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Ed Stephanie Vinces create kinetic, mixed media, art sculptures. I typically work with smalti, vitreous glass, semi-precious stones, marble, quartz, silver, copper and found objects. I needed finer control when creating tesserae, controlling the cut and reducing waste in the materials was our goal. This mosaic chopper is designed for use with smalti, and softer stones rated up to 7 on the Mohs scale. That means sandstones, marble, some types of river rocks, quartz, and porcelain. It will not split granite, some high fire tile and may shatter some stained-glass materials. I do not use plates or china in my work, however I assume it will probably shatter like the glass does. If you are uncertain about your materials, send us a few pieces and we will test them for you.
We introduced the chopper at the 2012 San Mateo Maker’s Faire. Ed continues to make improvements on the design. The ¾ inch cutting blades close on opposite sides of the material with a 1/2-ton pressure, providing minimal effort to split the materials. There is a stop adjustment that keeps the blades from touching, making them safer and longer lasting. The blades are made with cobalt high-speed steel giving a sharper edge for more accurate precise cuts.