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Economy Pistol-Grip Cutter is a generic-brand tool for making long cuts (straight or curved) in sheets of stained glass by placing the sheet on a flat surface and hand scoring and snapping. The cutter can be used freehand for curves or with a ruler for straight-line cuts. The cutting wheel is carbide steel, and the plastic hand grip serves as the reservoir for cutting oil. The tool can be used with one hand when the glass sheet is laid on a non-slip surface.

CUTTERS LEAK OIL BY DESIGN!

Like all tools with reservoirs of cutting oil inside, these cutters leak oil at the cutting tip BECAUSE THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DO SO. Keep your cutter in a plastic tray or cup. Do not lay this tool on a finished surface that would be damaged by oil. Note that many artists report using scoring cutters for years without using oil. If you need to avoid oil, you could, but we are not sure how that affects the life of the tool in the longer term.

Do You Need This Tool For Mosaic Art?

The Pistol-Grip Cutter is used for making long cuts. If you want to divide up a sheet of stained glass into fairly uniform square tiles, you could use this tool and a straight-edge ruler to cut the sheet into long strips and then cut the strips into tiles with a Mosaic Glass Cutter. However, mosaic art usually looks better when tiles aren’t uniform but instead are more irregular, and irregularly-shaped rectangles and triangles could be made using a Mosaic Glass Cutter without a Pistol-Grip Cutter. In other words, the Pistol-Grip Cutter is not needed for mosaic mosaic work. On the other hand, if you want to make curved-shaped cuts in stained glass, this is the tool to use.

Snapping Apart Scored Glass

Some method of snapping apart the glass after it has been scored is needed, and it can be as simple as placing a long thin object under the scored line and pressing down on both sides of the glass with gloved hands or a pressing tool. At the studio, we have used a variety of objects for this purpose: an uncooked stick of spaghetti, a dowel, a yardstick, etc. However, there are several tools made for snapping apart scored glass, including the Running Pliers, which have padded jaws.

Economy Pistol-Grip Cutter

scoring tool for cutting sheet glass
carbide steel cutting wheel
plastic hand grip serves as cutting oil reservoir.
color may vary
brass fittings

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or mounting, cutting, and grouting tile, please see our page of Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.

Rounded Ceramic and Marble File

The Rounded Ceramic and Marble File is a smaller alternative to our regular marble file, and one side of the file is rounded. The other side is flat, and both sides have a rough carbide grit surface. The blade of the file is 5.25 inches long x 0.5 inches wide. This smaller size and the rounded side of the file makes the tool more useful for shaping smaller tiles on art projects.

When to Use This Tool

Smoothing Cuts

Cutting marble mosaic and ceramic tile often leaves rough, jagged, or sharp edges, and this tool can be used to smooth and round them. You can also do a modest amount of shaping with this tool, depending on how hard your material is. We have used this file on glass tile, but it has a tendency to pull flakes of glass out the edge being smoothed, especially if the motion of the tool is too fast or hard. To minimize this problem we only use the fine-grooved side on glass, and we pull the tile at a shallow angle on the stationary file and use limited pressure. Like most tools and techniques, a little practice can greatly improve your results.

A less aggressive alternative to a marble file is the dual-grit rubbing stone, which can be used to obtain smoother finishes on an edge and doesn’t chip off flakes of glass.

Repairing Damaged Tiling and Mosaics

Broken tile is dangerous not only because it can be razor sharp but also because it is often located on the corner or edge of a surface, just in the right location for people to brush against and cut themselves. The Ceramic and Marble File can be used to round off sharp edges.

Safety

Dust

Avoid breathing construction dusts of any type, especially glass, cement, ceramics, stone, etc. An ordinary dust mask rated N95 is recommended as a precaution when using the file, but we prefer to contain the dust with mist at the source. Keeping the dust wet is an easy was to make sure it stays out of the air. Dispose of the wet dust as solid waste in a trash bag and not down your drains.

We lean the file inside a 2-gallon bucket and mist with water from a spray bottle. The bucket collects the waste and acts as a moisture reservoir for keeping the air around the file humid, which causes dust to fall out of the air faster. Note that misting causes the file to rust and shortens the life of the tool, but files are more easily replaced than lungs, especially when you work with construction materials everyday.

Safety Glasses

Always wear safety glasses with side shields when using the file. Make sure that you don’t file tile around people not wearing safety glasses. Flying chips could potentially hit their eyes as easily as yours.

Slivers and Surfaces

Be aware that cutting and filing tile can produce tiny slivers that are surprisingly sharp. Never sweep off a work surface with your bare hand. This is how most cuts happen in the studio (seriously). Use a vacuum or counter brush instead.

