Tempered glass is a big name in the glass industry due to its prevalent use in our daily lives. From residential spaces to commercial settings, toughened glass is used everywhere. It offers the right combination of strength and visual appeal. This justifies the widespread use of tempered safety glass.
Let’s address one of the most frequently asked questions about toughened glass. Can toughened glass be cut at home?
But before that, let’s have a quick look at the toughened glass.
What is Tempered Glass?
Tempered or toughened glass is manufactured through an extensive process. The annealed glass is first heated at a high temperature. The heating is followed by super-cooling which is responsible for strengthening the glass. Through this process, glass achieves a high strength value. So much so that toughened glass doesn’t break even on hard impacts. On repeated impacts, however, toughened glass can break. In an event of breakage, the toughened glass shatters into small harmless pieces. Instead of sharp shards of glass. That is why toughened glass is also referred to as safety glass.
Due to the strength and safety value, toughened glass has numerous indoor as well as outdoor applications. From a coffee table top to windows and doors, toughened glass is widely used in every area of our daily lives.
Can Tempered Glass Be Cut At Home?
We all like to adorn our homes with custom glass. But it may happen at times that the custom glass sheet is not exactly according to your requirements. It could be a mistake in the measurement part or it could be the wrong size. The question of cutting the toughened glass according to your requirement arises here.
You could cut a simple glass sheet at home by following proper instructions. But what about custom tempered glass sheets? Is cutting custom tempered glass at home possible?
Well, there are a number of opinions.
The most common perception is that you can’t cut toughened glass at home.
However, the other opinion states that it’s possible to cut the toughened glass at home. However, the process is quite intricate and requires a good amount of time. Due to the complexity of the procedure, most people prefer getting help from professionals. However, by implementing the right instructions, you can tweak the custom tempered glass sheets. So here is how you can do it.
How to Cut Tempered Glass At Home?
Cutting the toughened glass involves reversing the tempering process. The toughened glass has to go through the annealing process. Once the glass is annealed, it can be cut according to the requirements. Afterward, it is tempered again.
Tools Required
Cutting custom glass sheets is an elaborate process and requires proper supplies. Here is the list of tools that you need to execute the cutting process.
- Glass cutter
- Sandpaper
- Thick work gloves
- Tongs
- Safety goggles
- Ruler
- Permanent marker
Procedure
Once you have the tools in hand, it’s time to proceed to the process.
- Clean the glass sheet of any dust particles.
- Anneal the glass by heating it at a high temperature of 1000 °F or 538 °C. This intense heat can be provided in the kiln. The annealing process can also be done by carefully heating the glass sheet on a heater. The heated glass is then cooled down slowly to restore the annealed glass.
- Heating the custom tempered glass at a high temperature removes the stress points. These stress points cause the toughened glass to shatter on cutting. Without them, the toughened glass is just an ordinary piece of glass that can be cut with a glass cutter.
- Once the custom glass sheet is completely cooled down, take a marker. Mark the points from where you want to cut it.
- Take the glass cutter and run it through the marked line. Apply moderate pressure on the opposite sides of the marked line and snap the glass sheet.
- After cutting the glass sheet along the straight line, smooth the edges with sandpaper.
- Once you are done with cutting the glass sheet, it’s time to re-temper it. The process involves heating the glass sheet to a high temperature in a tempering oven and quickly cooling it by blasting cool air on it.
Safety Tips: Make sure to use safety goggles and gloves in the entire process. Use tongs to handle the hot glass sheets.
Wrapping It Up!
Cutting the toughened glass at home is certainly a complex job. But if you have the basic skills set and follow the right set of instructions, you can do it at home. So, yes! You can cut the toughened glass at home. But it’s always best to provide the fabricator with the right measurements to avoid any issues afterward.