Basic methods of cutting glass: with and without a glass cutter

Features of glass cutting

The material is very popular in the production of windows, photo frames, aquariums and other structures. Before starting work, it is important to carefully study the physical properties of glass. Unlike concrete or plastic, glass sheets, which are hard and brittle, require a more delicate and precise approach.

Sharp edges of the material require compliance with certain safety regulations. Hands must be completely covered with gloves made of thick fabric. It is recommended to work in long sleeves and special safety glasses, which will protect your eyes in the event of sudden chipping of sharp elements.

An example of neglect of safety precautions when cutting glass Source javlad.ru

Since glass must be cut with extreme precision, it is worth taking care of a solid base. Heavy workbenches with a flat top are best. To reduce the number of fragments, it is recommended to cover them with a layer of soft fabric, which will also perform an anti-slip function, holding the sheet in place.

Types of glass and features of work

Cutting ordinary glass does not pose any difficulties. Not only glass cutters, but also ordinary tailor’s scissors do an excellent job with this task. But what should those who have set themselves the task of obtaining a glass product with a more complex configuration do? To do this, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the properties of some glasses.

• Tempered glass products. In fact, to cut tempered glass at home - it loses its properties. If you want to purchase an item with elements of this material, it is worth considering cutting it in the early stages. In addition, work with it must be carried out by professionals, since the hardening process of the resulting product can only be carried out under certain conditions.
• Corrugated glass. This patterned glass is especially popular in glazing doors or creating decorative interior elements. Unlike tempered glass, you can cut such glass yourself. Working with it is not much different from working with ordinary glass, the only difference is that the cut is made from the smooth side. A roller glass cutter is best suited for this.
• Acrylic or organic glass is a transparent plastic created on the basis of synthetic resins. No special tools are required to cut it. At home, a metal saw, cutter and other tools used for edge processing do an excellent job of this task. In addition, a regular stationery knife can handle glass whose thickness does not exceed 2 mm.

In any case, it is worth remembering that working with any glass must be accompanied by compliance with certain precautions. The presence of thick gloves and safety glasses are the main conditions for ensuring your own safety. It will not be superfluous to take care of the arrangement of the workplace. Since working with glass involves the presence of fragments, cover the work surface with any material that you won’t mind getting rid of. Feeling safe will allow you to achieve the best results.

Sources:

https://vopros-remont.ru/obshhie-voprosy/kak-rezat-steklo-pravilno-uchimsya-rezke-svoimi-rukami/

Selection of glass for cutting

High-quality material not only retains its consumer characteristics longer, but is also better suited to working with glass cutters. You can determine which glass is suitable for the job by looking at its end part. Inexpensive specimens, as a rule, are distinguished by a bright green color, indicating a large number of ferrous compounds in their composition. This glass is more fragile and cheaper. A quality product has light blue ends.

A bluish cut is a guarantee of high-quality glass Source steklooo.ru

Regardless of what you use to cut glass, it is important to correctly select the optimal thickness of the material used. The basic rule when selecting raw materials is the ratio of area to height. A 1x1 m glass sheet with a thickness of 2 mm will most likely burst at the first awkward movement. 2-3 mm can be used safely with a sheet area of ​​50-60 square meters. cm. Thicker glass of 4 mm can have an area of ​​up to 100 square meters. cm. For most household tasks, a sheet 4 mm thick is used.

Preparing glass for cutting

Cleaning and degreasing the glass sheet are mandatory components of the process. The sheet of material is placed on a stable, flat surface. The front side is wiped, removing all dust, dirt and stains. Using flammable substances - alcohol or kerosene, the glass is degreased and left to dry for 15 minutes. It is not necessary to process the back side when cutting.

Degreasing glass before cutting Source nashaotdelka.ru

If the blade is not being used for the first time, before cutting the glass, it is recommended to treat the ends from chips and corner breaks. To do this, the edges are processed with a Dremel with a glass polishing attachment. Only after making sure that the geometry is ideal can you begin the procedure.

How to cut glass

A sheet of glass is not as easy to cut as it seems at first. To make a glass cut, preparation is necessary.

