Mosaic Tools
The tools needed for working with stained glass tiles are a combination of tile working and glass working tools. You will need glass cutting tools to shape your design and tile tools to grout and finish your work.
Bohle Classic American Stained Glass Mosaic Tile Cutter/Nipper
This professional quality cutter is designed to easily cut small pieces or strips of glass. Also cuts ceramic tile, terrazzo, shells and stone up to 1/4" thick. These nippers are great for mosaics! Use them to trim tiles to fit irregular spaces and fill in small gaps. A hex wrench is included to turn cutter wheels to a fresh spot when they start to dull.
Pistol Grip Glass Cutter
If you need to cut longer, precision cuts you will need a glass cutter. This tool has a carbide wheel that scores the glass and lets you break the glass along the scored line. The pistol grip supercutter pictured is a popular choice, but many styles of cutter are available. The cheap cutters from the hardware store will cut glass, but to avoid a lot of frustration an oil filled cutter is worth the price, especially if you are new to glass cutting.
Toyo Solid Brass Professional Glass Cutter
This solid brass oil filled cutter comes with a TC-10H professional quality cutting head. The knurled handle is painted dark gray, and the brass oil fill plug is o-ring sealed.
Running Pliers
Used to break the glass along the line that is scored with the cutter. The jaws are plastic coated and angled to put pressure on the glass in just the right spot to break the glass where you want it to break.
Breaking pliers and grozing pliers are flat tipped pliers used to break off small pieces of glass that are too small for the running pliers.