How to properly cut glass with a glass cutter with your own hands

Soldering iron

Having marked the line of the future cut on the glass, we take a file and make a small groove with it from the very edge. Having stepped back from it 1-2 mm, we heat the place with a soldering iron until a microcrack forms between it and the risk. Next, we retreat already from the crack itself at the same distance and gradually move towards the finish point. Thus, glass is cut for a long time, but any shape can be obtained. To slightly speed up the process, the glass can be periodically cooled by applying a damp cloth to it.

Burning thread

We saturate the thread in a flammable liquid and fix it on the glass along the cutting line. We set it on fire, wait for it to completely burn out and immediately place it in cold water or pour it into the place of heating. The main thing is that the glass cools down as quickly as possible and bursts from the temperature drop. A characteristic click will signal the success of the work done. If the glass is not cracked, you can try to repeat the operation.

This method cleaves bottles fairly evenly, but does not always work with large glass sizes. It is also very fire hazardous and requires a fire extinguisher or a container of water at hand, which is already mandatory.

Scissors in the water

A simple method for directional splitting of glass. Allows you to easily cut round shapes, but will not work for straight lines. For such cutting, you will need ordinary scissors and a container of water, which will serve as a kind of lubricant. The maximum glass thickness should not exceed 4 mm.

The cutting process with this technique is extremely simple. We take a piece of processed glass, immerse it in water and cut off small pieces from the edges with scissors. Water will prevent the glass from cracking, allowing you to make a controlled chipping. In this way, you can get oval and round shapes.

How to cut glass without a glass cutter

Glass cutting tools were not always as widespread as they are today. In the second half of the last century, people came up with their own ways of conquering this capricious material, without using a glass cutter. In fact, for cutting untempered glass with a thickness of up to 8 mm, you can use a lot of improvised objects, you just need to have a little dexterity.

It is better to start listing items suitable for working with glass by identifying the types of exposure to this material. The main methods are thermal, when glass is heated in a certain place, and physical, when it is cut by brute force. The industry uses a water-jet cutting method, when glass is processed on expensive equipment under strong water pressure.

To cut glass by the thermal method, a small piece of twine and a flammable liquid such as alcohol or acetone are enough; a soldering iron and a burning apparatus can also be used as a cutter. For cutting glass by physical impact, you can use a file, a winder drill, a nail, a thin diamond disc, and even ordinary tailor’s scissors. Of course, it is difficult for some of the listed items to get a good chip, but with the proper skill, quite a good result can come out. Now, knowing how you can cut glass without a glass cutter, you can proceed to the process itself.

How to cut glass without a glass cutter

Before proceeding with a detailed description of glass cutting techniques, we want to remind you of safety. Always wear work gloves and safety goggles when working to avoid cuts and small debris getting into your eyes. Be careful not to apply excessive pressure to the glass.

Diamond disc

Not the safest way to cut glass, requiring increased accuracy and mandatory compliance with safety rules. Can easily break glass and launch the shard in any direction. Otherwise, the method is quite effective and can cope with the task at hand. For cutting, you will need a special tool (grinder, drill or drill) with a diamond disc 0.1 mm thick.

The cutting process itself is quite simple, but requires some skill and a firm hand to guide the tool clearly along the line. We put the piece of glass to be processed on a flat place, then take the cutter and draw a line on the surface of the glass with a disk. The main thing is not to plunge into the depths, but only to lightly touch, so that a small hollow is formed, similar to a wide line from the glass cutter. Next, just break the glass in the right place.

To reduce the likelihood of glass chipping and reduce the amount of glass dust during operation, you can periodically water the cut with water.

File

Another way to cut glass at home without a glass cutter and expensive power tools. To work, you need a file and a little experience in handling glass. Please note that the file must have corners, so a round file will not work.

To cut the glass, it is enough to make a few cuts on the surface of the file with the corner of the file. You need to press on the file a little harder than average so that there is enough force to form a clear groove, similar to the cut of a glass cutter. When the place of the chip is marked, we simply break the glass on the edge of the table or put a match under the place of the cut.

