There are somewhere in the vicinity of 14 zillion tools & gadgets you can get for working with stained glass.
Like kitchen gadgetry, you don’t need them all. Heck, you don’t technically neeeeed many of them.
Buuuuut….
Some stained glass tools & supplies sure do make your life a whole lot easier!
So…in the spirit of working smarter, not harder, here’s a list of all kinds of tools I’ve tried & (mostly) loved through the years & still use today.
If you’re brand new to stained glass, I have a list of Essential Tools For Beginners just for you, and Beginner Stained Glass Kits too!
Beginner Stained Glass Kits & Pre-Cut Stained Glass Project Kits
Beginner Stained Glass Kit
These are my Fav Tools, Supplies, & Glass for Beginner’s to get started in stained glass. Aaaaand ya get a Full Beginner’s Class & 60 Days direct help from me & patterns in my community too!
Table of Contents
A big ol’ list of my favorite tools for Stained Glass
Cutting (Scoring) Tools
*As an amazon & Creator’s Brand affiliate, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. My integrity cannot be bought, so I will never link to anything I don’t love &/or know to be quality.
This Value Beginner Pistol Grip Glass Cutter is just the thing for, well, Beginners! It’s affordable & works just fine.
If a pistol grip & a pencil grip glass cutter had a love child, it would be the beautiful Creator’s Hummingbird Glass Cutter! It’s my go-to scoring tool.
Glass Oil Jar & Cutter Oil Bottle Bundle in Cobalt Blue
In stock
Dip your stained glass cutter with ease, keep glass chips from clogging your cutter head, and do it all in style with our Cutter Oil & Jar Combo. (And they’re freakin’ cobalt blue!!😍).
Keep glass chips from clogging your cutter head, keep your wheel from rusting, and do it all in beeeaaauuutiful cobalt blue style with our Stained Glass Cutter Oil. Comes with dropper for easy application.
This handy little oil well makes for easy dipping for any type of cutter. Move it wherever it’s most convenient to reach in your waffle grid.
Keep the glass shards outta your lap, and your stained glass studio neat with the Creator’s Waffle Grid cutting surface! Put them together to make a nice grinder splash guard. Or both (that’s what I do).
We all know glass doesn’t listen to what you tell it to do…pretty lil rebels. Keep your glass from sliding around while you cut with the Creator’s Friction Buttons for Waffle Grid! Includes 8 buttons & removal tool.
Slip and slide your glass all over with ease with the Creator’s Speed Balls for Waffle Grid! Includes 6 steel balls & remover tool.
Running, Breaking, & Grozing Pliers for Stained Glass
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Run your scores with the Studio Pro Running Pliers! Perfect for Beginner Stained Glass Artists. Metal pliers with a coated grip.
Get the Leponitt Running Pliers…the stained glass tools with a reputation as the longest lasting in the industry. Metal pliers with a coated grip & replaceable rubber jaw covers.
Nip off those lil nubbins of glass & make little breaks with a Studio Pro Breaking Grozing Pliers. An affordable option for Beginners.
Upgrade your nubbin’ nippin’ game with the Leponitt Grozing Pliers. They have a longstanding reputation for longevity.
Hard name to say, super easy tool to use. I love this pliers, especially for running & breaking curves & circles. The pivoting head reaches really funky areas with ease.
Glass Grinders & Grinder Accessories
*I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. My integrity cannot be bought, so I will never link to anything I don’t love &/or know to be quality.
The Gryphon Gryphette is the least expensive, but still great quality glass grinder on the market. It’s also relatively small so it’s great for small studio spaces. Also, it’s freakin’ adorable!
Gryphon Studio Glass Grinder
The Gryphon Studio Grinder is a step up in size from the Gryphette. It has a drip system for water & comes with a face shield too.
Gryphon Convertible Professional Glass Grinder
The Gryphon Convertible is the MacDaddy of grinders. The pump provides an awesome amount of water to your piece & the convertible style is great ergonomically. You can use it standing or sitting easily. If you have T-Rex arms like me, the diagonal setting is a lifesaver.
