52x40 Jersey shadow box glass

[Beckman]

I am about to cut into a 60x40 2.5mm TruVue Premium Clear lite for a 52x40 shadow box for a football jersey. No support for the glass other than the frame/foam core spacer around the perimeter. Seems a little dangerous, but doable... Any advice?

 

[alacrity8]

I am about to cut into a 60x40 2.5mm TruVue Premium Clear lite for a 52x40 shadow box for a football jersey. No support for the glass other than the frame/foam core spacer around the perimeter. Seems a little dangerous, but doable... Any advice?

I'm not sure if you are looking for advice on framing or glass cutting.
Most on here would recommend changing to Acrylic.
I will always recommend that to a customer, but I'm willing to use large glass, as long as the frame can support it.
Make sure to have a clean score, and snap it in one go.
For the frame, make sure the frame isn't so narrow that it'll bow out in the middle.
If it is, either add a strainer, or reinforce the frame with some tight wire from the top to the bottom, and from the left to the right.

 

[Larry Peterson]

Most on here would recommend changing to Acrylic.

Ditto. 52x40 glass is a disaster waiting to happen; either in the shop or home. And the liability of it breaks and injures someone in the home.

 

[wpfay]

Is it worth the risk to not use acrylic?
Even if it is hung up somewhere and never moved, there is the risk of breakage in the transit from your shop to their home.
We know little of the engineering involved, so we will side with caution.

 

[JFeig]

Yes, glass that size is at the upper limit of being safely used.
You as a first time poster have not given any of us all the information we need to see the whole picture. What is your experience? Do you have the space necessary to handle safely glass this size? How strong of a frame are you planning to use?
Yes, acrylic glazing is safer for both the consumer, fabricator and during transport as already been commented.

 

[Nikodeumus]

Welcome to the Grumble!

Not much help now, but I also would have said "no" to glass that size. Same reasons as others have posted. A big risk.

While there is an initial higher cost of appropriate acrylic, that cost is much less than the costs involved with the possibility of replacing broken glass and/or a ruined collectable jersey.

If it's too late to change the customers mind, then be sure that they understand these risks and plan for very careful transport and handling when it's time for them to take possession.

 

[Mary Beth van der Horst]

When cutting oversized glass like that, sometimes I skip using the frame as a cradle and just lay it flat on a clean sheet of 40x60 foamcore. Measure thrice(both the frame and the glass), draw a line in thin sharpie, tape down a metal ruler as a guide accounting for the width of your handheld glass cutter, and GO! I've had way too many diagonal breaks when using the frame as a cradle past a certain size. At least you only have to make one cut. Good luck!

 

[Jim Miller]

As noted by others, glass in that size could be dangerous if it were to break, and the frame would have to be sturdy enough to prevent corner-to-corner deflection (twisting) as well as the hanging weight. The extra provisions to strengthen the frame would add significant cost.

Acrylic weighs about half as much as glass and has 20 times the shatter resistance, and eliminating the need for extra provisions to strengthen the frame could offset the cost difference, at least partially.

 

[alacrity8]

When cutting oversized glass like that, sometimes I skip using the frame as a cradle and just lay it flat on a clean sheet of 40x60 foamcore. Measure thrice(both the frame and the glass), draw a line in thin sharpie, tape down a metal ruler as a guide accounting for the width of your handheld glass cutter, and GO! I've had way too many diagonal breaks when using the frame as a cradle past a certain size. At least you only have to make one cut. Good luck!

The previous shop I worked at used that method.
I've never heard the term cradle used for this method, but it makes perfect sense.
I had worked at a few shops before that, so I used a straight edge and got better results than those using the cradle technique, so I was allowed to keep using my method.
The one time I tried to use the "cradle" method, my boss came in (owned 5 shops, so we didn't see him often) and the break went badly. That was 20ish years ago. Haven't tried it since.

 

[Rick Granick]

I rarely use glass on anything over 36x48 inches. As others have mentioned, the frame has to have the structural integrity to support it.
Even then, the risk of breakage during transport or in the customer's home is too great. You have to explain the facts to the customer. Many people think they don't want acrylic just because they have never used it before.
Rick

 

[Larry Peterson]

Many people think they don't want acrylic just because they have never used it before.
Rick

Amen to that. I seldom reply to positive reviews on Etsy unless the review is something that others need to read. The following is such a review.