This method requires a certain skill, and if you are faced with cutting glass for the first time, we strongly recommend that you practice on small, unnecessary fragments before moving on to the main material.

Pobeditovy drill

If you know firsthand what glass cutting is, then we suggest considering another way of how to cut glass without a glass cutter. With some experience, one drill with a victorious tip may be sufficient for this operation. The main thing is that the drill is more or less new, with sharp corners on the head.

The process of cutting glass with a drill itself is in many ways similar to a conventional roller glass cutter. Of the differences, a higher pressure force can be distinguished, but otherwise all actions are standard. We lay the glass on a flat surface, mark the cutting line, apply a bar, and draw a line from top to bottom along it. Before cutting, turn the tip so that the sharpest corner touches the glass. Having received a clear line, we break the glass along the cutting line.

The method of cutting glass with a victorious drill requires skill and practical experience in handling this material. Novice craftsmen have very little chance of making an accurate cut in this way, but with patience and straight hands, you can get the desired result.

How else can you cut glass

What if you don’t have a glass cutter at hand? There are ways in which glass is cut with a non-standard tool. This operation can be carried out with a soldering iron, grinder, nichrome thread and even ordinary scissors! Let’s find out how to properly cut glass with your own hands using each of these methods.

  • With a soldering iron. First, cuts are made with a file at the beginning and at the end of the cutting line. Then, along the entire line, it is necessary to carefully draw with a well-heated soldering iron. Due to the temperature difference on the sides of the surface, the glass will crack, after which it remains only to gently break it off.
  • Grinder. This tool is found in almost every home, so it is not surprising that it was also adapted for working with glass. In order to cut off the glass with a grinder, you need a thin diamond disc. With its help, a thin groove is made along the entire cutting line, along which later a chip occurs. But when cutting with a grinder, you must make sure that the glass does not overheat, and be sure to use a coolant. A good tool is required, otherwise the glass will simply shatter from its vibration. It is imperative to protect the respiratory organs and eyes when working with a grinder on glass. The smallest glass dust getting into them will not lead to anything good. Therefore, if you cut a sheet of glass with a grinder, you need to stock up on glasses and a respirator.
  • Using heating and cooling. A thread impregnated with a combustible substance is laid along the cut line and set on fire. Immediately after it has gone out, the cutting line is cooled with water. The glass will crack from a sharp temperature drop. Another option is heating the glass with a nichrome thread through which an electric current passes. In this case, no water is required, the temperature difference between the two surfaces of the sheet is sufficient.
  • Scissors. Non-thick glass up to 3 mm is cut with ordinary tailor’s scissors, if this operation is performed by immersing the scissors and glass in a container of hot water. Feels like cutting thick cardboard.

How to cut glass with a glass cutter: we do the right job at home

In any apartment, you may be faced with the need to replace glass in a window, door or closet. It is very rare to find ready-made glass of the required size. Of course, you can seek help from a specialist, but this will take time and money. All the necessary work can be done with your own hands at home, if you know how to cut glass correctly.

Tool check and workplace arrangement

Before talking about how to cut glass correctly, you need to decide on the tool that will be used for this specific job. In order to cut a glass sheet with your own hands, a glass cutter is most often used. There are three types of glass cutters:

  • roller;
  • diamond;
  • oil.

The last two are used mostly by professionals. The cheapest and most common option is a glass cutter with replaceable rollers.

Regardless of the model used, it is best to check the sharpening of the glass cutter before cutting the glass. To do this, you can try to cut some unnecessary piece of glass. Ideally, the glass cutter should move with a slight rustle, leaving a thin, continuous line. If it moves with a squeak, the cut line is interrupted or looks like a white scratch, then either the cutting element is blunt, or errors have been made in the cutting technique.