Grind your glass to your heart’s content! Gryphon Grinder Bit 3/4″ Standard Fits all Gryphon Grinders Fits most other grinder brands as well (except Glastar AllStar G8).
Just what ya need to help keep your iridescent glass from chipping. Gryphon Grinder Bit 3/4″ Fine Fits all Gryphon Grinders Fits most other grinder brands as well (except Glastar AllStar G8)
Ya know how the temporary wrenches that come with your grinder bits get all rounded out & stuck on your bit? These are quality replacements that last a bunch longer!
Grind your glass, not your thumb with the Creator’s Thumbonie Grinding Tool! Ergonomic way to grind your glass.
Keeps your fingers out of the way when grinding little pieces. My fingernails & I are big fans!
Foil & Foiling Tools
*I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. My integrity cannot be bought, so I will never link to anything I don’t love &/or know to be quality.
7/32″ foil is the most commonly used in Stained Glass Art, but I’m a big fan of 1/4″. Your solder is your framework & the bigger the foil, the more solder ya have, the stronger your framework. 1/4″ is big enough for strength, but small enough that it doesn’t overwhelm even small pieces like suncatchers.
If ya need 7/32″ foil, Edco is my go to brand. It’s flexible, but strong & has a good adhesive. I’m a fan of silver backed for all projects that don’t involve patina.
Foil on my glassy friend with Edco 5/32″ Silver Back Copper Foil! 1.25mil Silver Backed 5/32″ is the perfect size for thin glass.
Simple fid with a tapered end helps get into nooks & crannies in your foil. My general go to & favorite fid for foil fixes. Pretty sure I’ve used mine so much it’s a permanent part of my hand now.
It’s a burnisher! It’s a jump ring maker! It’s a get your foil smooshed down in tight lil corners easily-er. It does lotsa stuff! And it’s cute. I love this lil genius invention.
Roll right over your copper foil with the Aanraku Foil Roller Burnisher Fid. It’s plastic, like most burnishers are. Fun to make Vroom! Vroom! noises too…
This cute lil Craft Knife is perfect for trimming copper foil on your stained glass! Snap off & replaceable blade.
Creator’s Hand Foiler
Get it in 1/4″. Get it in 7/32″. Get ’em both! Helps you get your glass centered on your foil. I had trouble with them first, until the owner of Creator’s gave me the tip to clamp it to the table. Whaaat!? Bam! Perfection! If you’ve been looking for a Glastar Foiler (they’re out of business), get this one. It’s much higher quality.
Get beautifully straight foil lines with this cute lil Mini 6″ Metal Ruler! Shows inches and centimeters Inch to mm conversion chart on back helps
Soldering
*I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. My integrity cannot be bought, so I will never link to anything I don’t love &/or know to be quality.
If you want to solder well…Get. This. Iron. Ceramic core gives even & consistent heat. Temp control on the handle. And unlike most soldering irons which are seemingly modeled after baseball bats for size, this one fits easily in smaller hands.
***A very important note: If you live in the U.S., be sure you’re getting the 601-02 (listed above). The 601-01 can be often be found cheaper, but it’s made for Japan’s electrical outlets & does not fit U.S. outlets.
Keep your sponge wet for your cleaning your soldering iron tip the easy way with this cute lil Squeeze Bottle! Holds 4 oz.
Hold your iron securely with the cast iron base Studio Pro Soldering Iron Stand! Fits Hakko 601-02 soldering iron beautifully. Comes with sponge for easy tip cleaning.
Replace your worn out tip with the same original size your iron came with, with the Hakko T19 D5 Replacement Tip! Fits the Hakko 601.
A step up in tip size from what comes with your Hakko 601-02 iron. Broader surface area makes for greater heat distribution which = easier soldering.
This itty bitty baby tip is my favorite for lil stuff like jewelry. Makes attaching tiny jump rings & soldering in tight spaces super easy!
My very favorite flux ever! Lead free, works on lead & lead free solder, and washes off your piece super easily.
Solder in low smoke, low fume style with Amerway Tiger’s Eye Gel Flux for Stained Glass! For lead & lead free solder.
