Cutting window glass
 

So, I've got a busted window, and I've got a lot of window glass
salvaged from another project, and I've got a glass cutter I inherited
from my father, and I think, "How hard can it be to cut a piece of
glass to fit this window?"

Answer: pretty hard.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
2) clean the glass first
3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
6) tap along the cut
7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Any advice?

Is there any way to make a series of short cuts instead of one long
one?

Thanks,

--- Chip

Cutting window glass
 

"Charles H. Buchholtz" wrote in message
...
So, I've got a busted window, and I've got a lot of window glass
salvaged from another project, and I've got a glass cutter I inherited
from my father, and I think, "How hard can it be to cut a piece of
glass to fit this window?"

Answer: pretty hard.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
2) clean the glass first
3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
5 1/2) Place the cut along a table edge and place a board over the part on
the table covering up to near the cut and press down firmly.
6) tap along the cut
7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Any advice?

Is there any way to make a series of short cuts instead of one long
one?

Thanks,

--- Chip

Cutting window glass
 

Cutting glass with a good cutter isn't that difficult..

However, old glass is hardly worth working with if it isn't the correct size
to begin with.. Glass gets harder and more difficult with age (years).

Also, the glass cutters with the little metal wheel are not the best. A
diamond tipped cutter is best.

When you score you glass, make sure it is laying on a 'dead flat' surface.
Avoid putting weight onto it other than to score the surface.

Use a good straight edge. Start your score at one end of your straight edge
and follow through continiously to the other end. Don't go over your score a
second time, Big mistake if you do!

No need to score the opposite side unless it is laminated safety glass.

Once scored, you should be able to snap it off over the edge of your work
table.

If you scored it correctly with a good quality cutter, you should have a
clean cut and now need for trimming.

Steve

Cutting window glass
 

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 00:51:57 +0000 (UTC),
(Charles H. Buchholtz) wrote:

So, I've got a busted window, and I've got a lot of window glass
salvaged from another project, and I've got a glass cutter I inherited
from my father, and I think, "How hard can it be to cut a piece of
glass to fit this window?"

Answer: pretty hard.

Here's what I've learned so far:

1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
2) clean the glass first
3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
6) tap along the cut
7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Any advice?

Is there any way to make a series of short cuts instead of one long
one?

Thanks,

--- Chip

Get a straight and sharp length of material (wood works fine) and
position the glass score over the edge. The glass should snap easily.
If you are trying to cut a long narrow piece, sandwich the glass
between two pieces of material. It is more difficult to cut several
short pieces than a long one, you'll end up with a serrated edge.
Sandpaper the freshly cut edge.

Cutting window glass
 

Charles H. Buchholtz ) wrote:

: Here's what I've learned so far:

: 1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
: 2) clean the glass first
: 3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
: 4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
: 5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
: 6) tap along the cut
: 7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

: I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
: straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Well, I've learned something else: "Make sure the glass is not
tempered glass". The short practive cuts were in smaller sheets of
regular glass, but it turns out that the large sheet I had (which I
didn't want to practice on because it was the only one big enough for
the window) was tempered glass. I could score it perfectly, clamp it
to a table along the score line, and sit on it and bounce up and down
and it wouldn't break.

But I've got no problem cutting the regular glass I was practicing on.

Thank you all for your help,

--- Chip

Cutting window glass
 

"Charles H. Buchholtz" wrote in message
...
Charles H. Buchholtz ) wrote:

: Here's what I've learned so far:

: 1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
: 2) clean the glass first
: 3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
: 4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
: 5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
: 6) tap along the cut
: 7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

: I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
: straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Well, I've learned something else: "Make sure the glass is not
tempered glass". The short practive cuts were in smaller sheets of
regular glass, but it turns out that the large sheet I had (which I
didn't want to practice on because it was the only one big enough for
the window) was tempered glass. I could score it perfectly, clamp it
to a table along the score line, and sit on it and bounce up and down
and it wouldn't break.

But I've got no problem cutting the regular glass I was practicing on.

Thank you all for your help,

--- Chip

if it was tempered glass, it would have shattered into a bazillion pieces
when you first cut at the edge.

Cutting window glass
 

Charles Spitzer ) wrote:

: if it was tempered glass, it would have shattered into a bazillion pieces
: when you first cut at the edge.

Well, I cut with a wheeled cutter and got a good crackling sound and
left a groove I could feel with my fingernail. But I could sit on it
and bounce up and down and it wouldn't break. The piece of glass was
criss-crossed with grooves, because I kept trying slightly different
techniques to try to get it to break.