Preparation

1. Absolutely new glass will only need to be thoroughly cleaned of dust and wiped dry with newspaper; fabric is not suitable for such work.
2. If you have to cut old glass, you should first degrease it, after which the glass is washed well with water and detergents.
3. After all the above manipulations, the glass will need to be dried in a closed and clean room.

Cut glass

Preparatory work also includes cutting glass and preparing containers for waste collection. There should be two containers, that is, for collecting small waste and for collecting larger ones, which may be useful for something in the future.

When cutting glass, it is best to start with simple window glass and then move on to more complex options.

How to properly scratch

When cutting a groove, loads are created that work to shear the surface layer.

They cause deformations that form microscopic surface, lateral and deep cracks.

The correct cut is ensured only by those microcracks that are directed into the depth of the material - the middle ones. All others are not needed. They must be avoided.

The cutting quality is affected by:

• cutter sharpening angle;
• roller diameter;
• pressure on glass;
• position of the cutting organ.

Glass cutting technique

1. First you need to prepare a table or other surface for cutting glass. The surface is covered with four or five layers of newspaper; this procedure is necessary to protect the table from glass chips. This will also distribute the pressure of the glass onto the table surface, preventing the glass from cracking.
2. The glass sheet is placed on the table, and it is necessary to retreat five or seven centimeters from the edge of the tabletop. In order to fix the body and at the same time move the body freely above the cut site, it is best to place your feet shoulder-width apart. This body position allows you to achieve good results.
3. When cutting glass, it is best to hold the blade with your free hand to avoid vibration. But keep in mind that glass is a fragile material and with more pressure it can crack.
4. Use a glass cutter to draw a line from one edge to the other. In this case, the glass cutter wheel must be guided clearly along the marked line and the glass cutter must also be at a right angle.

When using a diamond glass cutter , you need to hold it at the very bottom of the handle and smoothly draw a line along the ruler, almost without pressing on the glass.

When cutting glass with a roller glass cutter, slight pressure is required and when the glass cutter moves, a whitish stripe appears on the glass surface, deeper than when using a diamond tool.

How does the roller sharpening angle affect the cut?

As an example, let’s look at the designs of three cutters designed to work on industrial glass cutters of automatic robots.

The direction of the forces pushing the surface layer apart when creating a scratch is always perpendicular to the pressing plane. A sharper roller deflects the acting force more widely from the normal to the surface, creating a smaller area of ​​stress penetration.

To cut thick glass, use a tool with a wider sharpening angle, and for thin materials, use sharp ones.

On factory models of glass cutters, the sharpening angle is already created to work with standard glass used for domestic purposes.

How does the roller diameter affect the cut?

Smaller dimensions allow better scratching of the outer surface of the workpiece. However, the designs of the glass cutter have already been adjusted at the factory to optimal performance, and the home craftsman will not be able to change anything here.

The tool is purchased ready-made with standard roller diameters. As they lose their sharpness, which rarely occurs in everyday life, the dull part is simply replaced with a backup one.

How does pressure on the roller affect the cut?

The depth of penetration of a scratch into the glass depends on the applied cutting force. When choosing a sharper cutter for thin material, you should take into account that it is dangerous to create a high load with it, because you can simply crush the material.

To make it easier to cut the workpiece when performing such work, always ensure that the glass is clean and treat its surface with special liquids that:

• lubricate the roller;
• provide a hydraulic cushion;
• reduce the effect of the Rebinder effect, reducing the strength of the outer surface;
• wedge the material.

At home, you can easily get by with kerosene for these purposes. It is convenient to apply it manually with a piece of rag or use a specially designed glass cutter.

How does the roller position affect the cut?

The picture with the sharpening angles of the cutter makes it clear that the roller must be guided strictly perpendicular to the glass surface.

Its deviation from the normal will lead to lateral displacement of the median crack and incorrect chipping.

About the number of cuts

There is a misconception among beginners that one scratch is not enough and that several repetitions must be done. They say they will deepen the crack. So such masters use a glass cutter several times in the same place.

This is a gross mistake: with each movement, repeated deformations of the material and additional cracks are created in all directions. They reduce the overall strength of the workpiece and can lead to improper fracture during bending.

