Almost any of us has faced the need to process a transparent material, but in fact, not everyone knows how to properly cut glass with a glass cutter. In addition, this material is quite fragile, and when working with it, injuries of varying degrees are not ruled out. Of course, you can entrust this matter to specialists who will do everything quickly and professionally. But at the same time, they will ask for a decent wage for their work, and many of us want to save money.
But if in fact, then you can cut the glass of the required size at home or in your own garage. The work, although it can be dangerous, is not as difficult as it may seem. You just need to know the technology and follow the safety precautions.
Most owners of apartments or private houses are engaged in home repairs on their own, of course, when there is time for this. As in any other business, safety precautions must be followed when working with glass to avoid serious injury. Simple ignorance of how to properly cut glass with a glass cutter can lead not only to cuts, but also to injury to the eyes from splinters.
Cutting glass on your knees or on moving objects is highly discouraged and should be done on a hard and level surface. You should not grab the raw edges, it is better to lift the workpieces from the side edges. Working with glass requires working clothes made of thick, dense fabric. Shoes must be closed so as not to injure the feet. Having changed into it before starting work, you must also take care of the safety of your face and hands. Always wear gloves and goggles for this. At the end of the work, it is necessary to change clothes and change shoes so that the fragments (and they will certainly be on clothes) do not leave the work area.
As experts in glass craft point out, the main thing is to choose a good material, otherwise glass cutting will lose its meaning. This is especially important when deciding to replace the window glass yourself.
When choosing glass in a store, if you look at its ends, you can see a bluish or slightly green tint. This indicates a high quality material. However, products may be defective. Even if this is a home repair, you should not take glass with scratches. It also happens that during the production of the material the rules are not fully observed, and then various defects appear on the sheets. Characteristic of them are stripes, which significantly distort the view.
When choosing glass for windows, you should choose the optimal thickness, which depends on the dimensions of the frame. For example, its height is not more than 60 cm, then the thickness of the sheet can be from 2 to 2.5 mm. Otherwise (more than 60 cm), you need to select a large thickness - up to 3.5-4 mm. When cutting glass, it is necessary to form a sheet 3-5 mm smaller than the frame. Otherwise, at the slightest skew, the glass will not be inserted into the opening.
For cutting glass, a special tool is used, which is known to everyone. It can be of several types:
Roller glass cutters have a round cutting tip. For its manufacture, an alloy of cobalt and tungsten is usually used. The number of rollers in one tool can vary from one to six. Unlike other analogues, such a tool is inexpensive, due to which it received great appreciation.
Diamond glass cutter used by professionals. Despite the high price, he was, remains and will always be the undisputed leader in the field of glass cutting. It is better for home craftsmen to choose a professional diamond glass cutter, which has a beveled cutting edge, as it will cut more linear meters of almost any thickness. Just store it in a special case. The cutting tip uses a diamond crystal, and it is known to be the hardest mineral that can only be found on Earth. It is worth leaving a small scratch on the glass, as it will crack at the slightest effort. Diamond glass cutters need periodic sharpening with a special bar.
oil tools similar to roller counterparts, with the only difference being that there is an oil capsule in the handle. It is automatically fed to the roller during operation and onto the glass surface. Such a cutter is well suited for solving the issue of how to cut thick glass with a glass cutter.
With help compass It is convenient to cut round or oval shapes. It consists of several elements and outwardly resembles a well-known school stationery item.
Before proceeding to cutting glass, it is necessary to prepare the workplace. Usually little attention is paid to this, but in vain. It is important to prepare the material itself for work. If the glass is new, then there is no need to wash it. Otherwise, it may have small chips, cracks, scratches or plaque. Then you need to rinse the sheet well with detergents, and then dry it by wiping it with paper or newspaper. It is better not to use the fabric, because there are villi and stains that are useless. Dry glass needs to be degreased. To do this, you can use a rag soaked in kerosene. After this operation, the sheet is dried, but without wiping dry and in a closed room to avoid dust.
It is not enough to know how to properly cut glass with a glass cutter, it will not hurt to cut it to minimize unnecessary waste of material. A competent drawing drawn up on a sheet of paper will allow you to achieve almost waste-free home production. It will be especially useful if you need to cut a complex or uneven shape. In this case, it is optimal to place the longest side of the workpiece on a similar glass parameter. Sheets must be cut on a flat surface, excluding slopes. Plywood or fiberboard is suitable as an impromptu table. From above, you can lay an oilcloth or a soft cloth.