How To Make Mosaics

Safety Glasses

Safety Glasses With Side Shields are required safety equipment when cutting mosaic tile or mixing grout, which is mildly caustic and contains sand. Our safety glasses have ventilated side shields that reduce fogging by perspiration, and the glasses are made from impact-resistant plastic that cleans easily with soap and water. Replace your glasses when they become excessively scratched or damaged, and remember to put them on before starting work. PROTECT YOUR EYES.

When To Use Safety Glasses

Most people realize that they should wear safety glasses when cutting tile, but many of these same people would not think safety glasses were required for grouting. Grout is slightly caustic and contains sand, and the process of grouting requires lots of mixing and rubbing and wiping. These motions often cause pieces of sand and grit to fly unexpectedly, and cleaning up after grouting is also problematic. Shaking out wet sandy rags at the end of the day is notorious for getting sand in people’s eyes and should be done with care. Always wear safety glasses with side shields when mixing and applying grout.

How To Make Mosaics

Counter Brush

Our Counter Brush is a highly effective tool for cleaning up grout sand and glass splinters in your mosaic art studio, especially when used with a HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner. This brush is actually an extremely important piece of safety equipment. Here’s why: Most cuts in the mosaic art studio do not come from handling sharp tile. Most cuts happen when you sit or rub your hand on your work surface and encounter one of the tiny slivers produced by cutting tile. Often you can’t even see what cut you because the razor-sharp grit is so small.

When to Use This Tool

We use the Counter Brush with a HEPA-grade vacuum cleaner to remove sharp grit and dust from work surfaces. Vacuuming without a brush is not nearly as effective.

Safety in the Mosaic Art Studio

Dust

You shouldn’t breath construction dusts of any type, including glass, cement, ceramics, stone, etc. Keeping dust damp is an easy was to make sure it stays out of the air, and so we recommend misting your materials with a spray bottle during filing and sanding. You should also wear an N95-rated dust mask when needed, especially when mixing up grout and mortar.

Safety Glasses

Always wear safety glasses with side shields when cutting tile or smoothing sharp edges with a marble file. Make sure that you don’t cut or file tile around people not wearing safety glasses. Flying chips could potentially hit their eyes as easily as yours.

Slivers and Surfaces

Be aware that cutting and filing tile can produce tiny slivers that are surprisingly sharp. Never sweep off a work surface with your bare hand. Use a HEPA-rated vacuum and a counter brush instead.

How To Make Mosaics

Thumb Tweezers

Thumb Tweezers are approximately 3.5 inches in length and have slanted chisel tips for gripping small pieces of mosaic tile. This is a standard pair of thumb tweezers such as commonly used for grooming and pulling hairs. We use these for positioning small pieces of tile in mosaic art designs, especially working directly in mortar.

Thumb Tweezers

steel tweezers
slanted chisel top
approximately 3.5 inches in length
subject to rusting by thinset and grout

Mortars and Grouts Rust Steel Tools

Portland cement products like mortar and grout are mildly caustic and cause steel tools to rust faster than normal. The Thumb Tweezers are steel and thus subject to this problem. You can delay and slow rusting by washing and drying your tools on a CLEAN rag after use. Never let your tools soak until morning. They can rust literally overnight. Use a brush to scrub invisible grout residue from the tools. After our tools are dry, we wipe them with shop rag from our garage toolbox. These garage rags have traces of oil on them, which is just what is needed to prevent rusting, but not so excessive that glues get contaminated next use.

How to Reduce Frustration

Tweezers make it infinitely easier to dip your tile in adhesive or thinset without contaminating your fingertips. They also make it much easier to position the tile on the surface without messing up what you have already done. Most of the frustration of making a mosaic comes from accidentally bumping tiles that you have already positioned, and tweezers keep this from happening quite so often. The trivial cost of a basic pair of tweezers is the best money you can spend as far as reducing frustration. You will also be able to attempt more detailed designs than you would consider if using only your fingertips.

How To Make Mosaics

Mosaic Tile Pick-Up Tool

The Mosaic Tile Pick-Up Tool is a 5-inch long spring-loaded gripping tool for positioning small pieces of tile in mosaic art designs. The Pick-Up Tool is superior to tweezers for many tasks because its spring-loaded arms hold the tile securely in until the end of the handle is pressed. This can be particularly helpful for people with hand tremors or motor control issues or for people working long hours. Also, the arms which grasp the tile are thin wires with minimal surface area that can be contaminated by glue, unlike tweezers which are more prone to accumulation.

Pick-Up Tool or Tweezers?

Basically, the Pick-Up Tool has the same purpose as as a pair tweezers: taking the frustration out of detailed mosaic work. Don’t use your fingertips to manipulate small mosaic tiles. Use simple tools instead, such as tweezers and this tool. Keep in mind that you might use both tools in the same mosaic depending on the different sizes of tile used in the design.

