# Glass cutting



## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

My partner and I will need to get some glass lids cut for 2 of our 2' tanks, what I would like to know is, the sharp edges how can we make them non sharp? Sounds like a stupid question but we have never done this before.

Tanks in advance

Charlene


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## redm18 (Feb 1, 2004)

One way to do it is to sand them down with a whet stone. Like you use to sharpen a knife.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

I just buy new knives :lol:

Would sanding them with glass sand paper work, if such thing exsists?


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

A blowtorch will also take the "razor" out of the edges. I have used my BernzOmatic (from Home Depot) on several occasions. It can take a few minutes, but the edge is nice and clean and no longer sharp.

I have also used the whet stone way. It works well, but leaves a hazy edge.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

I don't trust myself with a blow tourch so that would be my partner doing that.

Any other ideas?


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## remm (Apr 6, 2009)

It's easy to do. I used to work in a frame shop and we would do it all the time.

Grab one of those inserts for a drill that have a circular pad on them for circular sandpaper.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100158113&N=10000003+90176+527582

Get a high-grit stick and sand pad or two. Run the masking tape along the edges you want to sand about a quarter inch in. lay your glass down on a flat surface and sand along the edges until smooth.

Be careful because it can kick on you. It is very hard to break or crack your glass. It does not need to be wet. You should wear a mask and eye protection. It's very dangerous to breathe the small glass particles.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

If your having them professionally cut tell then to dress the edges and remove the sharps. A self respecting glass shop will already do this rather than give the customer sharp edged glass.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

place an order with lowes.. they will bevel it just not on site.. its not expensive


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

jfly said:


> place an order with lowes.. they will bevel it just not on site.. its not expensive


They do that in your area? Nice. Not here. Just whatever is in stock. Some store don't even cut glass and plexi anymore.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

wow i am a plexi fool....always in there getting some cut..


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

If you do sand the sharpness off, do it wet. The dust given off by sanding glass is also the active ingredient in the coal miner's disease, black lung. Water will help keep it out of the air.


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

I use a knife sharpening stone.

...does sanding it while it raining count as sanding wet? :lol: 
Mine usually has some of the oil residue on it anyways.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Riceburner said:


> I use a knife sharpening stone.
> 
> ...does sanding it while it raining count as sanding wet? :lol:
> Mine usually has some of the oil residue on it anyways.


No. :lol: You want either a good stream of water running completely over the sanding area or for the sanding edge to be completely submerged.

Tape over the face of the glass is a good safety factor since we don't do this every day. When I bought the glass for my 520, they caught a tiny spot on the face that would have been covered by the silicone gasket anyway. But they just pulled out another chunk of glass and recut the whole thing. That single piece of glass weighed 250 pounds.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

remm said:


> Get a high-grit stick and sand pad or two. Run the masking tape along the edges you want to sand about a quarter inch in. lay your glass down on a flat surface and sand along the edges until smooth.
> 
> Be careful because it can kick on you. It is very hard to break or crack your glass. It does not need to be wet. You should wear a mask and eye protection. It's very dangerous to breathe the small glass particles.


This sounds more of the route we would go. We have these some where in the shed.

As and when we can get to the store we'll ask if they smooth the edges (which would save time), if not we would o the route above. Just seems less hassle.

Thanks for the info.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

bigcatsrus said:


> remm said:
> 
> 
> > Get a high-grit stick and sand pad or two. Run the masking tape along the edges you want to sand about a quarter inch in. lay your glass down on a flat surface and sand along the edges until smooth.
> ...


Less of a hassle short term but dying from silicosis (glass is made from silica) is a long term hassle. My grandfather died from this after years of suffering. When I first worked in an underground mine there were no filter masks but once they were provided as an option I wore one 100% of the time. Some miners didn't wear them until it became mandatory. Too much hassle or a threat to their machismo. Remm gave horrible advice which if it were in some other media such as printed or televised, the provider would be liable for disseminating.

Do not use a power tool to sand glass. It will kick up too much dust too fast and it is hard to control. Even professionals using specialized power equipment designed to do this safely can quickly ruin a piece of glass with one stroke. Use a whetstone or even an ordinary red brick and run the garden hose over the glass edge being sanded. Do it outdoors. A few passes will take off the razor sharpness. Ordinary gloves will not protect you. Even welding gloves will only give a partial measure of protection. There are chain mail gloves for handling glass and suction cup handles that attach to the glass, but other parts of your body are still vulnerable.

A reputable glass shop will not allow seamed glass to leave their premises without having the sharpness taken off. The least hassle way is to have the glass cut for you and confirm they will take off the sharpness.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

That I can more than understand.

IMO that only happens if you have been mining for years.

This is a one time job so I don't think we would die from doing this. Yes it is something to watch out for while doing the job but like I said, we wouldn't die from it by doing it once.

My partner has just phone a reputable shop and they will charge Â£10 per glass cut, which is a little expensive so we might go for a plastic instead as it is to just for lids to cover the tanks.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I have found that running a spare piece of glass or bottle along the cut edge will remove the sharpness.It doesn't give a polished or beveled edge but does render it safe.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

We're not too bothered about a polished edge too much as these won't been seen by anyone unless your doing the w.c's. Just want it safe really.


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## remm (Apr 6, 2009)

Of course a reputable shop will polish the edges...if you pay them to do so. If there is somewhere that you go that does it free, then good for you. The shop I worked in charged a percentage of the cost of the glass to do the edges. We did it by hand the exact way I described in my previous post. We wore masks and would do it underneath a vacuum hose...but I highly doubt the OP has a large vacuum hose nor do I think they want to use a wetstone or a wet grinder.

Take it easy.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

Guess there are glass shops and good glass shops. Where I get my glass it always has the sharp edges sanded off.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

All the advice is fantastic.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, a reputable glass shop has quoted us Â£10 each for glass to be cut, thats is a little high in price here, for the size of glass we would need for the tank lids. We have though about getting some sort of plastic lids.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Plastic may be cheaper for you. Avoid plexiglass since it absorbs moisture and swells on the water side making it very warpy.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

Thanks for the advice, we'll advoid that.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

We've managed to get some plastic corigated lids to help with the condensation for Â£4 each. Problem solved :thumb:


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