Trimming a ground glass?

[John Conway]

I bought a ground glass for my Cambo but it is just a little big and won't fit in. I am wondering if I can sand down the edge so it will fit. I'm just not sure what to use.

[BrianShaw]

I've done similar but with mixed results. The time I used a belt sander there were really ugly edges resulting, but the glass was usable. Another time I used a belt sanders the shards of glass were very difficult to clean up. The time I tried using a glass cutter I ended up repairing my hand with many bandaids.

My suggestion is for you to do what I did when I ordered a "4x5" sized GG for my Cambo: put it in a drawer and order one that really fits. :)

[Jon Shiu]

You can use a Dremel or power drill with a sanding drum. Draw a line on the glass with a marker so that you can take the edge down evenly. Best to do outside with the glass held flat with edge hanging over the side of a table or board.

Jon

[BrianShaw]

Oh, yes... I tried that also... but with a grinding wheel. I clamped the glass between two sheets of Masonite to keep from busting it like I did in my first experiment grinding glass with a Dremel.

[John Conway]

So very little has to come off. Maybe 1/32 at the most. I have noticed the wet plate guys taking the edge off the plates with some kind of stone.

[Steve Smith]

I'm guessing that you're all Americans... no need for power tools!

Place a piece of Wet or Dry paper or Emery cloth on a flat surface like a thick piece of glass and sand the edge down by hand.


Steve.

[Mark Sawyer]

What Steve said; I'd recommend 100 grit, and tape the other edges to save your hands. Sand cross-ways to the glass, not in-line, with light pressure, take your time.

[E. von Hoegh]

So very little has to come off. Maybe 1/32 at the most. I have noticed the wet plate guys taking the edge off the plates with some kind of stone.

DMT knife sharpener.http://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/bench-stones/

[BrianShaw]

I'm guessing that you're all Americans... no need for power tools!


Not just Americans... but Normies too (in the woodworking meaning of this term)!

[IanG]

I make a lot of screens and use wet & dry to smooth egdes etc but the best method/tool by a long way that I've found to take an edge off get a good fit is an Am-Tech Mini Diamond Sharpener. While these are sold to sharpen scissors, knives etc they are perfect for glass too and very much quicker and also easier than using wet & dry and inexpensive at around £2.50/$3.80. Mine are marked Medium Grit but I'm not sure if other grades are available, this is a small light tool with a key-ring attachment :D

Recently I had to take 2mm off a screen for someone on two edges and it was a 10 minute job which would have taken considerably longer with wet & dry, some screens are too thin to use mechanical means.

Ian

[Drew Wiley]

The trick with a belt sander is to use black silicon carbide belts, the kind actually distributed thru glass outlets. 3M makes them. Otherwise use a sanding block with fine
black emery cloth tightly attached to it. Sorry Steve - I thought it was you Brits who didn't know what power tools are. So I won't say exactly how I trim down a groundglass,
because I have certain, uh, logistical advantages, like a forty-page list of German power
tools warehoused fifteen feet behind my desk.

[TheDeardorffGuy]

Take it to a glass shop and have them use their wet belt and do it properly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marc B.]

Great suggestion from Ken, above, and...don't forget stained glass artisans.
They have all the 'right' tools, and the expertise for finite trimming of glass.

[Keith Fleming]

I also recommend taking it to a glass shop and have them grind it to size. I had the same problem a few years ago, and took the glass and the camera back to a local glass shop. They ground it to size in a couple of minutes, and didn't charge me a cent.

Keith

[Steve Smith]

Not just Americans... but Normies too (in the woodworking meaning of this term)!

That's exactly who I was thinking of. he can't even put in a nail without a specialised powered tool!


Steve.

[John Koehrer]

What Steve said; I'd recommend 100 grit, and tape the other edges to save your hands. Sand cross-ways to the glass, not in-line, with light pressure, take your time.
Another one for this solution.
Quick and easy. 1/32 maybe 10-15 minutes. Faster than a trip to the glass shop.
Tape the edges you're holding though, wouldn't want to get blood on the glass.

[Steve Smith]

Tape the edges you're holding though, wouldn't want to get blood on the glass.

Whilst you're at it, round off all the other edges so there is no chance of ever cutting yourself on it.