Compatibility

The Pick-Up Tool can pick up whole mosaic tile and pieces smaller than approximately 1/2-inch. It would not be of much if any use with whole 3/4-inch tile, but it is very useful with pieces cut from 3/4-inch tile. Like all metal tools, the Mosaic Tile Pick-Up Tool is easily corroded and oxidized by caustic grouts and mortars, so keep them clean and expect them to age with use.

How to Reduce Frustration

Tools like tweezers and the pick-up tool can save hours of tedium and reduce frustration by allowing you to position tile without disturbing tile that you have already positioned. They are also useful for dipping the tile in mosaic adhesive or thinset mortar without contaminating your fingertips. With these simple tools, you will be able to attempt more detailed designs than you would consider if using only your fingertips.

How To Make Mosaics

Tweezers 4-Piece Set

Tweezers 4-Piece Set includes four different styles of steel tweezers for positioning mosaic tile: self-closing, flat, slanted, and needle-tip. This gives you some options if the type or shape of mosaic tile you are using happens to slip in a particular style of tip. We would not recommend doing mosaic work without some form of tweezers, especially if using tile or pieces cut 3/8 inch or smaller. The self-closing tweezers are particularly useful for people with shaking hands, or anyone working in long stretches. Reduce the tedium and frustration involved in positioning tiny tiles!

Tweezers 4-Piece Set

steel tweezers
4 pieces
4 different styles: self-closing, flat, slanted, and needle-tip.
subject to rusting by thinset and grout

Mortars and Grouts Rust Steel Tools

How to Reduce Frustration

Tweezers make it infinitely easier to dip your tile in adhesive or thinset without contaminating your fingertips. They also make it much easier to position the tile on the surface without messing up what you have already done. Most of the frustration of making mosaic comes from accidentally bumping tiles that you have already positioned, and tweezers keep this from happening quite so often. The trivial cost of a basic pair of tweezers is the best money you can spend as far as reducing frustration. You will also be able to attempt more detailed designs than you would consider if using only your fingertips.

How To Make Mosaics

Grozing Pliers

Grozing Pliers are used to break off flares of glass (sharp flakes or slivers) at the edge of newly cut stained glass. These slivers are known as groze, and the process is known as grozing.

Grozing Flares

Cutting stained glass often leaves flakes or slivers of glass at the edge of the new cut. When cut, the glass behaves as if it is many thin planes of glass, and some of these planes don’t all break right at the line of the cut, and usually the top or bottom will be left sticking out as a razor-sharp flare. The jaws of the Grozing Pliers have small serrations for catching and breaking off these tiny slivers. As an alternative to Grozing Pliers, you may prefer using the fine-grit side of a rubbing stone or a marble file because these tools can also be used on ceramic and stone, and they can be used to shape and notch tile.

Scoring and Snapping Stained Glass

Scoring stained glass is done with a Pistol-Grip Cutter, which can be used to make complex curves or long straight lines. Once the glass is scored, it can be snapped apart by placing the glass on a flat surface with a pencil or spaghetti stick under the line of the cut and pressing down on both sides of the glass. For snapping apart complex curves, Running Pliers with padded jaws can be used. Stained glass artists report that Grozing Pliers can be used for this task, but our experience has been that they are of limited utility in snapping score pieces apart. What they are are particularly useful for is cleaning the groze from relatively large cuts as quickly as possible.

Grozing Pliers

tool type: hand tool/compression tool
steel pliers with one straight jaw and one curved jaw, both serrated to catch and break off sharp glass flares
vinyl grip

How To Make Mosaic Art

Running Pliers

Running Pliers are used to snap apart pieces of stained glass after it has been scored with the Pistol Grip Cutters. The jaws are padded with clear rubber cushions that prevent the steel from crushing the glass.

Running Pliers

steel pliers tool
plastic grips
cushioned jaws

Repairable for Long Life

The clear rubber cushions tend to split and fall off of the jaws over years of use, but we have repaired the jaws of our tools merely by wrapping in several layers of electrical tape, which we have also used to replace plastic grips on hand tools. Artist Joe Moorman proudly owns and uses several of his grandfather’s hand tools that have had their broken center bolts replaced with ordinary bolts and a locking nut. These sort of common-sense repairs save you money and keep perfectly usable tools out the landfill. There is no reason a single-pair of these pliers could not last a lifetime and beyond with simple repairs.

Do You Need This Tool?

If you are snapping apart long straight scores in a piece of stained glass, then no, you don’t. You can easily snap apart a straight score by placing a straight object under the score and pressing down on the glass on both sides of the score with your gloved hands. The straight object can be a pencil or an uncooked stick of spaghetti. Snapping these straight lines is simple and easy. What is difficult is snapping a curved score. For snapping curved pieces of stained glass apart, Running Pliers are needed.