There are so many different stained glass supplies that you can purchase at any given time, that all the different choices can boggle your brain. For a lot of artists, they will look at stained glass grinders as their first major buy. There are many different factors to explore when choosing a grinder. Of course, your budget is always something that you need to think about, as well as your yearly usage. Rest assured though, there is something out there for everyone's budget. So, question one. What is the purpose of a grinder? Well, simply put, its for shaping glass after its been cut to a rough shape. Grinders us a coated bit to shave off the excess glass to get it ready for using with copper foil. Typically, you will have two grinding bits with each stained glass grinder.
Everyone needs to start somewhere with a grinder and a good choice is typically the Inland Wizling CG. It is a powerful and reliable machine with good torque and, best of all, it has a great price. This is really ideal for a beginner. This type of stained glass grinder is for a person who plans on doing a few projects per year. . So that means that when you decide to step up to the next level, you will be able to get back most of your cost.
For a person taking it to the next stage, you will probably need a product a little more powerful and with some more featuresThere are many great. The good news is that the prices only increase slightly when you move up to the next caliber of grinders. Typically, the price jump is pretty small when you move from the hobbyist models to the next step. I really like the Glastar G8 Allstar Grinder. Its a perfect stepup and its great for those who are getting more serious. In some circles, these grinders would be entering professional level. All of these grinders can holdup to daily use so they are definitely built to last
I would say that very few would need to enter into a professional model. Unless you are doing some serious work with each and everyday, then this will not be necessary for you. The Glastar G9 Disc Grinder is the thing for you. It has the capabilities for creating boxes, lampshades, and panels. If you need a straight edge, then rhere is no better tool than this one. One more time though, at the price that this retails at, only the most serious artists should consider and invest in it.
Hopefully this gave you some tips on where, how, and what you should look for when you purchase your grinder. It can be tough with so many stained glass supplies in the marketplace to know which ones you need to buy and which one would just be a luxury. I will say, though, that a good stained glass grinder is something that anyone serious about glass will want to purchase at some point. It will for sure make your life easy and, right next to your Bullseye Glass, its a pretty important piece of the pie and most likely its going to be the first major tool that every artist will buy. So, put on your goggles and enjoy your new grinder!