taking sharp edge off of glass?

Create a Post
BILLIE BOB

BILLIE BOB

True Grumbler
Joined
Jun 6, 2004
Posts
63
Location
TEXAS... THE GREATEST STATE
has any one ever heated picture frame glasses sharp edge to round it or keep from cutting you? I have a side project for painted cut glass on kitchen cabnets... i know this is not a frameing issue but they are picture frame cabnets and i will be using 2mm general glass... I thought i would get a torch and heat the edges... does this sound right?
 
Why is it important to you to dull the edges?

If you cut yourself, wear gloves. I use these nice gloves with little rubber dots on them for easy gription of the glass
 
Billie Bob,
You could use a glass seamer to file down the sharp edges. Most framing suppliers can sell you one. It is basically a set of hand held abrasive stones that you draw across the sharp edge of the glass. It will do both edges at the same time.
 
Agree with the above posts, I use the same seamer Bob points out. For a quick method I have used 'gasp' sandpaper!
I just goggled the melting point for glass and it seems (no pun intended) your gonna have to get it somewhere between 1500 and 2500 degrees, please don’t try it, the results might become shattering.
 
The glass seamer works. Some emery paper mounted to fomecore works. A whetstone works.

I've had picture glass shatter while using a heat gun to melt some nail-hole putty, so I'd be pretty reluctant to take a torch to it.
 
Back in the days of the no-frame frame, the Clip-it Frame or Uniframe was a fad thing,and occasionally called for today. The glass is held to the artwork with metal clips, or plastic brackets and cord, the glass edges left exposed and very sharp. Sanded the edges, before we had glass seamers, etc, with a piece of medium-grade sandpaper wrapped around a wood block. Use a down motion only, not a back-and-forth one that will cause chipping.
 
Originally posted by Julie-Tulie:
Tried 2001 and got the Hastle Free trim knife...
Click to expand...
Sorry Julie, I own both. The Hassle Free is nice, but for seaming glass the other tool is better!

The number may be 2111? If not then if we mention United enough times Peter may chime in and help us out!
 
Val I used to do that as well. But with the seamer it is soooooo much faster and IMHO better quality. no risk of scratching the surface of the pane when the phone rings..

The only problem is I dropped it shortly after purchasing it and one of the "wheels" broke. haven't replaced it as it works just great, once a month I'll blow it out with the compressed air to "clean" it. Otherwise no real maintainence needed. It is after all two "stones" held together in plastic!
 
I have to admit, I've never heard of, or used, the seamer. Will have to check into it. By the way Bob...
Happy Birthday to You!!
 
Got the glass seamer - simple enough. Now all I need to figure out is how to thread ATG through my new United ATG gun, and then how to lay it out...it seems to require some sort of coordination abilities on my part.

:rolleyes:
 
Never heat the edge of glass to remove the sharpness. The uneven heating will setup high stresses in the material after it cools down. It may crack on you or you get small "crazing" cracks or the glass will be weak and break at a later time.

As the others said, the seamer is a great tool. Removing the sharpness is always a good idea more than just to keep it from cutting you. It actually makes the glass stronger. Since glass typically fractures starting at the very delicate edge, rounding the sharp, brittle edge will toughen it.
John
 
Billy Bob, even without knowing the size of the glass,I would strongly suggest that you use a thicker glass than 2mm. The actual thickness of 2mm usually varies between 1.5-1.8mm. You did not say whether or not this is to remain a functional cabinet door. As opposed to a cabinet door that will now hang on the wall as an piece of art.
Assuming it's the former, imagine what would happen if a child or worse, a teenager slams that door shut.
As a glass fabricator, we also sell glazing materials to furniture and cabinet makers. The thinnest substrate typically used is 3mm(1/8").
Depending on the application, it may need to be thicker, such as 3/16(5mm),1/4(6mm,)or even tempered.
With respect to seaming the edge, all the suggestions regarding different abrasives would work fine.
JohnR's post is 100% on the mark.
 
Sanabria,

What makes tempered glass tempered?

I know from experience that the stuff is nearly impossible to break having arrived back from a vacation at 1 a.m. on a cold winter night and having forgotten the keys to the house. Taking a rock and, alternately, a chunk of cord wood to it had little effect.

Why as picture framers if we’re concerned about breakage don’t we use it in lieu of acrylics (other than the weight)?
 
Bill,
Two reason I can think of why we don't/can't use tempered glass in framing is the cost and you can't cut it after the tempering prossess.

Check THIS Out.
 
Bill Henry,

Sorry to answer late. Rogatory has offered two good reasons.

No you can't cut tempered glass.

On a price basis, it is typically a little more expensive than standard plexi.

But also very important to note, is the information that is provided in the link that Rogatory has provided. Please take a look at it, specifically the two paragraphs titled IMPERFECTIONS and VISUAL APPEARANCE. The quality standard is generally referred to as architectural, which is much more lenient than the standard that is used for picture-framing glass. With respect to melting defects, faint scratches, etc. as covered in the link.
On the other hand picture framing glass is held to a much higher standard.
We inspect our glass for all defects before, during and after our washing process, just prior to packing it in our box. This way, we can ensure that our end-product is as flawless as possible.
 
We have always swiped the edges of glass AND nipped off the corners before cleaning the glass.

If you've been in this business more than a week, you'll know that glass usually breaks from the corners. That's because the little bump or point on the corners is a stress riser.
Any pressure on these points will generally result in breakage.

Those sharp "flares" on the edge of glass will cause stress risers too. These will usually break off and create glass dust inside the frame (Murphy's Law of frame fitting) or cause glass breakage.

It takes about 15 seconds to swipe all 8 sharp edges of a 16 x 20 piece of glass. (Watch the FrameSpace "how to" video on the FrameTek web pages)

If you don't swipe glass you can expect the sharp edges to shave off little bits of paint, wood, or leaf from the rabbet as it slides around back and forth with the 1/8 inch allowance.

You can expepct to cut yourself on the sharp edges as you clean the glass.

You can expect to find little bits of shredded glass cleaning cloth or paper just where you're trying to be clean.

You can expect to have a hard time applying FrameSpace to the glass if you don't swipe it first.

I've found that you will save more time than it takes to swipe the glass if you don't have to open just one frame a day to remove debris.

"Tape sealing" the art, glass, and backing package will also save more time that it takes. It will virtually eliminate the dust problems in a frame.

Tape sealing also slows down the rapid changes in humidity in a frame that usually causes art and mat buckling.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top