It is also necessary to prepare a flat surface, the dimensions of which should exceed the dimensions of the cut sheet. At home, this can be a table covered with a soft cloth. If the size of the table is insufficient, you can put a sheet of plywood or chipboard on top of it. You will also need a marker and tape measure for marking. If the glass will be cut with a glass cutter, then you need to prepare a thick metal ruler. Its thickness should be 8-10 mm. this is the only way to create the necessary stop for the cutting tool.

Glass preparation

Often many people simply forget about this important point. But high-quality cutting of glass with your own hands is impossible without preliminary preparation. New glass should be wiped with a damp cloth. After it dries, wipe dry.

Some experts recommend using a newspaper rather than a rag. It will not leave fluff on the glass that can interfere with the movement of the cutter.

Used glasses are cut much worse and require more thorough preparation. They are washed using special detergents, and after drying, they are degreased with turpentine or kerosene. During the drying process, it is necessary to exclude dust on the sheet.

How to use a glass cutter correctly

To cut glass with your own hands with high quality, you must follow the technology and sequence of actions.

  • The points of the beginning and end of the cut are marked on the sheet.
  • The glass cutter is placed at the starting point and a ruler is attached to it.

Note! The ruler should not be located along the cut line, but at a distance of several millimeters from it. This value corresponds to the distance between the cutting edge and its lateral surface.

  • The cut is carried out smoothly, from beginning to end in one movement and with one effort. And only once. If you hold the glass cutter several times in one place, then the glass will simply crack.
  • The cut piece is cleaved. For this, the incision line is aligned with the edge of the table. Crack by lightly tapping the cut with a glass cutter, and then break off in one motion.
  • If the chip is uneven, then the excess glass can be removed with pliers or use the special cutouts in the glass cutter handle. To avoid cracking, the cutting line should be slightly moistened with turpentine or kerosene.
  • At the final stage, the cutting line is processed with sandpaper, a velvet file or a sharpening stone.

How to choose the right glass

Glass masters advise when choosing glass to pay attention to the following points:

  • One of the hallmarks of high quality glass is the blue or greenish tint of its ends.
  • Scratched sheets should not be used.
  • If all the rules are not followed during glass rolling or cooling, then such sheets may have defects in the form of stripes. These stripes will significantly distort the image, so it is better not to use such sheets to replace the glass in the window.
  • The thickness of the glass depends on the dimensions of the frame into which it is inserted. If its width and height is less than 600 mm, then you can get by with 2–2.5 mm thick glass. And if one of these parameters exceeds 600 mm, then the thickness of the glass sheet increases to 3.5-4 mm.
  • When glazing at home, you need to cut off a piece of glass 3-5 mm smaller than the size of the frame, because the slightest skew will not allow the glass to be inserted into the opening.

Tempered glass processing

Often on the forums there is a question: how to cut tempered glass? The answer is simple: tempered glass cannot be cut or drilled. At any attempt to do this, it loses all its properties and simply shatters into small pieces. Tempered glass was used in cars before the triplex technology was invented. In an accident, glass fragments should not have injured passengers. So you shouldn’t even try to cut the tempered glass with any tool.

To understand how to cut glass with your own hands, you just need to take it and try it. The choice of method depends on individual skills and the availability of the necessary tools. But all these options are quite feasible at home.

How to cut glass with a glass cutter correctly

Added by: Sergey Kolosov on August 12

Not one house can do without glass and, therefore, the question of cutting it arises practically with every renovation. For this purpose, glass cutters are used. diamond, oil and roller. Let’s consider each of the above varieties in more detail, but before that, let’s figure out how to properly prepare the glass for cutting.

Diamond glass cutter

Diamond glass cutter is able to cut glass up to 10 millimeters thick

The diamond glass cutter can be safely called the “flagship” among such tools. As a cutter in such glass cutters, diamond is used. the most durable material in the world. Thanks to this, the diamond glass cutter is able to cut glass with a thickness of up to 10 millimeters, while making the most even cut, practically free of chips and requiring minimal processing. The only drawback of a diamond glass cutter can be considered only its relatively high cost, even in those cases when not natural, but artificial diamond is used as a cutter.

Working with a diamond (as well as with any other glass cutter) requires certain skills.

