getting started : mosaic setup checklist

// December 16th, 2013 // Mosaicing guides, Safety, Tools

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safety

• Safety glasses – always wear these when cutting/breaking materials for your mosaic, or when using power tools (it’s much easier to put on a pair of safety glasses than replace an eye!)
• Dust mask – wear it when mixing dried grout, mortar (cement mix), pigment etc., also when sanding/grinding your substrate or tesserae.
• Latex gloves – grout and mortar mixes are caustic. Wear latex gloves when grouting to prevent skin irritation.
• Soft brush, eg; wide paint brush – to sweep dust etc. from your mosaic project. Never sweep away glass shards with your bare hands!

tools

• Wheeled mosaic cutters – a versatile tool for cutting/shaping tesserae from a variety of mosaic materials.
• Tile nippers – use for cutting/shaping thicker tiles etc. into tesserae.
• Tile scorer/breaker – cuts larger ceramic tiles along a straight line.
• Tweezers (various sizes) – to pickup/move tesserae. Useful for moving a piece without disturbing surrounding tesserae.
• Craft sticks – for applying adhesive/mastic to back of tesserae, or spreading adhesive directly onto substrate.
• Assortment of probe type tools (dental picks etc.) for positioning mosaic tesserae. A pottery needle can be used to clean excess adhesive from grout lines, and to unplug glue bottles.
• Hammer (see Hessian sack) for smashing tiles/plates etc. – always remember to wear protective glasses, and gloves if smashing glass or thin materials which may have sharp edges.
• Hessian sack (see Hammer). Place tiles/plates etc into sack before smashing, this will prevent pieces flying everywhere.
• Tools for grouting – rubber float, spatuals, trowel, grooved spreader, and sponges.
• Newspaper – for cleanup after grouting. Also useful as drop-sheet. Never dispose of grout or cement down the drain!

non-essential tools

• Hammer & hardie – traditional tool for cutting marble and smalti.
• Carborundum stone – to smooth rough edges of cut glass.
• Glass grinder (electric) – to smooth and shape edges of cut glass.
• Glass cutter – for scoring stained glass; the glass will break along this line using one of the tools listed below.
• Breaker pliers – for snapping smaller pieces of stained glass along score-line.
• Grozing pliers – helps to smooth the edge of jagged cuts.
• Breaker/Grozing pliers – combination with breaking pliers on one jaw & grozing pliers on the opposite jaw.
• Running pliers – use to snap stained glass along longer, straight or curved score-lines.

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