DIY Cutting glass shapes

The common idea is that glass is not easy to work with,but this is far from true. With only a few tools you are able to cut glass in the dimensions needed. Main tool needed is of course the glass cutter that is widely available in many hardware stores. There are several different glass cutter available. Ranging from straight cutters for different thickness to the more expensive (oiled)circle and angle cutters. I am going to show you that you DO NOT NEED AN EXPENSIVE CUTTER to make your own glass shapes. This way you can (re)use your (old) glass and make a nice project or use it to your advantage to make something like an overflow or whatever is needed for your tank/aquarium hobby. Only thing you will need to pay attention to is when purchasing a glass cutter what thickness of glass you are going to cut . Obviously thinner glass WILL be easier to cut but it is also possible with thicker sheets of glass. On the right you will see some images of several available glass cutting tools. From your basic cutter , liquid cooled cutter , and angle/circle cutter. For perfect circle cuts the circle cutter is the best thing. But this can easily be created from a dashboard camera suction cup or something similar and attaching a ruler or bar with the cutter on the end.Just be sure the the whole thing its sturdy when using it. When cutting glass it is best to cool the cutting wheel with some oil or liquid.This will make the cutting wheel last just a little longer when using correct ofcourse.This is why there are glass cutting tools with the liquid chamber located in the handle. you fill this chamber with the cooling liquid or oil and it will cool the glass cutting wheel when cutting the glass sheet/part. These are a little more expensive than your regular glass cutting tool which usually sell for  under 10 dollars.When using a regular cutter just add some turpentine to the line you are going to cut and this will cool the wheel and make a cleaner cut and also last a little longer. SAFETY FIRST!! Use glasses for protection against splinters!! (when pressing to hard or “breaking” the glass splinters might fly off!! be carefull. Also gloves are advised In the following section i will show you how to cut glass shapes with a towel on the workbench and cheap glass cutter and some turpentine. The towel is very important to create a soft surface for making the tension on the glass cutting lines. This will get more clear later on. All you will need is: Towel Sheet of glass Marker Glass cutter Sanding paper Turpentine Cloth or paper towel to clean of the turpentine Take the glass you want to cut and draw a line to create the shape. ( i do this freehand-it was a test) Now take the glass cutter and dip it into the turpentine or sprinkle some on the glass along the line you just drew. With the glass cutter go along the line you want to cut with just enough pressure so you get a clean score line, Pressing to soft will result in a bad score line. Pressing to hard will result in a shattered score line. If you are applying the right amount of pressure you will hear a light crackling sound. Be sure you score the glass ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGES. Once you have a nice score line turn the glass over. Press down on the glass with your thumb or finger close to the edge of the glass ON the scoreline. This is where the towel under the glass is important.When pressing down on the scoreline with the towel under it you are using the towel as a kind of spring to press the glass back to you. this will create a tension in the glass due to the whole sheet wanting to come up and you pressing down on the scoreline. Now take your glass cutter(or my case a screwdriver) and tap on the scoreline close to your finger. This will stress the glass and start breaking along the scoreline. Start out tapping soft and if the glass is not starting to crack tap it a little harder. Sometimes if the crack still does not start is to tap it on the other side where the scoreline starts.   Once you have it starting to crack move your finger along the scoreline to where the crack stopped. Apply pressure there and tap again. this will make the crack go further into the glass. Repeat the process over the whole score line and the glass part will come apart. The better you made the scoreline/cut the more smooth the cut will be. Here you have a video of me doing some test cuts and also for making a part for overflow.
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