Here are some pics of the fireplace: Fireplace with gas on- Open flue-8"- Gas burner- Gas line coming in from underneath firebox- Underneath firebox Plexiglass cover used when fireplace is being used: Information plate.....lever to close air combustion kit toward bottom. It is in the closed position but still seems to leak air: Fireplace when gas is off- Gas burner- Air combustion vent: Top of chimney-

From reading different posts on the GW it would appear that "Maryland irisman" and I are about the same age and we seem to have a number of similar interests. I too, have been doing stained glass projects as a hobby for about 25 yrs and if I have learned nothing else from the hobby, I have certainly learned that not all glass cutters are created equally and this is certainly one of those areas where you get what you pay for however even an el cheapo will cut glass if the tool is properly used and maintained. Keep in mind that even though you may be able to buy a glass cutter for $4 or $5 none-the-less, a glass cutter is a fairly precision piece of equipment. Far too often a homeowner or DIY'er will buy an inexpensive glass cutter then just toss it in the top tray of their tool box, where it is constantly slammed around with the other tools then after months of slamming around, no doubt picking up dirt and debris, they have need to cut a piece of glass so they take it out and begin scoring glass without so much as a hint of oil on the cutter, or worse yet, they do properly oil the cutter when using it, but then toss it back into the tool box where the oil will now convert dust into a pasty sludge which totally fouls the cutting wheel. (Hint-stop by a local tobacco shop and ask them for one of the plastic tubes that expensive cigars come packed in. They make an excellent storage case for your glass cutter). On most glass cutters the cutting wheel is on the heavy end of the tool, and if you happen to drop a glass cutter it is almost a forgone conclusion that it will land cutter wheel first on the floor, and as luck would have it, that is more often than not a concrete floor. Scratch one glass cutter! Keep in mind that the cutter wheel must rotate freely for the entire length of your score line. Before you begin scoring the glass you must first make sure the glass surface is clean. Even a microscopic film of grease or dirt will cause the wheel to momentarily skip leaving an uneven score line which will lead to disaster. Before you begin cutting use a clean paper towel and alcohol to clean the score line then give it a minute or two for any residual alcohol to evaporate. While you are waiting for the alcohol to evaporate take a moment to rotate the wheel with your finger to insure it rotates freely, then apply a drop or two of oil just before you begin your score line. When making the score line you must apply a firm even pressure and complete the entire length of the score line in one smooth even motion. Absolutely do not even attempt to go back over the score line because that will introduce a second score line which will cause the break to run erratic and more often than not, break the entire sheet. Once you have the score line the real trick to glass cutting is how you make the breakout. At this point a good pair of leather work gloves is a must. Now hold both your hands in a loose fist as if you were giving the old "Thumbs Up" sign. Now, holding your hands under the glass with an index finger tight against the underside, one hand on each side of the score line, hold down on the top of the glass with your thumb. If you are right handed you will now use your left hand to hold the glass steady while you begin a slight rotation downward with the right hand as if you were trying to fold the glass down on the score line. (If your left handed reverse the procedure). Within a moment you will see the fracture begin and run down the score line to the opposite end of the glass. When learning to cut glass expect to have problems at first until you get the hang of it. This is one case were practice makes perfect. Before you attempt to make a critical cut I would strongly suggest you get a few old scrap window panes and practice until you feel you have the technique down pat. It doesn't take nearly as much force to break the score line as one might expect. I have a pair of "Glazers Pliers" that look very similar to a pair of electricians linesman pliers, except that on the glazers pliers when viewed from the end one jaw is convex and the other jaw is concave, and both jaws are covered with a vinyl coating. To use glazers pliers you center the jaw over the score line and squeeze the handles and "voila"" a perfect breakout, even when making those tiny 3/8" or 1/2" edge cuts. (Glazers pliers are about $40 and I would not expect the average homeowner to cut enough glass to justify them, but if you anticipate cutting a lot of glass, or making intricate cuts you may want to consider them.) My personal preference in glass cutters is an oil filled glass cutter. Oil filled glass cutters have a hollow tubular handle that serves as a reservoir for cutting oil and they slowly feed the oil to the cutting wheel. Here again, these are a bit pricey for the average homeowner but if you anticipate cutting a lot of glass they are worth every penny. Oil filled cutters start out at about $24 and run up into the hundreds. The one I use now sells for about $39, but you can be sure it was not that much when I bought it back in 1984.

These are solid maple, but you can get all different kinds. They are black, so yes, they matched the website. The other ones I ordered were stained a brown color and were a little lighter than I had hoped, so if you need to match a certain color then it might be a risk.

If you'd like to paint some of your suncatchers Gallery Glass works great on plexi and will become permanent. I also use small cut plexi shapes for Christmas ornaments and etch them or paint them either with Gallery Glass, regular acrylics, or acrylic enamels. Whichever you choose to do here are some links to some of my favorite free stained glass pattern sites that are great for painting, etching, and carving into plexi, wood, or glass using your dremel...I love my Dremels! http://chantal-stainedglasspatterns.com/1suncatcher1.html http://www.stainedglass.on.ca/free%20pattern.htm http://www.panedexpressions.com/free-stained-glass-patterns-archive.html http://www.glasspainting.co.uk/ http://www.warner-criv.com/patterns.aspx http://www.colebrothers.com/pattsell/ http://www.glassartpatterns.com/free-stained-glass-projects9.asp http://stainedglasspatterns.com/index.php