how to smooth glass?

[J.Lef]

I have a small project, and going to cut a square piece of glass, out of some stock spare glass. It will be about 14 inches x 14 inches. Question I have, is how to I slightly smooth the sides of the glass, and I also want to slightly round the 4 corners as not to be sharp. Will my dremel tool, handle this? Any of my regular sanders? It does not have to be anything but roughly smooth, dont need precision for this job, and basically, this piece of glass will be underneath a phone and datebook, on a small freestanding cabinet top. Thanks for any help.

[Jeff Wisnia]

A belt sander will do it, with a fine grit wet/dry abrasive belt and best to use water cooling if you can manage that too.

Or, try a hand held diamond grit sharpening stone or "file". That'll smooth glass nicely.

Jeff

[salty]

400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and water will do this pretty easily. If yu want to really round the corners, the side of a dremel abrasive cutoff wheel would work pretty well. Wear eye protection!

[PaPaPeng]

The Dremel is too fast and the cutoff wheel diameter too small. Get a block of carbide knife/tool sharpener stone. It is rectangular and fits quite comfortably in the hand. Use it wet to hone the glass edge. I recall seeing such a stone in the Dollar Store. If not a place like Harbor Freight should have it.

I reread you post again. You can use a smooth flat concrete surface as on your floor. Wet that generously and grind your glass edges against that. Otherwise put a wet dry sandpaper on same and grind against that.

[charlie]

i doubt that you'd get it right the first time using a belt sander. a diamond or ceramic knife sharpener would work. if electric, when it's not running. wear gloves if you're not used to handling glass, especially thin window glass as it is pretty easy to break it. if you're near a place that sells stained glass, take the glass there and run it over their diamond grinder. it probably won't cost you anything.

regards, charlie

[salty]

I only recommended the dremel for making the corners round. It would do that very easily, and the poster indicates he has access to a dremel already. He doesn't need to buy anything new for such a small job.

[Frank]

In the laboratory, we would smooth cut glass tubing by abrading with a course wire screen.

["Blattus Slaf]

Use those little fine stones that come with the Dremel tool.

[John McGaw]

I've done it with 600-grit silicon carbide on a 5" random-orbit disc sander with no problems. My sander has a dust collection port which, along with the HEPA vacuum, keeps down the flying dust but eye protection is mandatory. It could also be done by hand by gluing an abrasive sheet to a dead-flat surface and rubbing the glass back and forth over the abrasive.

[salty]

And I've done it with a $.50 piece of wet or dry sandpaper and water. Glass is surprisingly soft. Doing it wet helps thye paper cut faster and eliminates dust.

[Kuskokwim]

BINGO!! This is the correct answer. It's quite easy to do.

If you don't mind a little, minor dust, emery cloth works well too.