Re: mirror cutting

[P3D David C. Glick <xid@xxxxxxx>]

Elliott Swanson asked:
>Does anyone out there have any suggestions for cutting front surface 
>mirrors? I used to think I was a pretty good glass cutter until I tried 
>to deal with this stuff!
>Are there special diamond cutters for this?

The stuff I have used is indeed a lot trickier to cut than standard glass or
mirror because it is thinner and more delicate.  Specific problems can
probably be diagnosed from the symptoms of the failed cut - what exactly is
happening?  Do you have the stuff that comes with a protective plastic film
(my stuff is not optical grade - I get it at stained glass shops and use it
for making kaleidoscopes).  I use a standard carbide-wheel glass cutter and
cut right through the film and make the score in one pass.  I place the
glass on a scrupulously clean hard surface (not the slightly resilient
surface often recommended for normal glass cutting), and use a slightly
lighter touch than usual on the cutter.  I break along the score using
stained-glass worker's running pliers.  

My usual problem is that I'm afraid to put much pressure on the cutter for
fear of crushing the mirror during scoring, so then sometimes I get a poor
scrore and the break departs from the score and goes off into the piece.  A
little more nerve and a little more pressure would probably solve that, as
long as the cutter is sharp.

Dave Glick          xid@xxxxxxx          State College, PA





------------------------------