The first step is to prepare the surface on which the glass will be cut. For this purpose, an ordinary table is perfect, which must first be covered with something soft (for example, carpet or linoleum). Prepared glass is laid on the surface.

Before the main cutting, it is recommended to check the glass cutter on an unnecessary piece of glass. To do this, take the tool with your thumb and forefinger and draw a line across the glass with slightly more pressure than when writing with a ballpoint pen or pencil. If the result is a thin white line. the glass cutter is ready to work and you are doing everything correctly, If the line is thick and filled with small glass chips, try changing the angle of inclination of the cutter.

The process of cutting glass with a diamond glass cutter itself is as follows. Using a ruler and a square, the necessary markings are applied to the glass. After that, along the side of the same ruler or any even bar, they carry out a glass cutter with a medium pressure. The white line remaining from the cutter is aligned with the edge of the table and lightly pressed against the hanging edge of the glass. If you did everything correctly, the glass will break off quite easily exactly along the cut line.

When working with thick (thicker than 2 millimeters) glass, before breaking, it is recommended to slightly “tap” the cut line with a hammer.

If the glass does not break, do not try to re-cut in the same place as the previous one. Better shift the markup a little and repeat the whole operation.

In order to better understand the principle of working with a diamond glass cutter, we recommend that you look at the following

Master class for working with a diamond glass cutter

Glass preparation

If the new glass does not need special preparation (it is enough just to wipe it from dust), then you will have to “tinker” a little with the used glass.

To begin with, the glass must be thoroughly washed using special detergents. Then degrease with kerosene or alcohol-containing compounds, and finally, dry well before wiping.

It is better to use an old newspaper rather than a rag to wipe the glass. Thanks to this, there will be no small lint and stains on the glass.

Having prepared the glass, you can start cutting it.

Oil type tool

An oil glass cutter differs from a roller glass cutter only in that it is equipped with a special container from which oil is supplied to the cutting roller during operation

By its design, an oil glass cutter differs from a roller glass cutter only in that it is equipped with a special container, from which oil is supplied to the cutting roller during operation. As a result, the cutting effect is greatly enhanced, which makes it possible to cut thicker glass.

The principle of working with an oil glass cutter practically does not differ from working with roller models.

Roller glass cutter

Roller glass cutter uses heavy-duty cobalt-tungsten alloy rollers as cutter

In this model of glass cutter, rollers made of heavy-duty cobalt-tungsten alloy are used as a cutter. As a rule, on the rotary head of such glass cutters there are three to six rollers that can be used instead of blunt ones.

One roller is designed for an average of 300 meter cuts

One roller is designed for an average of 300 meter cuts, after which it must be replaced with a new one.

Before starting work, as in the case of a diamond glass cutter, it is necessary to prepare the glass and the surface, as well as apply the appropriate markings on the glass.

properly, glass, cutter, hands

An interesting enough way to mark glass is as follows. A straight line is drawn on the table surface with a marker or pencil. On the glass, only two small marks are made along the edges in the place where you want to make the cut. Further, these marks are aligned with the line on the table, which will correspond to the cut line.

Along the line of the cut, it is carried out once with a roller glass cutter (for a guaranteed even cut it is better to use a ruler) Please note that the roller glass cutter must be pressed slightly harder than the diamond cutter. In addition, unlike a diamond glass cutter, which must be kept at an angle when cutting, the roller must be positioned strictly perpendicular to the glass.

You can break the glass with light pressure, aligning the cut line with the edge of the table, or placing matches under it on both sides.

Since the edges of the glass after cutting are quite sharp during operation, it is advisable to use protective gloves.

tips for cutting glass

And I would like to give a few tips that are applicable when working with any kind of glass cutters:

  • If one or more edges of the glass have defects and chips, it is advisable to remove them by cutting off a thin (2-4 centimeters) strip and only after that proceed to marking the glass.
  • On board the head of almost any model of glass cutters there is a special recess with which you can break off small pieces from glass.
  • If it is necessary to make a curved cut, then it is advisable to break its line into several straight segments. If it is not possible to do this, then it is necessary to make the corresponding patterns from a hard material (for example, plywood) and make a cut by moving the tool along the edge of the patterns.

