U.V. CLEAR GLASS... IDENTIFYING FRONT FROM BACK

dave martin

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Posts
1
Loc
vancouver, canada
WHEN THE MICRO LETTERING HAS BEEN CUT OFF I FIND IT VERY DIFICULT TO IDENTIFY THE FRONT FROM THE BACK. I USE TRU-VUE UV CLEAR AND FOUND THAT A BLACK FELT MARKER 'CRAWLS' ON THE INSIDE SURFACE BUT ADHERES TO THE OUTSIDE SURFACE. I DONT KNOW IF THIS SUBJECT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, BUT THOUGHT I'D THROW IT OUT THERE AND SEE IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER SOLUTIONS.
 
Scratch the glass (on the very edge of course) with a blade. The coated side will scratch but the uncoated side will not. The coated side faces the art.
 
Al's advice is good. I use the marker method. The surface that it 'crawls' on is the coated surface, and faces the art.
 
Be careful with those markers. We all know that a tiny, tiny little spec looks a boulder on a white mat. We use the scratch method.
 
Yes , the two methods work really well. But the real test is to determine uv blocking from regular glass. We here at Gumby's Framery have placed a black light so if we hold up a peice of uv blocking glass you will see only the white light right. So simple. We green people Know things.
:D
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:D
Jim
OHIO
PS Also everyone knows the left handed glass stretch has a uv film tester on it!
 
Why, it's a very versatile tool made for us "South Paws" of course!!

(Being left handed, I KNOW the South will rise again!)

FGII
 
Another cool tip: take a chance, slap it in the cutter. If it splinters, ruins your new wheel, won't score, and cracks diagonally, you're cutting the wrong side.
 
Thanks, MM. It's nice to discover that what I thought was a silly mistake is actually an approved coated-side determination method.

The coated side feels slippery; the side you score doesn't. This simple method always works for me. Well, almost always. See above.

Kit
 
Hello all,
As a Tru Vue rep in the east, the most frequently used method I have seen is to scratch the edge of the glass with a razor. You can immediately realize what side is coated.

Sean McLaughlin
Tru Vue
District Sales Manager
 
Hmmm, If the glass was cut to remove the convenient lettering wouldn't looking at the edge to see which side was scored be an easy way?
Always worked for me.
I use a carbide wheel in my glass cutter and have found that even when I ignore the instructions and cut on the wrong side I still get a good cut. Takes a bit more pressure to break and makes a louder noise, but it works.
 
Whenever possible, I leave the micro-lettering on the glass when it is on the bottom of the finished piece. It is hidden behind the rabbet and I have not seen any "ghosting" or reflection of the lettering against the mats. And it is a sure bet as to which side of the glass is which.

Framerguy
 
The last Tru Vue I received had about half with easily removable stickers indicating the scoring side. I like this better than the lettering which has, at times, been larger than usual and extended beyond the rabbet and has been on several sides of the same lite. I certainly do not fondly remeber removing the lettering with paint thinner. Also, why should we have to plan to put the lettering on the bottom? Is the sticker a recent innovation? If so, it is an excellent idea. If part of the lite is used the sticker can be placed on the scrap.

Because of the safety issue I think working with glass should be as easy and efficient as possible.
 
If the lettering is an issue it can be removed very easily with acetone.
I just used my first "labeled" lite and it is very convenient.
 
This is a great thread. We moved about a year ago and I have avoided using my cut glass pieces because I didn't know which side was which when I unpacked. I will scratch them all and place my own sticker, a piece of tape with the word outside or something, on the outside. And, I'll just tape those old ones when I cut them.
Thanks! :cool:
 
Easiest method is to rub the glass between your fingers (ungloved!); the side that faces 'in' has a slick feeling to it from the silicone coating. The untreated side just feels like glass.
I often cut the lettering off because it seems to extend beyond the rabbet too much and usually isnt obvious until you've completely sealed your sandwich with tape and finished fitting

For the leftover pieces and also to make the 'in' side more obvious to some of the fitters in the shop who have UV glass identity issues, I stick a piece of 3M 911 removeable tape on it and write on that... comes off easy!
 
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