Grinding glass down to pattern piece size

by Ellen Walker
(Yorba Linda, CA)

I am working on my first foil piece (I am taking a class 1 night a week)and cut my pieces a little larger, so I have to grind down A LOT. I don't have a table top grinder at this time (saving up money), but was wondering if there are any drill bits that I can get for my rotary drill that would work for now?

Answer

I don't know of any diamond embedded drill bits for the rotary drill. If there are any, you'd have to work out a way to keep the area wet while you grind.

You can buy a carborundum stone at most hardware stores or the sporting section at WalMart. It will take some elbow grease, but you will be able to grind down the edges, actually rub down is a better description, with the stone (no water needed).

When I started out in stained glass, grinders were not available for the home hobbyist, so the carborundum stone was the only thing available to take down the edges of glass. It certainly made people learn how to cut accurately, very quickly.

To this day, the carborundum stone is all I give my beginner students because I want them to learn how to cut accurately. They don't even know about the grinder until the intermediate class.

My suggestion to you would be to recut your glass. Take your time and follow the line, staying precisely on the inside edge of the line. Practice cutting your pattern on some window glass so you can figure out which cuts to make first. Remember to make the most difficult cuts first, the easiest last.

Good luck with your project. Submit a picture to the photo gallery when it's done. We'd all love to see it.