We hope that after reading our article, you will easily cope with such a simple, but still having its own subtleties and nuances, task like cutting glass. Happy repair to you!

What tools to use?

Many of us are accustomed to thinking that glass can only be cut correctly and efficiently with a glass cutter. But what if you need to cut off a piece of glass urgently, but this tool was not at hand? There is another unusual, but no less effective way that helped our great-grandfathers get out of this situation. Such a tool is the usual scissors available from any owner. Let’s consider each method in detail.

ordinary scissors

Cutting glass with scissors like paper is not a fairy tale, but quite an everyday reality. For this purpose, you will need the scissors themselves (sewing is best for this) and a tank of water (preferably hot). It is necessary to mark the glass in advance, and then, elementary physics is included in the work: the scissors create a microcrack, and the capillary effect completes the process. Of course, the result obtained will differ from that achieved with a glass cutter, but if necessary, this method can greatly help out.

Preparing glass for cutting

A lot depends on this stage, and the preparation process itself depends on what kind of glass you decide to use for cutting. New glass, bought specifically for this purpose, is just enough to wipe, and it is best to use an old newspaper for this (this will avoid streaks and settling of small villi). With used material, you will have to work with much more effort. First, it must be thoroughly rinsed using a special glass cleaner. Secondly, degrease with a cloth soaked in, for example, kerosene and finally dry indoors to avoid dust getting on the surface.

In addition, the preparation of the glass implies its cutting. As you know, you are unlikely to be able to achieve a completely waste-free production when working with glass, especially if you are planning to get a product of not quite the correct geometric shape. However, accurate calculation will reduce possible waste to a minimum. At this stage, a more rational solution would be to align the longer side of the glass with the longer side of the workpiece. Please note that the resulting scraps should not be thrown away, they can be used in the future to create new products.

glass cutter

Glass cutting technology with a glass cutter is quite simple. To do this, you must comply with certain conditions and choose the right glass cutter. Today, the choice of this tool is quite wide, which allows you to turn work into pleasure.

  • A time-tested diamond glass cutter that remains a leader in its field to this day. For home use, glass cutters with a beveled cutting edge are suitable. Such a tool is designed for cutting glass up to ten kilometers and is suitable for any thickness of the material used. From time to time, such a glass cutter needs to be sharpened on a special bar.
  • Roller. Following from the name, the cutting part of such a glass cutter is made in the form of a roller made of durable cobalt-tungsten alloy. The number of rollers can be from one to six.
  • Oil. Such a tool works on the principle of a roller glass cutter, with the difference that a reservoir with oil is built into its handle, which is automatically fed to the roller. Suitable for cutting thick glass.

How To Cut Glass – GardenFork

For information on how to choose a good glass cutter, see

So, having dealt with the glass cutter, place the glass on a flat surface. Mark the glass and get to work. You can use a ruler to make the task easier. It should be borne in mind that the line must be drawn the first time, otherwise a second attempt will lead to cracking of the surface. It is necessary to cut glass with a glass cutter applying equal efforts along the entire length of the line being drawn.

We cut glass at home: with a glass cutter and simple scissors

Glass products at all times enjoyed great popularity: frescoes, stained glass windows, dishes and many other things created from scraps of this material have always amazed people with their grace and smooth lines. Looking at this splendor, it seems that to create it, you need to be a real professional with vast experience in working with glass and a lot of necessary tools, and a simple “mortal” will never master this complex science. In fact, not everything is as sad as it seems at first glance, and everyone can get knowledge of how to cut glass at home.

Types of glass and features of work

Cutting ordinary glass is almost straightforward. Not only glass cutters, but also ordinary tailor’s scissors do an excellent job with this task. But what to do for those who set themselves the task of obtaining a glass product with a more complex configuration. To do this, you should familiarize yourself with the properties of some glasses.

