Posted by Geraldina on January 31, 2003 at 13:22:51:
In Reply to: Incredible Shrinking Glass posted by Rob Klara on January 31, 2003 at 00:07:44:
Hi Rob,
My advice is that you always keep the pattern next to the grinder and everytime you cut a piece of glass, put it in the correct position on the pattern. Put all the pieces together and then grind. That works for me because I can tell how much needs to be grinded and if the pieces fit.
I hope that hepls you,
Geraldina
: Hello,
: I've been at the copper-foil method for several months and am doing quite well at it. However, I keep having the same (albeit minor) problem and wonder if you could help. This takes a little while to describe...
: Before I cut my glass pieces out, I trace my pattern (via carbon paper) onto brown, 50-weight craft paper. I then cut with foil scissors, and glue the cut-outs down on the glass, then score around the edges. Several people I've spoken with have dismissed this method as messy and dated, but I learned it in a great old glass shop in Brooklyn from a guy who's been doing it this way for decades, and it works for him.
: Generally, it works for me, too. However, at times, after I've cut the glass, finished it in the grinder, remove the paper and put the glass pieces down on my template, I notice that some edges fall a bit too short of the lines--in other words, I appear to have taken too much glass off.
: Now, the worst part of this is that some of my leaded seams are a bit too fat, though I'm the only one who seems to notice it. But this problem is bugging me and I wonder what I could be doing wrong. I'm using the correct shears, am exceedinly careful with the tracing, and am a good glass cutter. The only thing I can think of is perhaps I'm too aggressive with my grinder. Fearing that my pieces will be too large and push out the edges of the panel, maybe I err on the side of grinding too much. That's all I can guess. But just tonight I cut out a pattern with near-surgical precision (or so I thought) and there's too large a gap between two particular pieces--larger than what should be there normally, I mean.
: Am I obsessing? Am I losing my mind? Should I quit this whole thing and take up latch-hook rugs?
: rob