Using Stained Glass Grinders in Beadwork

Making beaded jewelry takes on a whole new dimension when you start creating your own glass beads. While it’s possible to create glass beads without the use of stained glass grinders, using one greatly simplifies some of the tasks you’ll need to do to create, shape, polish and pierce your glass beads. These are just a few of the ways you’ll use stained glass grinders in making glass beads for your jewelry or artwork.

Trim Beads

Fused glass pieces don’t always fuse perfectly. A quick turn on a glass grinding disk will remove spurs and unevenness where the glass pieces come together. You can also use a glass grinder to flatten and shape the ends and edges of beads after you’ve cut them from a rod.

Facet Beads

Faceted glass beads can resemble precious and semi-precious gemstones and they can be just as difficult to polish precisely. While you can attempt to grind glass beads on a lapidary grinder, a stained glass grinder outfitted with the right grit tool does the job just as well with less risk of shattering the glass.

Shape Beads

Use the diamond grit of a glass grinder to smooth the contours and shape glass into barrel beads, round beads and pony beads. Shaping beads on a grinder is not much different than using a sander and drill to shape wooden dowels into beads and posts. Shaping beads with a glass grinder can truly stretch your creativity. The various grinding tools allow you to round edges or give them a convex shape, smooth surfaces or texturize them, create ridges along the sides of barrel beads or carve them into balustrades. You’ll be amazed at the flexibility the right tools provide you.

Drilling Beads

The right bit can also make it easier for you to drill holes through glass beads when you’re working with shorter lengths.

As you get more creative and skilled with your work in glass beads, you may find that you want even more flexibility and creativity in your work. When you’re ready to start creating, shaping and fusing your own beads, it may be time to look into other stained glass supplies, such as a glass kiln, glass saws and even, perhaps, an upgrade to the glass grinder you started with.

Stained glass grinders range in price from under $100 to well over $1,000, depending on which bells and whistles you choose to accessorize your new toy. Better quality glass grinders are definitely worth the investment if you’re sure you’ll use one. Get a feel for how glass grinders fit into your creativity with bead-making at a local craft or bead shop. It makes more sense to lay out a few dollars more for a quality machine than to upgrade in a few months when you find out that the one you chose just isn’t enough to meet your needs.