A clean and dry sheet is placed on the glass cutting table, and it must be located entirely on the working surface. It is more convenient to first make notes with a marker or a special pencil. For straight lines, you need a ruler, and for complex cuttings, a template prepared in advance. The thickness of the ruler must be at least 7 mm for a snug fit of the instrument. And so that it does not slip on the glass, you can stick small rubber pieces to it.
The diamond glass cutter should be held like a pen or pencil, at a slight angle, while applying light pressure. If a thin colorless line is visible, then everything is done correctly. The roller tool must be held strictly perpendicular to the glass surface, holding it with the thumb and middle fingers, and pressing with the index finger from above. Unlike a diamond glass cutter, when cutting 3 mm glass, a little more effort is needed here. The trace remains white.
The guiding of the tool should usually be accompanied by a slight crackle, which indicates good work. Simple rules will help you avoid mistakes:
In the absence of experience, it is better to pre-train on some pieces. This way you can avoid mistakes, learn how to hold the tool and gain experience working with different materials, including corrugated glass.
After cutting, the glass breaks. Thin and small pieces can be broken off by hand. Larger sheets should be moved to the edge of the table so that the cut is 3-5 cm from its edge. The handle of the tool should be lightly tapped along the entire line on the back of the glass. Do not forget to hold the hanging part of the sheet. After a while, tapping will give the desired result.
But there is another safer way. Matches are placed under the sheet on one side and along both edges, and then you need to gently and sharply press on the glass. The fracture must pass exactly along the notch line.
In some cases, the part of the glass to be cut is too narrow. For this, the glass cutter has special recesses in the “head”. They must be inserted into the edge of the detachable strip, for example, 4 mm window glass, after which they should be pulled down with a little effort - the material will break off just along the notch.
After breaking the glass, there is still a risk of cutting yourself on the sharp edges of the edges. Therefore, they need to be "disarmed". At home, this can be done with an ordinary whetstone, which is usually used to sharpen kitchen knives. Just soak it in water first.
The corner touchstone, which has a diamond coating, will allow you to process both edges at once. A diamond-coated sponge is also well suited for handmade work. But if there is a drill, then the process can be accelerated. It is enough to use a grinding nozzle.
Corrugated or patterned glasses are sheets on which a relief pattern is periodically repeated. Such material performs different functions:
At the same time, corrugated glass does not interfere with the penetration of sunlight or artificial light. As for the pattern, it can be on one or both sides. The pattern is obtained by knurling a special roller with some kind of pattern. Corrugated glass is mainly used in the field of decorating doors and furniture. To cut such sheets, it is better to use a roller glass cutter. Moreover, the work should be performed on their smooth surface.
Sometimes some home craftsmen are interested in the question of how to cut the answer is simple - no way! There is no way to cut or drill it, because when you try to act on it mechanically, it crumbles.
Such material was used in the automotive industry long before the advent of triplex technology. In the event of an accident, the glass simply shattered into small fragments, which eliminates injury to drivers and passengers. Therefore, in relation to such a material, you should not even wonder how to properly cut glass with a glass cutter.
In this case, it is convenient to use a circular glass cutter, but not everyone has it, and therefore you have to resort to different methods. First you need to determine and designate the center of the circle, and then fix a special suction cup. It is sold at any hardware store, and you can find cheap options.
Next, you need to tie a thread to it, or rather a fishing line, with a length according to the desired radius of the circle. The other end is tied to a glass cutter. It remains to stretch the fishing line as much as possible and lead the tool. After the incision, it is imperative to make radial incisions from the circle to the periphery of the glass. If, on the contrary, it is necessary to cut a hole in the glass, then the rays should be carried out inside the outlined circle. And so that as a result to get equal sectors.
To cut a complex arch or different geometric shapes for a stained glass window with a roller glass cutter, you should prepare a tracing paper. But it is better to make a template from plywood or very thick cardboard. Just take into account the allowance for the width of the tool. The template should be held firmly and the glass cutter should be guided along its edges, preferably without interruption. After the contour is outlined, it is necessary to draw lines perpendicular to the curves with a cutter at a distance of 7-14 cm from each other. Then you can move on to tapping. Thin strips are broken off by the grooves of the glass cutter. In conclusion, you must not forget to grind off all the edges.
