Cut Running Pliers

Cut running pliers are intended to assist with the running of long straight or gently curving scores.  Sometimes they are referred to simply as running pliers.

There are a wide variety of these made for different purposes.  The following are illustrations of some of the styles.

This plastic cut runner is an economy version of the metal one below

 To use these cut runners, you align the raised line on pliers with the line of the score and squeeze gently.  The single line on the bottom jaw acts a fulcrum, allowing the two raised parts on the upper jaw to provide pressure to the score and run the break along the score line.

Metal cut running pliers

The metal cut runners are pliers with curved jaws. When looking at the pliers from the nose toward the handles you will see the curve like a down turned mouth. These assist the breaking of the score by putting tension on the glass.

Cut running pliers almost always are supplied with covered jaws. This are normally two pockets of flexible plastic that fit snugly onto the slightly flared, curved jaws. Keep these on. When worn they can be replaced by buying more, or by wrapping the jaws with tape using "liquid plastic" or sometimes even using them bare.

There is a spacing screw on top which allows adjustment for different thickness of glass. It is intended that the jaws should not close completely – which can place excessive pressure on the glass – but be adjusted so that there is about 1mm less opening than the thickness of the glass. So when cutting 3mm glass there would be a 2 mm gap. On 4 mm glass the gap would be 3 mm, and so on. experience will show what relationship is best for you. The principle is that the pliers perform a gentle tensioning of the glass. Using your hands exerts more tension on the glass and cannot be so delicate.

Use

Align the centre of the top of the jaws - often the pliers have a centre line on the top to assist – along the direction of the score. Squeeze gently and the score will begin to run.

I have found my best success when using cut running pliers is to avoid trying to run the whole score from one end. With a bit of practice you get the feel for how much pressure you should be applying and so when to stop. Then turn the glass around and start the run from the other end. Usually the open ends of the score will meet and the break is completed. Occasionally the two runs will not meet. Then it depends on how complicated the curve is as to whether you use your hands to complete the break or start tapping the score line to finish the break.


More that one tool

There is a second variety of cut running pliers designed to run long scores near the edge of the glass.  These can be used in the same way as the cut runners pictured above.

The Ring Star cut runners

These cut runners made from plastic have a pad with a central raised point on the bottom jaw and a circular pad on the top jaw.  Placing the point directly under the score line will begin running the score.

 A more durable, but also more expensive version is the Silberschnitt cut runner.

Moveable pad oriented to run scores in line with the pliers orientation

The advantage of these is that the upper pad can be rotated to accommodate any angle, allowing shallow curves to be broken out.  If progressively deeper curves are scored, this too can assist in breaking out deep inside curves.

Pad oriented at about 60 degrees for running score at an angle to the plier's orientation

This allows a score to be run gently over a long distance. This is especially advantageous when the score is a curving one.  

Use
The upper pad is rotated so that it is at a right angle to the score.  The lower pad has a point to act as the  pressure point when the pliers are squeezed.  As you move along the score, you continue to adjust the upper pad to maintain a right angle to the score.  This is a much more gentle breaking action than the standard cut runners and runs the score in shorter distances.  However these short runs make it more certain to run the score successfully. 

Tools for Thick Glass

There are a variety of tools for breaking thick glass - usually 6mm and thicker.  Some examples are illustrated.

Note: these running pliers are pictured upside down.  The two plastic pads should be on the top of the glass.

These are used in the following fashion:

Adjusting cut running pliers for different thicknesses of glass.

Pounce Wheel

The pounce wheel is used in reproducing images and comes from a time before photocopying or carbon papers. It gets its name from its use together with a pounce bag. In the past the pounce wheel would make holes through the paper or card along the design lines. The paper or card is put over the material which is to have the imaged copied onto it. A small bag of black powder would be dabbed (pounced) on the cover paper leaving black dots on the surface below. These could then be used to trace the same image many times in what ever medium was being used.

Two Pounce Wheels of Different Sizes

As the photo shows, the pounce wheel consists of a pencil-like holder with the spiked wheel at the end. The wheel is on an angled axle similar to a bicycle to make it easier to follow straight lines by pushing away from your body. This allows a clear view of the line being copied. The smaller wheel is useful for tight curves.

The pounce wheel still retains a use in transferring images through opaque materials, although the full pounce process does not need to be used.

To copy part of one stage of a design onto a new one without using tracing or carbon papers you only need to layer a new sheet of paper under the current design and run the pounce wheel over the parts you want to copy. As you move the wheel along, it punctures through the top layer into the lower layer. Normally, the puncture marks are all that are needed to be able to reproduce the original lines.

A crude pounced design

You can also get symmetrical images by folding the paper along the centre line and running the pounce wheel over the line. Unfold the paper and use the puncture marks to make lines symmetrical to the other side.

You can use the wheel to create mirror images by running the pounce wheel over the card, turn the card over and draw using the puncture marks.

Lead knives

The advantage of lead knives over lead dykes are that a wider variety of angles can be made with the knife. There are a number of varieties of lead knives - ranging from adapted paint scrapers to specially made sophisticated tools.

The technique in using a knife is to wiggle or rock the blade with some moderate pressure down through the lead came. Excessive pressure will twist the came rather than cut it cleanly and squarely. When you find the effort or time required to cut through the came has increased, it is time to sharpen the blade. The sharpening angle should be very acute. You can use a fine oil stone or wet and dry sand paper to hone the cutting edge. You can also use a little bit of wax or soap on the blade to ease its passage through the came.

The most simple knife is a stiff paint scraper. The blade should be of good steel so that it takes and retains the sharpening that is needed from time to time. This blade works best by wiggling through the came.

A range of cutting tools:  left - lead snips/dykes; middle - curved knife; right - paint scraper type.

Another style of lead knife has a curved blade. This has a number of variations. This knife works both by wiggling and by rocking.

Experience and personal preference will determine which style you settle on. The important elements are to make sure it is made from good steel and that it fits your hand comfortably.

You can add a metal end to the handle to provide a tool with more uses, especially as a hammer to put the nails into the board, or to snug up wooden borders, sometimes even gently tap the glass into place.

Also look at the use of lead dykes.

Large Edge Cames

The purposes for large perimeter cames are several.

Easy adjustment on site. It is often the case that windows are not totally regular in their dimensions, even though you have taken the measurements carefully. Variations in width and height can be accommodated by shaving the lead in appropriate places. This avoids having to take the panel back to the studio to reduce the size of the glass and put new perimeter came on the panel.

The width of the rebate has an effect on the width of the came to be used. The wider the rebate, the wider came you will want to use. The minimum width of came you want to use with a 10mm wide rebate is 10mm came. This will give a maximum of 2.5 mm of came showing if you have a glazing allowance of 5mm. Often 12 mm came is better. In general the came should be wider than the rebate is, but not so wide that the heart of the lead is outside the rebate. In church windows, where the panels are installed into the stone, the cames are frequently 16mm or 25mm wide to accommodate the variations in width and the flexibility needed to get the panels into the slots.

Aesthetics have an effect on the width of the perimeter came too. Various people want more or less came showing. The important limitation is that the heart of the lead should be within the rebate.

In autonomous panels the need for large edge cames is to act as a framing device. Zinc might be used but there are other possibilities than using a different metal that will provide as good or better solutions.