The First Cut
* Lay newspaper on your bench top.
* Stand up.
* Wear safety glasses.
* Score on the smoothest side of the glass.
* Never go over a score line twice
Start with freehand straight lines across a piece of glass
which is about 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300mm) wide. Hold
the (freshly lubricated) cutter so the wheel is just in
from furthest edge (fig 4.4). Apply a firm pressure and
draw the cutter smoothly towards you. Do not speed
up, slow down, stop or falter. Keep the pressure and
speed constant until the wheel has gone off the edge
near you. It is important that the score is well defined at
this front edge because that is where you will begin the
break.
It is hard to describe the pressure in measurable terms
of weight. I have seen it described as 12 lb which is far
too much. It is nearer 2 to 5 lb (1or 2 kilograms). The
right pressure will not require force; the cutter will make
a "hissing" noise as it moves; the scoreline will be
visible but not dry, chipped or sparkly.
Do not move too fast at this stage. Take about 3
seconds to score 1 foot (300mm). Check your scoreline
to see if it is too heavy, too light or inconsistent (fig
4.5). Keep scoring and experimenting to discover the
workable range. If you mess up, just move along and
start again. Going along or across a previous score will
ruin the wheel. If the line will not break, it is either too
lightly scored, uneven (does it disappear then
reappear?), or not constant to the front edge (did you
slow down or ease the pressure off as you came to the
edge?). Watch and listen to the sound of scoring glass
in the videos at http://www.learn-stained-glass.com
* Lay newspaper on your bench top.
* Stand up.
* Wear safety glasses.
* Score on the smoothest side of the glass.
* Never go over a score line twice
Start with freehand straight lines across a piece of glass
which is about 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300mm) wide. Hold
the (freshly lubricated) cutter so the wheel is just in
from furthest edge (fig 4.4). Apply a firm pressure and
draw the cutter smoothly towards you. Do not speed
up, slow down, stop or falter. Keep the pressure and
speed constant until the wheel has gone off the edge
near you. It is important that the score is well defined at
this front edge because that is where you will begin the
break.
It is hard to describe the pressure in measurable terms
of weight. I have seen it described as 12 lb which is far
too much. It is nearer 2 to 5 lb (1or 2 kilograms). The
right pressure will not require force; the cutter will make
a "hissing" noise as it moves; the scoreline will be
visible but not dry, chipped or sparkly.
Do not move too fast at this stage. Take about 3
seconds to score 1 foot (300mm). Check your scoreline
to see if it is too heavy, too light or inconsistent (fig
4.5). Keep scoring and experimenting to discover the
workable range. If you mess up, just move along and
start again. Going along or across a previous score will
ruin the wheel. If the line will not break, it is either too
lightly scored, uneven (does it disappear then
reappear?), or not constant to the front edge (did you
slow down or ease the pressure off as you came to the
edge?). Watch and listen to the sound of scoring glass
in the videos at http://www.learn-stained-glass.com
That's it - the basic method. Every other technique of scoring and breaking is a variation on what you have just learnt. The rest of this chapter describes some variations and when to use them. However impatient you are, do not move on from here until you are confident you have the feel of the basic technique.
Too light Uneven Good Too heavy
Fig 4.5
