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Your first stained glass project can be a little scary when you first start out. 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. Most people think that the only people that are qualified to do stained glass are the ones that do the big 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 learn the basics of cutting and construction in just a few hours. There are also plenty of retailers that offer local classes in case you need some hand holding.
Another question that most people wonder whether or not its going to be cost prohibitive to get started. The answer is no. Sure, cutting glass would be easier with a high powered stained glass saw, but a basic cutting tool will work fine. if you are just getting started, then you will need to get a few of the basics. Essentials typically include stained glass, safety goggles, flux, a grinder, a cutter, breaking pliers, solder, and a pattern. Don't let the length of the list fool you though, these are starter tools so they are usually pretty cheap to pickup.
The best and most trusted stained glass is spectrum glass They have an extremely large selection of glass in different colors and textures and they are always adding more to their line. The even better thing is that you can get a great sample set of spectrum glass and have a good variety of colors and textures.
As you advance in your ability, you can look into investing into higher end Inland, gryphon, or glastar stained glass grinders
which should make your projects cleaner and quicker. Until then, just tough it out with a simple grinder tool like the cutter mate. A good stained glass grinder will make your life a little easier as you can smooth out rougher edges much quicker, but its ok to stick wtih the basics while you're learning.
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