  • Tempered glass products. In fact, it is impossible to cut tempered glass at home. it loses its properties. If you want to purchase an item with elements of this material, you should think about 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 for glazing doors or creating decorative interior elements. Unlike tempered glass, such glass is quite capable of cutting independently. Working with it differs little from working with ordinary glass, the only difference is that the cut is made from the smooth side. A roller glass cutter is best for this.
  • Acrylic or organic glass is a transparent plastic based on synthetic resins. No special tools are required to cut it. At home, a metal saw, a cutter, and other tools used to process an edge do an excellent job with this task. In addition, a regular office knife copes with glass, the thickness of which does not exceed 2 mm.

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

What kind of glass cutter to work

To work, first of all, you will need tools: a large table with a flat surface, a ruler and square for cutting glass and, of course, a glass cutter. The quality of future work largely depends on the choice of the latter.

The tool market offers a wide selection of different models to meet the needs of hobbyists and professionals of all levels. Several questions naturally arise before us. First, you need to decide which type of glass cutter is best suited for cutting a mirror at home. The choice is largely determined by the person who is going to cut it. If this is an experienced craftsman, accustomed to working as a diamond glass cutter, then it is reasonable to continue using it in this situation as well. Such a tool is more expensive, but in the hands of a professional it gives a smoother and more high-quality cut.

If cutting glass is a novelty for a person, then you should pay attention to glass cutters with a roller.

These models have a lower cost, and they are more convenient to use for beginners.

The thickness of the mirror must also be taken into account. Most mirrors produced in Russia are from 2 to 6 mm, any device can handle them, but a conventional roller glass cutter will no longer master cutting thicker samples, you need an oil or diamond tool.

Preparing the mirror for cutting

Before you start cutting the mirror with a glass cutter, its surface must be prepared. Small debris and dust are removed with a rag. Mirrors contaminated with grease are wiped with a soda solution. Additionally, it is treated with alcohol and then wiped dry. Preparation of the mirror surface is very important, because grease and dust contamination can cause knocking down of the cutting line. If the mirror has just been in a cold temperature, then it is given time to warm up. Only after all these procedures should you start cutting.

DIY cutting mirrors at home

Mirrors are often used in interior decoration, they are able to visually expand the space, make it brighter and more aesthetically interesting. From time to time, there is a need for mirrors of complex shapes and non-standard sizes to make home design more interesting. The best option, as in any business, is to turn to professionals. Unfortunately, their help can be quite expensive for the homeowner, the alternative in this case is to make a custom mirror yourself.

How To Cut Glass

Safety when cutting mirrors

Cutting mirrors, like any other industrial activity, poses a significant threat to human health in case of negligent attitude towards it and violation of safety measures. The main threat is shards of glass that can cut into the hands of the master, get into the eyes.

The general safety requirements for cutting glass are as follows:

  • Protective goggles and gloves are worn before starting work. It is important that the glasses should not impair visibility. It is better to take rubberized gloves.
  • Provide a special box for scraps so that they are not in the working area and are not scattered on the floor.
  • Waste from the box is removed carefully, it is better to chop up cracked pieces and take out in parts.
  • A normal table is needed to cut the mirror. Using a workplace assembled from improvised things can lead to unpleasant consequences.
  • After work, the table top is wiped and the floor around the workplace is thoroughly swept.
  • It is worth cutting glass in compliance with all aspects of the technology. Self-made innovations are unacceptable.

Work technology

The mirror cutting technology is quite simple. First of all, you need to take care of the workplace: a clean work table covered with a cloth, a tool, and adjacent boxes for scraps. Before you start cutting the main piece of the mirror, it is worth practicing on some unnecessary glass, so your hands will get used to the instrument.

How to Cut Glass – Beginner Tips

The material is placed on the work table with the mirror surface facing up. After that, markings are applied using a steklograph or a marker. Complex curved contours are outlined using a pre-prepared template. A detail that requires the attention of the cutter. the cutting line of the glass cutter does not coincide with the location of the guide fence by 1–4 mm, depending on its type. For roller glass cutters, including oil cutters, this distance is 1–2 mm, and for diamond cutters. 3–4 mm.

