How to cut hot glass at home?

Cutting of hardened( high-strength, safe, heat-resistant) glass - the process is slow and difficult, it requires quite serious preparation. Cut it on the same principle as the usual, will not work because of its high mechanical strength. During the quenching process, the material changes its structure. The matter is further complicated by the fact that the "safe" glass with all the remarkable strength properties is a very fragile material. When you try to cut it in the usual way, it simply splits into separate pieces. Let's talk in the article on how to cut a glass at home.

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How is tempered glass made?

Tempered glass differs from the usual in that after heating to a temperature of approximately 660 degrees it is quickly cooled by blowing cold air. It is rapid cooling that underlies the process called hardening.

The features of toughened glass are:

• High level of mechanical strength.
• Security. The material is broken up into large fragile fragments and is not traumatic.
• Resistant to high temperatures.

Thanks to such characteristics, these materials are widely used in construction, in the manufacture of display cases or dishes, and in the automotive industry.

Important! There is a lack of such glass. Enough even a weak impact from the side of the glass sheet, and it is broken. This feature is used by designers( creating the effect of "broken glass" in the manufacture of bedside tables or countertops).As a rule, glass surfaces in this case are arranged in 3 layers( whole - beaten - whole).

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Cutting order

If the sheet is large, do not attempt to cut it yourself. It is possible to cut such a product without any sad consequences only with the help of a laser installation. Naturally, in everyday life this is unrealizable. The only correct way to cut heat-resistant glass at home is to re-anneal the glass. Let's consider it in more detail.

Tools for working

Before you cut the glass at home, prepare the necessary tools and accessories. So, you will need:

• Special oven with the possibility of heating up to 700 and more degrees.

Important! There were a lot of such furnaces in the laboratories of scientific research institutes, which in the 90s were closed by packs. If there is no such furnace, you can order it in the smithy( forge type).

• Thermometer with a high( the same 700 degrees) threshold.

Important! In laboratory furnaces there are built-in thermostat and thermometer.

• A set of marking tools( markers, squares, rulers).
• Grinding stones.
• Wood rods.
• Diamond glass cutter.
• Powerful fan.
• Water.

Important! Work is necessary in protective adaptations - overalls, glasses.

Preparing, cutting salted glass at home

So, the only way to cut hot glass in a domestic environment is to make it less durable. Elimination of stress, which appeared during quenching, helps annealing. It is produced according to the following algorithm:

• Soak the glass in water. Then gradually increase the water temperature to the digits equal to the viscosity temperature in the furnace( 1013 Poise).

Important! Glasses of different brands have different viscosity indexes. In addition, the duration of the procedure is affected by the size of the sheet. For example, the duration of soaking window panes varies from 12 to 16 hours.

• Heating of the glass in the oven to the temperature of burning. For different brands, it is 470-680 degrees( Celsius).The required figures can be found in the documentation for the glass.

Important! Manufacturing companies from the United States indicate the Fahrenheit temperature. To convert to the usual degrees Celsius, you need to use the formula: TF = TC x 9/5 + 32 or reference tables.

• After the temperature has reached the desired peak value, remove and cool the glass. In this case, it is necessary that the cooling be as slow as possible.
• When the glass sheet reaches room temperature, mark the cutting lines on it. After the manipulations, the glass ceased to be "safe", "hardened", and turned into the usual.
• Cut the groove along the previously marked line with a glass cutter, and then beat off "all the excess" with careful strokes. To make the incision more neat, place the rods made of wood under the "groove".
• Is the glass cut? Now is the time to temper it again. The first 2 points of the described technology repeat exactly.
• The cooling process for glass quenching should be fast. To do this, install a powerful ventilation device in the room in advance. You can lower the temperature of the air to 10 degrees, but ventilation is still necessary. You need to blow both sides of the sheet. After the leaf temperature has reached room temperature, the procedure can be considered finished.

As you can see, cutting tempered glass at home is not an easy and expensive business. To get down to business, without special tools and skills - it's unreasonable, and unsafe. If you think that you can not cope with the task, entrust it to a specialist.