Finally, I gave up and asked my local hardware store to come over and
replace my window pane. I described what happened, and they said that
if it didn't break when I jumped up and down on it, it must be
tempered glass.

So, I figured I'd throw out the sheet I had been working on, since it
was criss-crossed with scratches and I couldn't cut it anyhow. Since
it wouldn't fit in the trash, and it was already clamped to my work
table with a section overhanging, I figured I'd just hit it with
hammer to break it into pieces. I took an eight pound hammer, put on
my goggles, and whacked it. The hammer bounced off. I whacked it
harder - same thing. So I raised up that hammer and really put some
back into it. That's when the glass shattered into a zillion tiny
pieces. The entire pane shattered - even the part that was clamped
flat to the table.

So I don't know if it was safety glass or tempered glass or something
else, but I don't feel so bad about not being able to cut it.

--- Chip

Cutting window glass
 

On 12-Nov-2003, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

Charles H. Buchholtz ) wrote:

: Here's what I've learned so far:

: 1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
: 2) clean the glass first
: 3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
: 4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
: 5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
: 6) tap along the cut
: 7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

: I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45" long
: straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Well, I've learned something else: "Make sure the glass is not
tempered glass". The short practive cuts were in smaller sheets of
regular glass, but it turns out that the large sheet I had (which I
didn't want to practice on because it was the only one big enough for
the window) was tempered glass. I could score it perfectly, clamp it
to a table along the score line, and sit on it and bounce up and down
and it wouldn't break.

But I've got no problem cutting the regular glass I was practicing on.

Thank you all for your help,

--- Chip

if it was tempered glass, it would have shattered into a bazillion pieces
when you first cut at the edge.

Huh? I don't think tempered glass would shatter like you mention. Safety
glass would, but not tempered glass. It's my understanding that tempered
glass is designed NOT to shatter and is used in larger window and door
glass, or for glass shelves where higher strength is necessary

Cutting window glass
 

"Daniel L. Belton" wrote in message
...

On 12-Nov-2003, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

Charles H. Buchholtz ) wrote:

: Here's what I've learned so far:

: 1) get an new glass cutter, the old one is dull
: 2) clean the glass first
: 3) lubricate the cutter with kerosene
: 4) cut in *one* smooth stroke
: 5) bear down hard, should hear a crackling sound
: 6) tap along the cut
: 7) snap the glass while the cut is fresh

: I can do short cuts, up to about 2 feet. But I need to do a 45"
long
: straight cut, and the glass just won't snap!

Well, I've learned something else: "Make sure the glass is not
tempered glass". The short practive cuts were in smaller sheets of
regular glass, but it turns out that the large sheet I had (which I
didn't want to practice on because it was the only one big enough for
the window) was tempered glass. I could score it perfectly, clamp it
to a table along the score line, and sit on it and bounce up and down
and it wouldn't break.

But I've got no problem cutting the regular glass I was practicing on.

Thank you all for your help,

--- Chip

if it was tempered glass, it would have shattered into a bazillion
pieces
when you first cut at the edge.

Huh? I don't think tempered glass would shatter like you mention. Safety
glass would, but not tempered glass. It's my understanding that tempered
glass is designed NOT to shatter and is used in larger window and door
glass, or for glass shelves where higher strength is necessary

then you thunk wrong. you're thinking of safety or laminated glass, which is
in car windshields. the rest of the car windows are tempered, and can be
shattered by taking a nail and ramming it hard into the glass, preferably in
an edge. a blunt object (like a wide faced hammer, like the OP used) won't
shatter tempered glass without a good deal of effort. i've seen people drive
golf balls into tempered glass from short range without any breaks.

Cutting window glass
 

On 13-Nov-2003, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

Huh? I don't think tempered glass would shatter like you mention.
Safety
glass would, but not tempered glass. It's my understanding that
tempered
glass is designed NOT to shatter and is used in larger window and door
glass, or for glass shelves where higher strength is necessary

then you thunk wrong. you're thinking of safety or laminated glass, which
is
in car windshields. the rest of the car windows are tempered, and can be
shattered by taking a nail and ramming it hard into the glass, preferably
in
an edge. a blunt object (like a wide faced hammer, like the OP used) won't
shatter tempered glass without a good deal of effort. i've seen people
drive
golf balls into tempered glass from short range without any breaks.

Guess I did thunk wrong :)