A classic amongst gel flux enthusiasts. Low smoke, low fume (remember, you still need safety gear for any flux). For lead or lead free solder!
Everybody has a flux type preference. If ya love paste, this one works well. It is an acid flux and it’s oily so you’ll need to give your pieces a good scrubbadubbin’ when you’re done soldering.
60/40’s don’t vary in composition the way that lead free does, but since I’m a huge fan of Amerway’s Lead Free, I also recommend their 60/40 Lead. It works great!
This is my new favorite Lead Free Solder! It flows beautifully, shines up nicely, & polishes easily. I adore it.
This used to be my fav Lead Free Solder (& I’ve tried a ton!). It’s got great flow, very similar to 60/40 and shines up beautifully. But it does take 952.8 thousand years to polish.
Here’s a whole post about Lead Free Soldering if ya want to start working with it!
Use this Tinned Copper Wire to make your own jump rings & hangers with tails or to add decorative wire work to your stained glass. Choose from 14, 16, 18, or 20 gauge.
Use this OOK Zinc Coated Steel Wire to make your own hangers with tails for your heavier pieces of stained glass art! Heavy duty 16 gauge zinc coated steel is stronger than copper.
Jump Rings Hangers Tinned Copper
If you’re feelin’ like a lazy stained glasser and don’t want to make your own (nothin’ wrong with that), here’s some Jump Rings for ya!
These little guys are great for holding your smaller pieces while edge beading or attaching jump rings. The rubbery tips will get a bit smooshed/melty over time, but there’s a lot in the box so they’re easy to replace. And they hold waaaay better than alligator clips.
Soldering Mat
This thing freakin’ rocks! After countless hot solder bb’s landing on my lap, I thought of this mat. It’s technically a dog food mat, but it has a raised lip & comes in a bunch of different sizes to fit your studio space. Heat resistant & easy to wipe clean.
Thermaltronics Tip Tinner
This stuff drastically prolongs the life of your soldering tip! When your tip stops wanting to hold solder, give it a quick dip in this stuff & it comes out shiny new.
Great for any glass artist, but a must have if you’re working lead-free (higher heat is tough on tips).
Dewenwils 3 Prong Outlet Switch
Since most soldering irons don’t have on/off switches, these lil outlets switches are great to plug yours into. The switch lights up to help you remember to turn off your iron so you don’t accidentally leave it on overnight three separate times. *ahem*
Pliers & Wire Cutters for Stained Glass
Flat Nose Pliers are just the thing ya need for bending wire & holding jump rings in place for soldering your stained glass!
If ya want to make your own jump rings, hangers, or do decorative wirework, ya want a Round Nose Pliers! Smooth, rounded jaws won’t mar your wire.
Get into tight or funky spaces while soldering or fixing a break, ya want a Bent Nose Pliers! Super helpful for closing jump rings too.
These affordable lil wire cutters are perfect for cutting the softer wires we use in stained glass! Easily cuts 14, 16, 18, & 20 gauge tinned copper wire.
Polish, Wax, & Patina for Stained Glass
Stained Glass Wax is expensive. You can use any Pure Carnauba Wax that ya happen to have laying around in your garage. If ya don’t, just borrow it from your neighbor (they owe ya for the weed whacker they borrowed).
And learn how to make some One Step Polish & Wax too!
Mix this up with some of that Carnauba Wax until you have a mousse-like consistency (the dessert, not the animal) & you’ll be polishing & waxing in one step. You may want to use patina on future projects (which polish can scratch or remove), so just mix a small jar of Carnauba/Calcium Carbonate to use on plain solder.
Quick Tip: Just cuz it looks like mousse, doesn’t mean it tastes like it. Don’t eat it. Also don’t ask me how I know. 😁
Get bright copper solder lines on your stained glass with Novacan Super Brite Copper Patina! Works on Lead and most Lead Free solders 8 oz
Get deep black solder lines on your stained glass with Novacan Black Patina! Works on Lead and Lead Free solders 8 oz
This stuff is fantastic for cleaning pieces too big to fit in the sink, & for getting great patina results.