Possible mistakes

When there is a river of glass, there are two mistakes:

1. The pressure with a glass cutter can be too strong;
2. The glass cutter is carried out several times in the same place.

Methods for cutting glass sheets without a glass cutter

The first thing that comes to mind when it is necessary to divide the canvas into several parts is a classic glass cutter. Despite its cheapness and widespread use, there are times when you simply don’t have the right tool at hand. In these circumstances, the following may help:

• burning thread;
• scissors;
• soldering iron;
• diamond disc.

Handy tools for cutting glass Source ogorod.ru
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in finishing materials and related work

Since cutting glass without a glass cutter is quite difficult if you lack experience, it is not recommended to use the methods presented above for sheets thicker than 8 mm. Insufficient cutting ability of available tools will most likely lead to chips and uneven edges.

Cutting glass using a burning thread

To obtain an even cutting line, you will need a wool thread and a flammable substance - alcohol or kerosene. Although the method is most often used to separate glass bottles, with proper skill it can also be used with ordinary glass.

Important! Considering the possible fire hazard of the method, it is recommended to have a bucket of water or sand nearby when working.

Before cutting glass in this way, the thread is impregnated with a flammable substance. It is wrapped around the bottle or applied along the cut line and pressed tightly. The thread is set on fire and waited for complete burning. Immediately after this, the cut site is watered with cold water. Due to temperature changes, the glass cracks, forming a straight line.

Using a soldering iron

A soldering station or burning machine allows you to make both straight and shaped lines in glass up to 6-8 mm thick. The main disadvantage of this procedure is the rather long time required for high-quality implementation.

Using a soldering iron to cut glass Source ytimg.com

Before cutting the glass, the soldering iron is heated to maximum temperature. A line for the future cut is made on the glass sheet. The line is burned from the end with a soldering iron. 1-2 mm are retreated from the resulting point and the next cauterization is performed until a microcrack appears. Having finished the line, the canvas is carefully divided into two parts.

Cutting glass with scissors and a diamond blade

There is no perfect way to cut glass without a glass cutter. Almost every method is a compromise between an ideal, straight cut line and working speed. Scissors allow you to separate the glass sheet as quickly as possible. The procedure will require sharp scissors and a bowl of water. The glass is placed in water and quickly separated into pieces.

Cutting glass with scissors Source moiinstrumentu.ru

Compared to the previous method, diamond blades allow you to obtain a perfect cutting line. A special disc for cutting stone and ceramic tiles is put on an angle grinder. The cut is made very carefully so as not to break the glass. The best result can be obtained using a tile cutter, but this method is only suitable for canvas with an area of ​​no more than 50 square meters. cm.

Glass processing at home

Many people are wary of working with glass and limit themselves to simple operations like repairing a broken window. But glass is an amazing material, and not all craftsmen know that at home it can be processed no worse than in production. Oleg Abramov shares his secrets.

The molecular structure of glass allows it to be cut, sawed, drilled, sanded, glued, engraved, bent, and even drawn into threads!

A glass cutter is required to cut glass. Roller glass cutters are most often used.

A - glass cutters with such a handle were produced forty years ago. Their advantage is a heavy head, which is convenient for tapping the cutting line.

B and C are cheap Chinese glass cutters. Sold under the brands Jobo, Kraftool, Stayer. They are difficult to use for cutting glass due to the poor quality of the rollers and glass cutter head. On Kraftool, the damaged teeth of the head are clearly visible after breaking off the glass.

D - professional roller glass cutter Silberschnitt. My favorite model. A universal and reliable tool.

The professional oil glass cutter Touo TS-17 is good for curved cuts. If you need to regularly cut glass, you shouldn’t skimp on a glass cutter. Although professional glass cutters are not cheap, it will cost more to damage glass. And the most expensive part in a professional glass cutter is the roller.

READ How to cut plastic skirting boards with cable ducts

The rollers are made of alloyed stainless steel. They vary in sharpening angle, usually 130-165 degrees. Rollers with a sharpening angle of 130 degrees are used for cutting glass with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm, and those sharpened at an angle of 140-150 degrees are used for cutting glass with a thickness of 4-10 mm. For glass thicker than 10 mm, use a glass cutter with a 155-165 degree roller.

