On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 07:01:23 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

Yes a carbourundum stone IME takes the sharp edges off glass and makes it
safe(er) to handle, leaving a rough surface. Wet'n'dry works less well, a
diamond knife sharpener would also work. Non of these will produce the
polished finish you find on commercial mirrors. To get the polished
finish, you would need to follow this up with several grades of polishing
compound, each finer than the last, which is probably not practical in a
DIY environment.

I have a cheap whetstone, about 5"x2", that I use for glass edges. The coarse
side will leave a rough edge, even ragged if I get impatient and press too much.
It's good for knocking back a point when the score-and-snap's run out, though.
Press too hard, and the edge chips in many tiny scallops.

The fine side will leave a much finer surface, if used gently. It'll be like the
ground glass in a glass stopper, a milky opaque. I wouldn't call it a polished
finish, but with patience, getting a smooth, rounded, milky edge on glass is
possible.

It might be possible to get a finer finish use wet'n'dry, but I'd be well out of
patience long before it becomes an issue on a piece of glass that size. It's
easier to scratch the surface with something soft and floppy than with a solid
stone, too.


Thomas Prufer