Polishing glass edges

[Grahamshed]

Hi all
I have cut up some old glass doors to make smaller ones. Anyone know how to polish the edges so I don't slice my fingers off ?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Get a cheap (Silverline or similar) diamond plate - £7 - £8 will do perfectly well. It's useful for other things too.

 

[bugbear]

Despite urban myth, glass is not super hard (*). SiC or Alox, either in whetstone or sheet abrasive form, will work it easily.

BugBear

(for example, "testing" a diamond by seeing if it will scratch glass is a recipe for buying a lot of quartz...)

 

[Steve Maskery]

Beware of the dust, of course. It's a good idea to use it wet, whatever abrasive you use.
S

 

[Paul Hannaby]

Aren't glass doors usually toughened glass?

 

[Grahamshed]

Despite urban myth, glass is not super hard (*). SiC or Alox, either in whetstone or sheet abrasive form, will work it easily.

BugBear

(for example, "testing" a diamond by seeing if it will scratch glass is a recipe for buying a lot of quartz...)

So an Alox disc on a ROS would suffice ?

 

[andersonec]

Presumably you only want to take off the sharp edges, I wouldn't use an ROS, it could set up too much vibration and shatter the glass especially when working on the edges, rather some wet & dry and a piece of wood and rub along the edge, not across it.

Andy

 

[dickm]

Have always used a lubricated carborundum stone, just to take off the really sharp corners. +1 for not using any powered sander, too big a danger of terminal vibration and also fine dust.

 

[condeesteso]

very timely, this. Just had a 250mm square, 3mm glass, 8mm bevel made (for a display box) - and I had exactly the same question. I would not let them grind the edges as I could not work with the rounded effect. I was guessing a finer diamond plate... about to give it a go (wet of course). I can imagine wet'n'dry would be fine too, as BB says, glass (normal) is actually quite soft.

 

[Benchwayze]

An oil-stone, a little 3 in 1 and some patience, is all I ever used to take of the sharp edges.
HTH :wink:

 

[Grahamshed]

Thanks guys, I will give it a go.