Learn how to set up and use the Morton System to cut glass

Do you have the Morton System for cutting glass strips and angles, but are unsure how to use it correctly.  We found this information written by The Morton Glass Works, Inc. and thought that a lot of glass artists would like to use this tutorial and bookmark it as a reference.

Click on this link to view the tutorial.

Water jet - glass cutting for fused glass art, VIDEO

Want to see what it looks like to use a water jet to cut glass for glass fusing elements?  We found this amazing video on YouTube that we think our readers will really enjoy watching!  The video was posted on YouTube by DirectWaterjet, Inc.

Check out the YouTube link here!

Breaking Pieces From Large Sheets of Stained Glass - Straight Lines

Use a cutting square or other non-slip straight edge to guide the cutter. You can push as in normal stained glass cutting, or you can draw the cutter toward you as glaziers do. In either case, the pressure needs to be even and the speed consistent.

In moving large scored sheets, avoid pulling by the end. The score may run suddenly and not always along the line. Instead, move the sheet with support on both sides of the score. After the glass is scored, you have choices about how to run the score:

One easy way is to move the sheet so the scored line is just inside the edge of the bench. The biggest piece will be on the bench and the smaller piece in your hands. Give a quick, sharp downward push with both hands on the overhanging glass. Having the glass score inside the bench edge gives you a place for the broken off piece to rest, rather than pivoting toward the floor.

You can slide the straight edge under the glass on one side of the score, and press firmly, but not sharply on each side of the score. The glass will break evenly along the score line. This is a more gentle method of breaking the glass. A variation on this is to place a couple of match sticks or glass painting brushes at each end of the score and apply the pressure.

If the glass sheet is of a size that you can hold it in both hands with the score between, you can draw it off the bench, let it hang vertically, and bring your knee up briskly to hit the score line, and it will break easily. This is a showman's way of breaking glass sheets when the score line is approximately centered on the sheet.

Cut running pliers often do not work very well on long straight scores on large sheets of glass. However, if you try this, tapping along the score line before squeezing the running pliers will help the score to run the way you intend. (And defeat the purpose of getting a clean break, as each time you tap the glass you get a ledge on the side of the score line that you tapped). This is sometimes the only way to achieve the break of the score.

Which side of a piece of glass do you cut on?

A lot of new glass artists seem to get confused as to which side of a piece of glass is the front or back and which side do you cut on.  Well, luckily this answer is easy!  

A piece of glass doesn't really have a definite front or back side, it is up to the glass artist to decide which side they prefer.  If another glass artist tells you that glass does have a front or back side, well.... they are sadly mistaken.  It is all up to an artist's personal interpretation!  When using Dichroic glass in fusing, it is true that you cannot fuse a Dichroic side to another Dichrioc side but that is not exactly what we are talking about in this mini lesson.

Now having said that, there is a "right and wrong" side to cut your glass on.  I'm talking about cutting with a hand held glass cutter.  If you are going to use a band or ring saw, then it doesn't matter which side you cut on!  As for using a hand held cutter, you should always look for the smoothest, shiniest side to cut on.  You have to push the glass cutter's wheel along the surface of the piece of glass to score it.  For that reason you need the flattest side to cut on.  It's extremely difficult to push a cutting wheel along a pitted or rippled piece of glass.  Heavily textured glass typically has one side that is not as textured as the other.

So if you decided, when you were in the planning stage of your window (picking out the glass), that you really wanted a piece of stained glass that had it's heavily textured side to be facing the front on your window, that is still easily do-able.  First you need to cut out your paper pattern pieces, follow our tutorial on cutting out patterns HERE if needed.  Then when you get to the paper pattern piece that you want to adhere to the piece of glass that has a lot of texture on it's front side, flip the paper pattern piece over and glue the front side of the paper pattern to the back side (which will be the smoother side) of that textured piece of glass.  Be sure to still get the grain of the piece of glass correct or it will look wrong later!  

Once glued on to the back side of the glass, you should be able to hold that piece of glass up in the light, look through it (if it's transparent) and see the pattern piece looking the way it should look when the piece is finally cut out and laid in place ready to be soldered.  

Stained glass plating techniques

Stained glass plating is a method that gives a layered look to any stained glass piece. The look is used in many Tiffany glass pieces. Stained glass plating has many advantages over a finished glass piece, including a wide range of colors, minimal visual impact of solder lines and a three-dimensional effect to the final product.

1. Using Specific Shapes

   • Certain shapes make stained glass plating more difficult. Artists new to the method should choose small, curved pieces. Curved pieces are easier to plate together while maintaining the integrity of the piece. Smaller pieces make it easier for the artist to cut an exact match for plating.

     Longer, straighter pieces are more difficult to plate because of the possibility of bowing. Longer pieces also tend to have uneven weight distribution, making it more difficult to put the final product together. Beginners should start with smaller plated pieces, until they master the skills needed to match and solder large pieces.

   Build Vent Areas

   • Glass pieces for plating must be accurate. If each cut is not precise, moisture builds between the layers of glass. Moisture can change the look of a finished piece by obstructing the colors of the plates. To keep moisture from staying between the plates, do not solder all the way around the glass pieces. Leave a few small open areas to vent the piece. Dabbing petroleum jelly on the areas where there should be a vent allows the artist to solder all the way around the piece. Petroleum jelly prevents the solder from sticking to the glass, leaving enough ventilation to remove the moisture. Remember to clean glass pieces before plating. Dust will show up in the finished product.

   Supporting Each Layer

   • Some designs require plating be done only to specific parts of the glass piece. The piece can become top-heavy if most of the plating is toward the top of the glass. This can damage the bottom of the piece if there is too much weight for the bottom to support. Plate a piece of clear glass onto the bottom of the piece to prevent damage and support the top. The extra plate will not affect the overall look of the stained glass plating. Clear plating makes the finished piece easier and safer to move. 

     This article was written by Terri Deno, eHow Contributor

Mosaic Techniques & Traditions: Projects & Designs from Around the World By Sonia King

If you are interested in mosaics and want to find a book with a lot of information, check out this excellent one by Sonia King.  Below is a link showing excepts from her book.

http://books.google.com/books?id=g3JT9c50VkoC&lpg=PA93&ots=c544IC5_q7&dq=sonia%20king%2Bkeystoning&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Beginner glass cutting video from the Corning Museum of Glass

I thought I'd share a nice beginner video teaching how to cut glass from the Corning Museum of Glass.  It's especially helpful for people that want to start making fused glass jewelry and even stained glass windows but don't know how to cut glass!  In the video, the person scores the glass with the glass cutter while pulling it towards them, although I actually cut the opposite direction - away from me.  I find it much easier to see the pattern that I'm cutting if I cut forward.  If I pull the cutter towards me, my hand covers and hides the pattern piece that I want to cut! Click here to see the glass cutting video.  

Be sure to check out the Corning Museum webpage it is excellent.  They also have a lot of videos on YouTube as well.  

Nice, short video of creating a fused glass lamp

Today I thought I'd share this video from reflectionlabs.com on YouTube Fused glass sunflower lamp, it shows someone creating a fun fused glass sunflower ceiling lamp.  The video highlights how the artist cut out the glass shapes and prepared the piece before fusing.  What a great idea!   Many thanks to reflectionlabs for sharing this video.  
Fused glass sunflower lamp