Steve.

[Vaughn]

And while one is at it, one might as well make sure that all edges of the GG are smoothed. Less likely to break and easier to handle.

Whoops! What he said up there!

[Greg Miller]

$20 for the ground glass. $750 for the trip to the emergency room. 6 weeks of trying to do LF movements with one hand...

[Steve Smith]

$750 for the trip to the emergency room.

Do it in England. It's free!


Steve.

[BrianShaw]

Yes, free... but one might leave hospital with only four fingers.

[IanG]

Actually Steve - Greg has a good point.


$20 for the ground glass. $750 for the trip to the emergency room. 6 weeks of trying to do LF movements with one hand...

My glass supplier is reluctant to use mechanical tools on thin glass, I would not recommend using any power tools with thin glass (2mm and under) unless the user has set up a safe working environment and has full protection, and knows what they are doing.

Glass and a belt sander are a combination that could cause severe injuries, Having had two severe - initially appearance innocuous cuts - one very deep needing stitches the other a severed artery needing the artery stitched and later a skin graft I'd advise caution. I should add both my incidents were unrelated to working with glass, one was walking past stacked glass sheets while carrying something very heavy & catching a finger against it (it shouldn't have been there anyway), the other more severe when a Duran beaker shattered.

When you've seen your own blood shooting across a room from a cut you think again !!!!

Ian

[Jim Noel]

A diamond nail file works also

[TheDeardorffGuy]

You know I've tried all the methods mentioned here. every single one. Never had "professional looking" results. But it never fails to amuse me at the lengths people will go to "do it myself". And yes it was after a nasty cut that I went to my glass shop. He taught me how and i do it myself with gloves. Proper tools for the job.

[Jim Jones]

The first thing I do when handling any glass is to dull the edges slightly with a cheap whetstone. Perhaps a belt sander would be better and almost as fast -- if one is available.

[Greg Miller]

Do it in England. It's free!


Steve.

No offense intended towards you (I know your comment was at least partly tongue in cheek), but that's the attitude that scares me here in the US. It isn't free; it is just already paid for through taxes or some other vehicle. Nothing the government does is free. And the further removed the public is from the actual payment, the more they think the service truly is free. Free health care. How could anybody be against that? But it has to be paid for, so how much extra tax is everyone ready to pay to get free healthcare.

But now we'll both get banned for talking politics ;)

[Steve Smith]

No offense intended towards you (I know your comment was at least partly tongue in cheek), but that's the attitude that scares me here in the US. It isn't free; it is just already paid for through taxes or some other vehicle.

Free as in it won't cost you any more than if you don't go.


Steve.

[CP Goerz]

Have ran into this a few times.


A belt sander will do the job in the least amount of time however you have to keep the glass level on the paper with no excessive pressure one side or the other which is hard to do. I am all for taking a piece of rectangular wood that fits in your hand comfortably, wrapping some fine wood sandpaper around it 'sand' the glass. Don't rush it, to take of 1/32 will take about 20-35 mins depending on thickness.

[John Conway]

Wow! I didn't expect this much help. Thanks. I think I will try the hands on method. Nice and easy. Tape on the edge and welding gloves.

[Drew Wiley]

If you use a belt sander or power whetstone (waterstone, like a planer blade sharpener)
you first sandwich the glass between two stiff sheets of plywd or phenolic, with only a tiny bit of glass standing proud. Duuuh. The same if you do it by hand. Lapidary grit can
be used too. No harder than sharpening a chisel - but if you tend to lop off a finger doing that kind of thing, I guess you shouldn't be handling glass at all. But I second the advice of taking it to a friendly glass shop who can ease the edges professionally.

[reedvalve]

Old reply yes, but maybe someone else can benefit...

I just ground off 1-2mm on the short side of a 5x7 Hopf glass (not sure which type as I bought it used) in about 15 minutes using a DMT FWCX Double Sided Diafold Sharpener Coarse / Extra-Coarse (https://www.amazon.com/DMT-FWCX-Diafold-Sharpener-Extra-Coarse/dp/B00004WFTX/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1467082594&sr=8-6&keywords=dmt+coarse)

The glass was sandwiched between 2 pieces of thin plywood. Very easy to do.


Cheers