This is how glass is cut. The cutting table must be level and stable. The surface is covered with thin insulation, but ideally a thin carpet or felt is glued onto the table. This makes cutting more convenient, and the underside of the glass will not be scratched by fragments that inevitably form during cutting. The glass is placed on the table surface, marked, and a ruler is pressed against it.

Faithful friends of the glazier. ruler, kerosene and hammer

A ruler for cutting glass is a ruler with a strip of thin rubber glued to the bottom so that the ruler does not move when cutting. Or it is a special ruler with suction cups embedded in it. You can make this yourself.

So, we use a glass cutter to cut the line. Important! This line cannot be interrupted and repeated. It must be drawn in one pass.

Then we move the glass from the table and carefully tap the cutting line with a small hammer - here is another faithful friend of the glazier. Next, we lay the glass along the cutting line on the edge of the table and break it off, pressing it with a board using clamps. Clamps are especially important if the glass is thick.

With some skill, you can stretch the cutting line with your fingers, especially if the glass is thin.

So, we learned how to cut straight lines with mowing line. What about curves? To do this, first, instead of a ruler, we cut out a pattern - for example, from thick linoleum. The remaining operations are similar.

You can even cut a circle out of glass. To do this, you will need a circular glass cutter or a round template of a suitable diameter. If you have a compass, then attach a suction cup to the glass and draw a circle. Of course, without interrupting the cutting line.

Then we draw rays from the circle to the edges of the glass.

We turn the glass over and use the handle of a glass cutter to carefully press through the cutting line and rays. If everything is done correctly, the workpiece itself will disintegrate into a circle and side fragments.

If you only have a template at hand, you can fix it on the glass with double-sided tape to prevent it from shifting, and then run the cutting line around it in the same way.

Not only flat glass. For example, you can cut bottles. They make interesting vases or shades for lamps. To do this, they usually assemble an improvised workbench from a base and three blocks. The bottle is placed between the bars and rotated with the left hand, while the cutting line is drawn with a glass cutter in the right hand.

Then the cutting line is tapped from the inside with a pin with a weighting agent and the cut part is separated from the bottle.

If it is impossible to tap the cutting line from the inside, gently warm it up with a portable gas burner. The main condition is that the bottle must have a smooth surface, preferably cylindrical. Bottles of complex shape, angular for example, are more difficult to cut.

We have learned how to cut, now we need to process the cutting line. Those involved in stained glass use portable diamond machines Inland or Krištáli 2000, which quickly sharpen even uneven cutting lines.

If you need to dull the edges of window glass, you can use a diamond-coated sponge or a whetstone to sharpen knives, after moistening it.

If more sanding is required, a sanding attachment on a drill with waterproof sandpaper will come in handy.

Drilling glass Glass often has to be drilled. For example, to fix a handle on a glass door or hang a mirror.

Drills for glass are tubular with diamond coating or carbide spear-shaped.

It is advisable to use a drilling machine, because the drill is difficult to install strictly vertically, which is why the glass may burst when pressed. Place the glass on a soft pad - for example, rubber or carpet. Drill in a water bath. To do this, attach a plastic or rubber ring around the drilling area, then pour water into it and carefully drill. Do not press hard on the glass. First, drill halfway on one side, then turn the glass over, align the drill and the drilling point, and drill further on the other side.

Engraving on glass To apply a pattern to glass, processing the edges of small parts or markings, you can use drills. They are produced by Dremel, Prokhop, Bort, Kalibr, Energomash and other manufacturers.

It is important to choose the right drill and attachments for it so that the power and speed correspond to the operation being performed. For some work, carborundum grinding attachments are suitable, and for fine and precise work, diamond-coated attachments are used. You won’t be able to save money on attachments: cheap ones are poorly aligned and wear out quickly because they use low-quality abrasive compounds.

Good advice: how to cut glass at home

Frosting of glass Glass can be frosted completely or locally. In the first case - for the manufacture of a lampshade, vase, stained glass element or for subsequent painting. In the second case - to apply a pattern, because you still need to practice drawing on glass with a drill. What about those who cannot draw? We cut out a pattern on the Ogasai film, glue it to the glass surface, and then subject it to local matting.

