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Breaking Glass
When you apply breaking
force to a scored piece of glass you are imparting energy into the glass.
This energy first opens the score line separating the glass into two pieces.
After the glass has broken, the excess energy results in movement. The glass
in your left hand moves to the left and down and the glass in the right hand
moves to the right and down. If the glass piece in either hand is at all
sizeable, gravity will add its influence to the momentum of the pieces which
often strike the work table and can break.
The solution to this
problem is very simple. Just rest the rear edge of the glass on the table
during your breaking operation!
Plan Ahead for Safety
Don't wait for an accident
to occur before thinking about first aid!
Plan ahead and keep a well stocked first aid kit in your glass workshop. Get
together all the "usual" stuff... and then some.
Be prepared for all of the likely stained glass mishaps. Cuts and burns are
the obvious "favorites," but don't overlook eye injury,
(especially if you don't have running water in your work area.)
Buy an eye cup and a bottle of eye wash solution. It is a good idea to store
your eye wash cup (which is usually on top of the eye wash bottle) in a
plastic bag, even if it is in the original box, to be sure you don't wind up
putting more junk into your eye than you had in the first place.
Other items we hope you won't need but shouldn't be overlooked are:
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A large enough piece of sterile gauze to stop the bleeding if you really
"do it." |
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One or two gallon milk jugs filled with clean water to flush burns etc. |
Breaking Score Lines
Using the Table Edge
Perhaps the most effective
way to break a straight score line on a large piece of glass is by using the
edge of the table to snap the sheet off at the score line. (You have
probably seen it done at your local glass shop.)
Seems simple enough, but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about
it.
You may not have noticed it but your supplier probably did not line the
score up exactly at the edge of the table.
You see, it's like this....
If you line the score up with the edge of the table, after you snap the
glass off along the score there is nothing holding the glass up at the end
closest to the table and there is a danger of dropping the piece you have
just cut onto your feet!
To avoid this possibility always position your glass so that the score line
is about an inch onto the table. Now when you bend and break the glass the
table will be supporting the other end of the piece you are holding.
Mixing Chemicals
Most of us realize that
mixing chemicals can have unexpected (and potentially disastrous) results,
but it is easy to overlook the simple fact that spraying cleaner onto work
that has just been patinaed IS mixing chemicals! Always rinse or remove as
much excess chemical residue as possible before adding cleaners to the mix.
You can help reduce the risk of fire in your workshop by using a power
strip. Plug your work lights and soldering iron into the same strip. Then
get in the habit of using the switch on the power strip to turn off your
lights. This way you will always know that your iron is turned off even if
you forget to unplug it or turn of your temperature control.
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