# how to cut old thick glass



## Dragon0421

I was wondering how you can cut through the old thick glass i have bought a tool from your regular glass cutting it will not put a dent into the old glass just leaves a cut mark in the glass any help would be appriciated.


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## JOETHECROW

Cory,....As a longtime glazier (glass worker/cutter) by trade, I can tell you that w/out alot of experience,...cutting old thick glass can be difficult and possibly dangerous to you. A standard issue glass cutter as sold by most hardware stores _can_ do the job, but perferably in the hands of someone with experience...If you were to try at home, first you need to support the glass upon a level surface. the surface should have some padding such as carpet on it,....then you would clamp a straight edge along where your score (cut) would go....grasping the cutter you make ONE swipe, smoothly and w/ even pressure across surface of glass. (light oil such as kerosene helps cool and lubricate cut) this can be applied along score with any paintbrush....after making cut,...apply even pressure in upward direction by grasping glass on either side of cut along edge and lifting....sometimes glass pliers are used to start cut on heavy glass)...wear gloves to do this!...if all else fails, almost any glass shop should be able to do this. Sometimes heavy or old glass can be unpredictable and the cut can run off to the side. I reccomend taking it to a shop and paying by the cut.         Joe


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## GuntherHess

A good desription. 
 A glass "cutter" doesnt really cut glass , it just scores the glass from which a fracture will run. Its important as Joe said to make ONE continuous score, dont lift the tool. If the glass isnt too thick you can use the back of the glass cutter to tap behind the score and run a crack. If you do it right the glass will just fall apart. Better glass cutters have an oil resevoir in them to lubricate the cutter. If you have a cheap one you can dip it in machine oil.  
 Make sure the glass isnt tempered, if it is you will end up with a pile of broken bits.


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## LC

You and Joe both described cutting the old glass pretty well in my opinion Matt . I love the old wavy glass when building a nice display cabinet , but it can be a real pain to cut at times . I found over the years that when cutting wavy glass , it is always best having a new glass cutter. I also find that the old glass always will break cleaner at the score line if you do not let it lay , *make the break as soon as you make the score*. Then too that old wavy glass sometimes has a mind of its own and will do just exactly what it wants to do  regardless of how a Person scores it ! In my area the old glass is continually getting harder to find . I try and keep a sharp eye out for it , but I have not been able to come across any for some time now.


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## capsoda

Wow, you don't expect to run across many people who know anything about cutting glass. It has been a very long time since I worked as a glazier but I still have my old Stanley One Drop handle fill cutter.

 Hey Cory, Do as Joe says and take it to a glass shop. They will be able to give you a perfect cut and you don't have to worry about damaging your glass or getting injured.


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## GuntherHess

We have done stained glass work here so have cut a lot of different glass.
 If you want old looking glass with bubbles in it you can buy it from stained glass places. I have used that in cabinets in my house which I wanted to look old.
 Thats also a place to buy a good glass cutter. The ones you normally buy at the hardware store are pretty much junk.


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## LC

You are right about the local glass cutters being pretty much junk , that is why I said its good to have a new cutter when cutting old glass . You do not get many good scores from one . Thanks for the mention of the stained glass shops having the wavy glass , I will check them out if and when I come across them . 

 You are right about the tempered glass as well . I tried to cut a small piece of it once not realizing  it was tempered . Upon trying to snap it , it disintegrated off into a thousand pieces . A friend of mine called one day a few years back and asked me to come up and cut a piece of glass for him , which I was more than glad to do for him . Upon my arrival , I found him standing at the tailgate of his truck wiping down a glass out of a patio door . I kind of laughed as I came up to him and told him I could not cut it because of it being tempered . He looked at me in disbelief , and said he was sure that if I scored it on both sides it would cut with no problem . He kept insisting , till I finally said okay ,,, its your yard . I scored it on both sides , and told him to try and snap it as I held the back side of the glass . The moment he did so , there was a loud noise , and we were then standing in a pool of about a million pieces of small shattered glass . I looked at him and said , well,,,, get out the shop vac , and went back to the house . I can still see the look on his face when that panel of glass exploded in our hands . UHMMM, come to think of it , he has never once ever asked me to cut another piece of glass for him for some reason ............[/align]


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## Dragon0421

thanks for all the info on cutting the glass i have a local glass shop where i live i will see how much he will charge then i was afraid that it was going to be something like that i was hoping it could be done without having to go to a shop. Thank all of you all for the great info once again.


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## GuntherHess

You can normally tell if you tempered glass because it will be so hard the glass cutter will barely scratch it.


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## texasdigger

It surprises me how many of us glaziers are on this site.  I grew up in a glass shop, and still run one today.  The bit of onfo. I can add that has not been covered all ready is this.  With old glass it is easier to snap the scored glass than to run it by hand or with pliers.  Score the glass as stated above then pull the score up to the edge of the table running parrallel with the table edge.  Pull the scored line to within an inch or so of coming off the table.  Lift the entire sheet of glass then drop it down onto the table putting force on the score from the backside.  Also do not try to cut off less than an inch of glass.  If you are not skilled you will never get the score to run.   Overtime glass becomes harder with sun exposure almost like a crude tempering.  Also the old way of making sheets of glass was crude so the sheets themselves are not the same overall thinkness throughout the sheet.  If the glass is antique as he said it is not tempered.  That was not common place until recent history.  Also most of the time tempered glass has an etched stamp stating the maker, and that it is tempered.  There are exceptions to that rule, but for the most part it is marked.

 I always thought it was funny that I worked with glass all week long, and then went out to dig up old glass on the weekends.  

 Brad


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## madman

WOW! IM ALWAYS AMAZED BY THE KILLER INFO ON THIS SITE WELL DONE GUYS MIKE


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## whittled

I had one of those bottle cutters from the 70's and tried to use it on chapagne bottles. I never had any luck separating the score until, by accident I left it out in the winter. It rained and then froze with a perfect break. I think it was just luck. Like the time a shot a bb into a benedictine and made a perfect hole near the base. That's a lamp now.


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## Michdigger

I use my Ceramic Tile Saw with the Diamond Blade in it, and it works great..Just make sure you put Scotch tape over entire cutting area to keep glass from flaking when cutting.


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## BottleneckSlide

I know this thread is a little old but I just thought I would add my two cents here for future reference.

      I mainly cut just the bottlenecks. I have been using a wet bandsaw with a diamond blade that works very well with minimal chipping and gives you a precise cut. This is might not be as effective for the base of the base of the bottle. A tile saw as stated above will work. I would get the thinnest blade you can however. Or use a slow rotating motor with a diamond etching wheel. Make sure you continually rotate the bottle so you dont put too much pressure on one side or the the glass will eventually break instead of cut. I emphasise on whatever method you use you must keep the bottle wet. Heat is your enemy. The water will also wash away loose grit and glass. You can create or purchase a drip kit which can aid in water dispensing.

          I hope this helps someone.....................BottleneckSlide


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## Dragon0421

THanks for all the info i have purchased a tile saw and it works great. It cut right through the glass well just have to be careful with it. Once again thanks to all with the great info.[]


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