Cutting glass mirror

[wattie]

Is it possible to cut a glass mirror without ruining it? A friend bought a mirror, but it is too long and would like to cut it. I would just return it, but they like it. Thanks WM

[Andy Dingley]

It's just glass.

Use a fresh glass cuttter. If you don't know how old the wheel is, switch to a new one.

Scrub the glass really clean first (a dash of either vinegar or ammonia helps)

Lay old carpet over the bench. Score the glass firmly, ONCE, then snap to the line by placing a couple of matchsticks underneath the ends and pressing gently down on either side.

Practice on some scrap glass first.

Old glass is a swine to cut neatly, much harder than new glass.

Tempered glass ("safety" etc.) can't be cut at home.

If your finished glass has bare edges, then they'll need to be ground to take the edges off. You can do this at home by using a stone and a bucket of water - work immersed to reduce chipping. Coarser diamond stones are quite good for this.

[Huge]

... wipe white spirit down the score line, then ...

[Dave Liquorice]

Or just dip the cutter in some or other light oil before doing the score.

[Huge]

The posh ones they have in the local glass merchants have hollow handles & dispense white spirit as they go.

Cutting glass is mostly about confidence....

[Jerry Built]

Don't use a wheeled cutter at all, use a diamond tipped one.

Meths. is good, too.

Interesting.... what does this do, 'uge?

Grrr! Lbooyd wheel cutters [bin].

J.B.

[wattie]

Cheers all for that. WM

[a]

What does the white spirit do once you have scored the glass?

[Huge]

I have no idea. The bloke in the glass shop told me when I asked what the liquid in the handle of their posh glass cutters was.

[John Laird]

I thought its purpose was to lubricate the cutting wheel during the scoring process. After that it's all about stress lines.

[Ian Stirling]

AIUI. It wicks into the crack, and reduces the amount of energy that is needed to keep the crack cracking.