Suncatcher Kits Have you been thinking of taking up stained glass as a hobby but don't think you have the time, money or room in your home.
Well let me discount some of those misconceptions for you.
Obviously your first project should not be to put together a 4' X 6' stained glass window for the neighbourhood church building.
When starting a new hobby or craft of any kind, one must start with the smallest easiest way possible.
With stained glass, suncatcher kits fit the bill just right.
Quick and Easy Suncatcher kits are pre-cut and pre-grinded to fit together perfectly, eliminating the need for a glass cutter or grinder.
That in itself saves you many hours of your precious time.
Here's how it works.

1. Pre-cut kits let you skip the design stage which involves figuring out what your project is going to look like as a whole, and how all the individual pieces are going to look like and fit together.
   
2. Secondly you would need to select and purchase the glass pieces you need according to the colors, patterns and textures you've chosen for the look of your project.
   
3. Third you would need to transfer the resulting pattern to your glass then cut and grind all the pieces to a perfect fit.
   

As you can see, allot of the time consuming work has been done for you, saving you countless hours.
Save Money No cutting and no grinding also means a savings of hundreds of dollars.
All you need to start putting together your suncatcher is foil, a soldering iron, flux and solder.
Most suncatcher pre-cut kits run from $15 to $40, with more advanced kits going all the way up to $150.
The only tool you will need is a soldering iron which will cost you around $30 for a cheap one.
And you will need foil, flux and solder for about $25 to put everything together.
The biggest savings however is from the equipment you don't have to purchase.
A grinder represents an investment of at least $90, and a glass cutter around $20.
Remember, these prices are the cheapest you can find for new products and are not necessarily the best.
Kitchen Studio Yes, your kitchen counter top or dining room table is all you need to create most size stained glass projects.
The benefits of having a studio or dedicated area for stained glass is having the luxury of leaving all your work, supplies and equipment out instead of having to put them away between sessions.
Unless you want to make a living from your work or become very serious about your craft all you need is a work surface and bit of storage space to put your stuff away.
Re-cap In a nutshell, here's the cost of your first stained glass project.

1. Pre-cut Kit: $15 - $40.
   
2. Soldering Iron: $30 - $60.
   
3. Flux, Solder and Foil: $25.
   

Your initial cost is anywhere from $70 to $125.
Obviously, you won't need to buy a new iron for every project you do and the supplies will last for several pieces.
So your next projects would only require paying for the kit.
Expand as Needed If you fall in love with this hobby -and you probably will- you can then expand and purchase the equipment needed to create your own custom work.
Pre-cut kits are a very good way to get your first taste of stained glass and see if you'll like it.
They are not limited to suncatchers however; there are also night light kits and ring panels and votives.