Here’s a post on How to Get Rich, Deep Patina if you’re interested.
Extra Tools, Jigs & Other Fun Stuff for Making Stained Glass
Quick Note: For a list of my favorite Safety Gear, check out my Stained Glass Safety page.
This thing makes getting angles right for stained glass boxes, lamps, candleholders, & other 3D stuff soooooooo freakin’ easy. Make 90, 120, 135, 140, & 150 degree angles for projects between with 4, 6, 8, 9, or 12 pieces.
If you’re doing 3D items, this jig is fantastic! It’s a bigger, sturdier, more precise version of the handy wedge. You can do 45 & 60 degree squares & octagons as well as 60 degree triangles & hexagons. I use it to make my 3D pumpkins.
These lil guys are as precise as 3D jigs, but they’re economical & great for supporting your pieces while soldering out 3D projects.
Laminating Machine
I use this little machine for laminating my patterns so they last through a zillion tracing sessions.
It’s inexpensive & small. That’s all I got. :)
LitEnergy Light Bard
Sharpie Ultra Fine Marker
You’ll get better fit with your pieces if you use an ultra fine marker to trace. The blue is easier to see on darker colored glass since it reflects a reddish/purple in the light. Also, blue is the best color in the world. Cuz I said so. :)
These brass rods are great for making sturdy stained glass garden stakes. You’ll want to tin them before you attach them so they match your solder. Cuz you’re fancy.
OOK 12 Gauge Zinc Coated Steel Wire
This wire is more flexible than brass rods, so I only use it for small plant stakes, but it works great! No tinning necessary cuz it’s silvery in appearance.
I’m a big fan of these paints! They’re great for all kindsa glass painting, but I use them most for making googley eyes. When you bake them, they are ridiculously difficult to scratch off. Water based & non-toxic.
Scotch Painter’s Tape
Ya may have some of this laying around the house. If ya don’t, this is what I use! Use it to hold your project together until you have it tacked (soldered in spots to keep the pieces from moving around).
Odome 12×12 Cork Board Tiles
These tiles are inexpensive alternative to waffle grids, soldering mats, & work well for fitting your pieces while grinding.
Stained Glass Sheets
Ya didn’t think we’d forget the glass did ya?
We carry a lovely array of stained glass sheets in the shop! Located in PA, we ship all over the U.S.
We have great prices on all of our glass, we don’t jack up shipping charges. Aaaaaaaand we don’t do glass boxing charges on orders of 6 or more glass sheets! Whaaaaat?!?!? Yup.
Safety Gear for Stained Glass
Imma get all serious here, just for a second (stay with me). There’s a lot of dangerous, not good, very bad info out there regarding safety in stained glass.
I back up the safety info I provide with solid research & science.
Please. Please. Please take safety seriously. Puuuuhleeeeeeeze. Ya only get one set of eyes, lungs, other internal organs, & fingers.
In fact, it’s is so freakin’ important, it gets its own page. Check out my Stained Glass Safety page for product links, SDS sheets, & other fun info.
Want to learn to make Stained Glass?
Get your FREE Beginner’s Guide with tips, steps, checklist & patterns.
I took one semester of stained glass in college, and I loved it!! I am currently converting the back bedroom of my house into a small stained glass studio. My grandma used to make stained glass, but now as arthritis in her fingers and can’t do it anymore. Fortunately, she donated her grinder, shoulder iron, and other supplies to help me get started. Eventually, I would like to buy more and newer supplies. This blog was very helpful! Thank you for taking time to create this page.
I’m sorry grandma can’t do glass anymore, but how wonderful for her to share it with you! And yaaaay! I’m so glad the post helped you. Let me know if ya have any questions.😀
I’ve been working with stained glass for 25yrs. I am self taught. I’m amazed!! When I looked through your recommendations for the best tools and supplies, I use most of them. It’s good to know that I’m not just winging it. I will order through your site in the future for the things that you recommend that I don’t use yet. I got a lot out of this. thank you Lisa
Yay! Thank you! All the love!