Cutting (technically the term is scoring) the glass for my stained glass bear panel is a time consuming step. The pattern has to be laid out on the glass in a manner that allows me separate the glass pieces without causing breakage. Obviously I can’t cut a piece of glass if I have to go thru another pattern piece. Or if the angle I have to cut between pieces is too extreme. I try to lay out the pattern to save on waste but it is better to have a little waste then break pieces of glass due to poor layout. After all that is still wasting glass and time!

Tools I use are a glass cutter and cutting oil, grazing pliers and running pliers. I have been using my cutting tools for years. If you treat them well they will last a long time.

There are lots of websites that explain techniques and give tips for scoring and breaking glass that do a much better job then I could. One of them is Delphi and this link will take you to their tip page for scoring and breaking glass. They have lots of good advice and videos.

It took me a couple of hours of steady work to get all the pattern pieces cut out. I had to recut a few pieces but I always expect that to happen. Finally the bear was laid out and now for grinding! That will be the next post so join me again for the next step in this process.