How to use a glass cutter
A glass cutter is an inexpensive tool which is easy to use. There are a few simple rules to learn.
Most glass cutting and glass repair around the home is done with glass less 1/8" or 3mm thick. Glass cutting done on glass of this thickness is easy.
Before you use the glass
cutter make sure you pay attention to the sharp edges of the glass you are working on. professional glass cutters wear
leather aprons to protect themselves if they accidently rub up against sharp glass edges.
Glass is so sharp that you can cut yourself
without even feeling the initial contact. Make sure you do your glass repair work safely.
Glass cutting begins with a straightedge or a tee square to guide your glass cutter. At the starting poin for the cut
spray a little WD-40 or silicone lubricant on the glass to keep the glass cutter cutting wheel lubricated. Or dip the glass cutter in a little container of light oil.
Apply firm pressure on the glass cutter, enough to hear the glass cutter scratching the surface of the glass workpiece.
Slide the glass cutter along the straightedge in one continuous stroke. Do not go back and try to recut, you will damage
the glass cutter wheel. Practice cutting in one stroke untill you try your good piece.
After the cut has been made slide the glass so that the cut line is lined up with the sharp edge of your
cutting table. If your glass is small, you can use a piece of plywood with a nice sharp edge as glass breaking edge.
Hold the glass flat against the table and grasp the scrap side of the glass which you want to remove and push down
gently. The glass will break easily along the line you scored in it with the glass cutter. If the scrap side is less than
4 inches wide you can grab it with pliers. Twist the pliers downward to crack the glass.
After you cut glass, the edge will be extremely sharp. Take some 80 grit emery cloth and sand down the edges untill they
are no longer sharp and are safe to touch. Only a little sanding is necessary to accomplish this.
Sometimes with a long
piece of glass, you may not get a clean break line, you may have rough spots on the edge. You can sand these off with
emery cloth too, although it may take a little longer to sand. Glass shops use Emery cloth belts in their power belt sanders to quickly grind these areas down.
Do your glass cutting slowly and carefully and make sure your work area is uncluttered so that you have room to work. You dont want to cut the glass and break it when you bump into something too close to your work table.
Types of Glass Cutter
If you are going to be drilling holes in glass, check the tips on this page about Glass Drill Bits
Click the Aluminum window glass repair link for more information on how to repair broken glass in aluminum storm doors and aluminum framed windows.
The Wood window glass repair link will be helpful if you have older wood framed windows with broken glass panes in them.
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