Cut a piece of the mirror in one motion, starting from the far edge and moving the cutter in your direction. The direction is set with a glass ruler or a piece. The master holds the glass cutter at an angle close to 90 ° to the surface, it cannot be changed in the process. All the time, the operator maintains a uniform pressure on the tool, the only exception is the edge of the mirror, the pressure is slightly weakened about 5 mm before the edge of the product, so that there are no chips. Squeaks during operation should not be heard, the correct sound is a slight crackle of glass.

There comes a responsible and rather traumatic stage, the separation of the cut piece. The mirror sheet is hung from the table top so that the cutting line is in the air at a distance of 3-5 mm from it. The worker presses the mirror against the table with one hand, while the other presses sharply downward. Sometimes it is not possible to immediately separate the segments, then they tap with a small hammer along the cut line from below. When necessary, use pliers with rubber pads. After cutting off all clippings from our mirror. Its edges are carefully processed with sandpaper.

The breaking procedure for complex shaped cuts has several features. The unnecessary part of the sheet is divided with a glass cutter into small sections, each of which is broken off with pliers.

How to cut a mirror at home without a glass cutter

If for some reason a glass cutter was not available to you, you can resort to other methods. Most of them are more traumatic, but nevertheless, it is not worth completely discarding these “old-fashioned” methods.

Thin mirrors and glasses are cut with scissors.

To do this, put a container filled with water in front of you. The mirror is placed in water and a small piece is chipped off the edge with scissors. Water prevents cracking. Chipping off small pieces over and over again from the general array, curvilinear mirrors are obtained. Disadvantages of the method: not suitable for straight cutting, mirror area is very limited, not suitable for mirrors thicker than 4 mm.

Another tool suitable for cutting glass is a file with a triangular or rectangular cross-section. The corner of this tool makes several cuts on the surface of the mirror, after which a piece of glass breaks off against the edge of the table. The method requires a developed skill, before using it, you cannot do without training.

For cutting, drills with victorious tips were also actively used before. The workflow is similar to that of a glass cutter. The mirror is placed on the table top, markings are made and a guide ruler is applied. The drill is turned so that the sharpest corner of the tip is in contact with the mirror. The method, like the previous one, requires a lot of skill and experience.

It happens that glass is cut with a grinder. During the cutting process, the disc does not go deep into the material, but only touches the surface. The goal is to form an even groove along the entire length of the cut. Further, the material breaks off in the same way on the edge of the table. Diamond discs with a thickness of 0.1 mm are suitable for such work. Disadvantage of the method: cutting with a grinder requires strict adherence to safety rules.

The latter method is very exotic, in which glass processing will be carried out not by mechanical, but by temperature exposure. You need a soldering iron or a burner. To begin with, a marking is made along the future cutting line. Then a file at the beginning of this line is put at risk. Next, they take a soldering iron in their hands and begin to heat a point on the cutting line, located 2 mm from the notch. As a result, a microcrack is formed between this place and the risk, when this happens, the soldering iron is pushed further by 2 mm, the cycle repeats. The main drawback is slowness, it can be partially leveled if, during operation, the mirror is cooled with a damp cloth.

Other necessary tools and materials

You can cut off pieces of the mirror only at a prepared workplace. To do this, take a table, its surface must be large enough and even. The mirror will lie completely on the table top, so its size is appropriate. Before starting the workplace, cover with a soft cloth. At home, they often use an old sheet or tablecloth. The ruler and the square are taken thick and long, it is desirable that they be specially designed for cutting glass. In addition, rubber-padded pliers, a tape measure, and a small hammer are useful. A wooden box or a box made of thick cardboard is placed under the debris and scraps.

In the process of cutting and preparing for it, the following consumables will be used: rags, alcohol and soda, crayon or a marker. Instead of the latter, glass-writing pencils are sometimes bought for marking. For curly cutting, templates are made in advance.