Help - glass cutting tips needed

[treesprite]

I always screw up and ruin the glass, so it has been a lot of years since last time I tried to cut glass. Can someone give me some tips that might keep me from wasting glass? If you want some quarantine fun, maybe you could make a demo video.

 

I'll be using glass from old 20g tanks that got broken. It would be easier to cut the glass from old 10g, but I don't trust glass that thin on the bottom of an external OF box. 

 

Thanks

[Jon Lazar]

Buy a decent cutter.  I tried cutting glass on a 40 breeder using a cheap $5 tool from HD.  Every now and then a cut would work, but mostly i just ruined the glass.

 

I ordered a $20 carbide tip pencil cutter from Amazon, and the cuts turned out much, much better.

[ImGoingCoastal]

GO SLOW!

Keep the water running.

Create a template out of wood, secure it with more tape then you think is necessary.

Introduce the bit at an angle then slowly lower the rest of the bit down, though this might not be necessary if your template is good enough.

Don't push hard.

GO SLOW!


In all seriousness. I've drilled like 5 tanks and have only broken one (thought it wasnt tempered, turns out it was). If I can put a hole in a tank, you can too.

The 10 gallon glass might even be easier since it's less time cutting.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

[treesprite]

3 hours ago, Jon Lazar said:

Buy a decent cutter.  I tried cutting glass on a 40 breeder using a cheap $5 tool from HD.  Every now and then a cut would work, but mostly i just ruined the glass.

 

I ordered a $20 carbide tip pencil cutter from Amazon, and the cuts turned out much, much better.

 

Thanks for the tip. I meant to ask what type to use. I couldn't find all my tool stuff when I moved.

 

I think maybe I wasn't keeping steady enough pressure all along the line. Sometimes the glass would be separating and suddenly deviate in a particular spot. I've got arthritis in my hands and have had both wrists broken, so keeping an even pressure will probably be my biggest challenge. I'm wondering if the type of cutter with a handle would help me with that?

 

ImGoingCostal,

I'm asking about cutting glass, not drilling. I'm fairly experienced at drilling, have drilled a lot of tanks and did a lot of practicing as well. The suggestion to use a template is something I tend to ignore, so sometimes I start out a bit sloppy, but the holes are still good and the tanks don't break. The bits I got the last time I think have larger particles in the coating than they should, because with two different bits, I got a lot of skipping even using a template to start out the hole (I drilled a total of 11 holes that day). 

Edited May 19, 2020 by treesprite

[treesprite]

I threw away a lot of pieces of glass when I moved. Someone could have used them for baffles, but I didn't want to haul them. I've broken a lot of small tanks by accident, I just take them apart and save the glass when that happens. I had the front glass of a 75 g tank for about 8 years in a closet.

[ImGoingCoastal]

My apologies. Well maybe someone will find that useful.

 

Good luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[treesprite]

3 hours ago, ImGoingCoastal said:

My apologies. Well maybe someone will find that useful.

 

Good luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

No worries. It really is one of those tips/reminders that can't be said enough. That's why the questions about drilling get asked in so often, in probably thousands of posts across the internet.

 

If I fail at cutting the glass, I'm going to have to just do without the box. I looked into getting a custom box that matches my tank holes, but was told I would have to drill it myself for the side that connects to the tank bulkheads. The only other option would be to plug my tank holes and drill new ones, which would be worse than just making a new 3-sided box (assuming I can cut the glass). 

 

These diy projects make this hobby much more interesting than just having a tank to watch and care for. I think I would get bored without an occasional challenge that didn't involve water quality problems.

 

[ImGoingCoastal]

Could you use acrylic? Might be a bit easier to work with.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

[treesprite]

2 hours ago, ImGoingCoastal said:

Could you use acrylic? Might be a bit easier to work with.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
 

 

I need a 3-sided box that isn't bulkhead-mounted.

[Jon Lazar]

18 hours ago, treesprite said:

Thanks for the tip. I meant to ask what type to use. I couldn't find all my tool stuff when I moved.

 

 

This is what I bought:  IMT Heavy Duty Pencil Glass Cutter Oil Feed Tungsten Carbide Tip Metal Handle, Professional Mosaic/Tiles/Stained Glass Cutting Tool with Free Replacement Head - 6mm-20mm

 

TOYO is also supposed to be a solid brand.

[flooddc]

1+ what Jon said. A quality cutter is a must. Also, Do a single pass cut, if you try multiple pass it will messed up.

just a though! Lowes cut glass that purchased through them. Pretty cheap, But they are the thin ones.  I believe they are the same thickness as the 10 gallons aquarium. You could get those instead if you’re going to use the glass from old 10 gallon tank.

Edited May 19, 2020 by flooddc

[treesprite]

On 5/19/2020 at 7:32 PM, flooddc said:

1+ what Jon said. A quality cutter is a must. Also, Do a single pass cut, if you try multiple pass it will messed up.

just a though! Lowes cut glass that purchased through them. Pretty cheap, But they are the thin ones.  I believe they are the same thickness as the 10 gallons aquarium. You could get those instead if you’re going to use the glass from old 10 gallon tank.

 

The glass in 10g won't support 3 bulkheads. It would be okay for the walls, but the bottom can't be that thin. 

[treesprite]

Not a perfect job, but I'm trimming the bobbles with the dremmel and diamond-coated disks. I cut from ends and corners of the uncut pieces of glass, so most of the edges are still factory cut. 

[RW09903]

I need glasses. I originally read this post as grass cutting tips 

[treesprite]

6 hours ago, RW09903 said:

I need glasses. I originally read this post as grass cutting tips 

 

LOL

 

Now what's NOT at all funny....

 

I was just about to drill the bottom glass. Ieasures and marked my hole spots, put the plumbers putty down, went to get something, dropped a piece of wood on the glass. 

 

I have a couple more panels of glass, so I'm back to the drawing board on the bottom piece.

[treesprite]

Mission accomplished.

[ImGoingCoastal]

Congrats!

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

[treesprite]

LOL

 

[Origami]

Good job, Forrest. I've had better luck with diamond tipped glass cutters. No wheel - just a chunk of diamond in the tip. (A quick dip in light machine oil seems to help with this type of cutter.)  But oil-filled, wheel cutters are also good. The oil keeps the wheel and the glass surface lubricated for a smooth, clean score on the first pass. Score once with firm, even pressure (the sound should be fairly constant with even pressure) - avoid the urge to drag the cutter over multiple passes. Align your straightedge under the score and a little pressure on the raised edge should snap the glass along your score line.