Re: [ATM] cutting a big piece of plate glass into mirror or tool

["Sachindra Karanth" <sachinkaranth@gmail.com>]

My post on the subject of cutting glass comes with a history to it, so
i'll tell the list the whole experience.
I've been lurking around for a while hoping to get inspired into
starting another mirror. (ive done a 4" f/10 and 8" f/9 about 15 years
ago)
Finally I did get inspired and ordered a 11inch plate glass blank
1inch thick (borosilicate glass dosent come by easily in india). The
glass had a small nick on it which i thought was harmless- untill I
worked on the blank to put a chamfer on it. In no time it grew inwards
and soon i had 1by 3/4 inch piece of glass falling out of the blank.
To get the blank circular again, i drew a circle on the inside of the
chipped blank and then "cut out" the glass with a "stone cutter" (
thats what it is called in india - its a 110mm circular saw with a
diamond impregnated blade casts 50$ or so)
Used with a lot of water, it cut the glass clean to form an
octagon/decagon. I then again cut the tips of the apex to get a
hexadecagon. The sides of the glass is then ground to a circle with a
"stone polisher" ( a hand drill with a grinding attachment).
I now have a 9 1/2 inch bland which has progressed to 320 grit stage.
The whole operation from the chipped 11 inch bland to the 91/2 did not
take me more than an hour and a half. I guess the same procedure could
be used to make blanks from larger sheets.
Sachin
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