Intro to stained glass cutting 4 of 5: Ambitious shapes

Kai Colombo shows how to cut ambitious shapes for your stained glass projects. Watch the entire series to learn cutting techniques for shapes in order of difficulty. In the series, she covers straight lines, gentle waves, deep inside curves, ambitious shapes and circles.
Kai a stained glass artist, teacher, and retail supply store owner in Peabody, Massachusetts. At her studio, Shards, she and her staff also do historic restorations and custom commissions and have been designing, creating, building, repairing and teaching the craft of fine art windows since 1985.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you so much for all of my subscribers, new and old. As much as these are excruciating for me to watch, (isnt it always painful to see yourself and listen to your own voice) I know there's a lot of good info. Keep up the good work

[@DocRocket144]

Thank you so much for the tip on using vellum. I've been struggling to find a way to keep my pattern pieces from disintegrating while grinding.

[@sorella_sancta1938]

Great tutorials. Thank you

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you.....Im glad you find them helpful

[@sendalunar2974]

Making it look so easy . Thank you for the tips!

[@JeffreyBrantEyeMD]

Thanks for posting this and your other videos! They have helped me tremendously in improving my technique!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad its been helpful

[@dawnholmes7368]

Great video on cutting ambitious shapes. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

I’m glad you enjoyed it and it proved useful. Happy cutting Dawn…because after all if it’s not fun…..forget it

[@CoralCorral]

Great tips. Thank you.

[@maryreagan22]

I have learned so much from your videos! Thank you!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Im so glad you have them helpful. We never get a customer into our retail store end of the studio that doesnt have technique questions. We're happy we can affect a wider audience.

[@shortliner68]

Thank you for the tip about starting the score on the pattern corner as opposed to the edge of the glass. I was off most of the time trying to eyeball my score from the edge.

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad it was a helpful “cheat “!!

[@KevanB]

Thank you for these excellent videos, I'm revising stained glass after a long break from the hobby and learning again with my girlfriend together. Great video production, clear instructions and useful tips!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Thank you, Im glad you can find some helpful info. We will continue with these as time....and the virus allows.....thanks again for the encouraging words!

[@gailfrain2975]

I love your lessons. Thank you

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad its been a help!!!

[@ABrown-th1ho]

Great tutorial on glass cutting! Thank you

[@lim1026]

Amazing artisan!

[@sallyjoligocki5011]

Thank you for the video! Much needed help!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Glad it was helpful Sally. Good luck with your suncatcher!

[@SH-yeye]

Thank you for your help!!!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

My pleasure

[@gunawanmansur8634]

Tank you so much...

[@emilysimpson5627]

This helped so much, thank you!!!

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Im so glad Emily. Covid has slowed us down on these but we intend to do alot more

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Very very good

[@diegonloreto]

whatever!!! greetings from Mexico

[@user-gx9ms4zu7t]

great. on the last piece you cut. rather than using 2 pliers at the thin end, might using running pliers at the other end which was wide end have worked? thanks

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Probably that would work fine.Im gonna say that i just wanted to show another thing

[@user-gx9ms4zu7t]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 thank you so much. just found your tutorials helpful.

[@maggiebannenberkowitz9254]

What do you do with all your scrap glass?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

We give it away to individuals, schools, whomever would like it ....

[@jessiezeng9585]

Where did you get the green tool you were using as well as the oilers?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

So i believe the green tool is a fletcher running plier. The oil cutter is a toyo 600 tapping series cutter.

[@dragonkandy327]

hello :) how do you get the velum off after grinding?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

After grinding, you can place your pieces in a container with warm water. the vellum will float off. We keep our pattern pieces until we’re done with a project. In order to do this take the wet pieces and put them in between paper towels. They dry very fast. If you have several shapes that look alike , number them on the back with a grease pencil. this will hold up in the water.

[@dragonkandy327]

@@shardsglassstudio9298 thank you :)

[@dawnchesbro4189]

On really thin points, I tend to lose the point, even with a good score. I’ve taken to veering away from the pattern as I get close to a thin point, like a really acute triangle. Then grind it down to the thin point. Any tips for keeping thin points on cuts?

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

Hi Dawn,
Thank you for your inquiry. Sounds like you have covered many of the tricks i would advise. The only thing i would add is make sure that the glass on the opposite side of the thin point is no more/less than ~3/8" (The glass that you are removing to accomplish your thin point should not be thicker than the piece that you are trying to save)makes for ease in removal without competing with the girth of the thin point.
Keep going.....practice solves so much in glass!

[@lavadagivens1047]

What the name of that tool you cutting with

[@shardsglassstudio9298]

That is a toyo 600 series tapping head (carbide) pistol grip