Cutting Pyroceram

flatgrinder

flatgrinder

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
2,045
How do you cut pyroceram?

I purchased a piece from Darren a little over a year ago and need to cut about 1/2" off the end. Any ideas?

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
I have cut mine with a ceramic cutter attachment on my angle grinder. You have to be very careful not to inhale glass dust, it is VERY DANGEROUS, I'm talking about silicosis of course. Wear a good respirator, and do it outside, the silica dust stays in the air quite a while...
 
You can also take it to a fireplace supply place. They can usually cut custom pieces and should have the right setup. Tile saw will also work, just go really slow and make sure to bevel the edges or you'll rip up your belts fast!
 
it grinds with a 50 grit belt, just go slow, i got alot of tempered glass that goes in fireplace doors for free thought that would work great, attempted to cut it with my wifes diamond ring saw used for stained glass,was quite surprised when it exploded instantly sending glass fragments for 10 ft in all directions any idea how this tempered glass is cut??
 
cadillac forge said:
it grinds with a 50 grit belt, just go slow, i got alot of tempered glass that goes in fireplace doors for free thought that would work great, attempted to cut it with my wifes diamond ring saw used for stained glass,was quite surprised when it exploded instantly sending glass fragments for 10 ft in all directions any idea how this tempered glass is cut??
Click to expand...

Tempered glass has a 'layer' of glass on the outside that is under stress different than the center, it's been cooled differentially, similar to a hamon. Any damage to the outside layer results in the explosive release of the tension. I don't think you can cut it at all.

I learned about it from these things: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Rupert's_Drops
 
a friend of mine owns a window company, i believe tempered glass cannot with stand edge deformation, he said one time they were working on a building, and the windows they put in, were tempered glass.

he said someone dared him to hit it with a ball as hard as he could so he tried and the ball bounced back, but the same window if tapped on the edge with a hammer would explode/shatter instantly.....not really related but a neat story.
 
A similar story was :
The glass company was delivering a large plate glass window to our shopping center for a replacement (car ran through the neighboring store front). The glass was being lifted from the truck side and the wind caught it. It toppled over onto the pavement with a huge thud. Everyone just looked shocked. The installer said it was tempered glass and was super tough. They picked it up and took it to the window to put it in. The edge bumped the frame a little too hard when they were setting it in place and the whole thing exploded into a billion glass nuggets.

Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
A similar story was :
The glass company was delivering a large plate glass window to our shopping center for a replacement (car ran through the neighboring store front). The glass was being lifted from the truck side and the wind caught it. It toppled over onto the pavement with a huge thud. Everyone just looked shocked. The installer said it was tempered glass and was super tough. They picked it up and took it to the window to put it in. The edge bumped the frame a little too hard when they were setting it in place and the whole thing exploded into a billion glass nuggets.

Stacy
Click to expand...


thanks for the conformation that im not the worlds biggest BS'er
 
You can cut pyrex or pyra ceram with a carbide wheel glass cutter. Put a bit of oil on the wheel and move it briskly across the glass and snap it off. It will not make the scratching sound you might associate with glass cutting. It's tough to cut. It will also grind like metal. Go slow and simply grind it to size.
 
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