hold the cutter at a 70 degree angle.
  7. Firmly press down on the cutter, compressing the spring in the cutter head.. Start at one edge of the sheet of glass, and roll the cutter either towards yourself, or away, whichever is more comfortable. In a straight line as possible, cut along the edge of your traced out shape of glass. You will likely have to make several passes from different sides to remove the excess glass to end up with what you want.. Go all the way across the glass to the other side.
  8. Once you have made a score in the glass, take a pair of running pliers, making sure that the screw on them is facing up, and open the pliers and insert them over the edge of the glass piece, so the line of the score lines up with the mark on top of the running pliers. Gently squeeze the pliers closed. If nothing happens, check that the adjusting screw is not in too far. It should just prevent the pliers from closing completely and crushing your glass. If your score line is quite twisty or curved, you may have to use the running pliers at the other side of the score line too.
  9. If you are cutting a straight line, never use a flat steel ruler as a cutting guide. Use a "L" shaped cutting guide instead. They are thicker than a ruler, so your cutter head won't roll up on the steel and get damaged.
  10. Move the sheet of glass, your work surface, or yourself into whatever position you find is the most comfortable for cutting.
  11. You should try to cut out the largest or most difficult pieces first.
  12. Use the grinder to smooth off the edges, and shape to fit on your lay-out pattern sheet. Always make sure that the grinder has lots of water in it and a clean sponge behind the grinder bit.