Matting methods. The simplest is in a sandblasting chamber, which can be found in glass shops and auto repair shops. There are glass matting pastes based on ammonium fluoride - Glassmoze and Glassmat. The paste is applied to the surface of the glass with a spatula, left for some time, and then collected back into the container or washed off with water.

Gluing It's amazing, but a properly glued seam between two pieces of glass is stronger than the glass itself. The industry produces dozens of types of glass adhesives. Here are the main ones.

Superfluid adhesive is used for: bonding polished surfaces - for example, glass furniture. It is this kind of seam that is stronger than the glass itself, because gluing occurs at the molecular level. An example of such glue is Bohle Verifix LV 740. For household purposes, Spanish glue CristalCeys is more accessible.

Viscous adhesive is used if it is not possible to create perfectly adjacent glass surfaces, as well as when gluing ground but not polished surfaces. For example, UHU or DoneDeal.

Two-component epoxy compounds are well known for bonding other materials. The most popular are Kilto or Rohiroi.

Glass painting The industry produces paints with good adhesion to glass. But when making vases or lampshades, it is easier to frost the surface of the glass - and then any paint from an aerosol can will adhere well to it.

Polishing glass We do not recommend polishing large glass items at home: it is quite a messy task. But miniature surfaces are polished with drills with polishing attachments and polishing pastes based on crocus, polyrite or zirconium oxide.

Products manufactured by the methods described above.

Sources:

https://givewhereyoulivehamptons.org/steklo/kak-razrezat-tolstoe-steklo-v-domashnih-usloviyah.html https://don-krovlya.ru/dacha/kak-razrezat-tolstoe-steklo-v-domashnih-usloviyah .html https://www.umeltsi.ru/hitrochi/4198-obrabotka-stekla-v-domashnih-usloviyah.html

Using a glass cutter to cut glass sheets

Cutting glass with a glass cutter is used in almost all areas where from time to time it is necessary to separate glass sheets into pieces. Depending on the price and recommended work requirements, a certain type of tool is selected. The following types of glass cutters can be found on the shelves:

• roller;
• oil;
• diamond;
• compasses.

Types of professional glass cutters Source rsk-antares.ru
Tools aimed at beginning craftsmen require virtually no experience working with them. At the same time, serious diamond glass cutters for thick glass are a rather specific device that, with the proper skill, performs the most complex tasks.

Roller glass cutters

Since cutting with a glass cutter is a rather rare task for ordinary people, if necessary, roller devices are purchased. They are characterized by the lowest price compared to analogues. The roller glass cutter is great for everyday household tasks - cutting glass sheets up to 6 mm thick.

Video description

Using a roller glass cutter

The device consists of a handle and a cutting roller connected to it. High-quality glass cutters retain their edge for a long time. On average, a household glass cutter is enough for 200-250 m of glass. Since the rollers cannot be sharpened at home, after they become dull, the device is replaced with a new one.

Oil glass cutters

This device is suitable for both beginners and experienced craftsmen who have already cut more than one kilometer of glass sheet. The device can cut both thick glass and cope with the thinnest sheets. The maximum thickness of the blade that an oil glass cutter can handle is 8mm. Considering the more complex design of the device, the price is significantly higher compared to roller analogues.

Ordinary oil glass cutter Source alicdn.com

An oil glass cutter consists of a tube filled with lubricant, which flows through a special channel through the wicks to the cutting element. A constant flow of oil to the wheel guarantees that the sharpness will remain sharp for several months. The lubricant can be replenished over time.

Glass cutters with diamond cutting element

Since cutting glass with a diamond glass cutter is a rather specific activity that requires certain skills, the device is not suitable for beginners. A high-quality device can easily cut blades up to 2 cm thick. The diamond cutting element can be either real or artificial - this directly affects the price of the device.

A diamond glass cutter consists of a heavy handle, an iron knob with a groove for breaking off glass, and a cutting tip. The sharpness of the sharpening is almost eternal. One device will definitely be enough for several thousand meters of glass sheet.

Diamond glass cutter with a groove for breaking glass Source zamolotkom.ru