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Step 4Finishing the Edges
OK, this is tedious part of the process. Obviously you don't want to cut your mouth every time you use the glass so you have to smooth out the rim.
Professionals who do this for a living will "flame roll" the edges of the glass making them shiny and smooth like a standard glass. Unfortunately that requires specialized tools and you'll want to carefully anneal the glasses afterwards to minimize the chances of cracking and breaking.
** You cannot simply take a propane blow torch and get the edge smooth! If you try it, it will simply crack the whole glass. If you really want to do that, you'll likely need a glass worker's torch (usually Oxygen/Propane).
Using a Dremel tool, I first rough up the sharp cut using a Silicon Carbide conical grinding tip. Oh yeah, wear a dust mask, you don't want to be breathing ground glass!
Roughly grind the inside and outside of the edges using the Dremel. I also placed a strip of aluminum tape around the rim of the glass so that my grinding comes out as even as possible.
Continue to smooth out the edge using drum sanding attachments: I used 80, 120 and 150 grit. I would have used finer grits but that is all that I could find for the Dremel.
After a while, you'll have a fairly smooth edge that although usable, it is still kind of rough. Time to sand by hand using 200 grit sandpaper or finer.
You can keep going with a finer and finer grit, but if you want to finish the glass sometime this year, you'll call it a day after 200 grit.
You can also use a wire wheel on the lip, you'll get a shiny silver edge on glass that actually looks pretty cool.
Professionals who do this for a living will "flame roll" the edges of the glass making them shiny and smooth like a standard glass. Unfortunately that requires specialized tools and you'll want to carefully anneal the glasses afterwards to minimize the chances of cracking and breaking.
** You cannot simply take a propane blow torch and get the edge smooth! If you try it, it will simply crack the whole glass. If you really want to do that, you'll likely need a glass worker's torch (usually Oxygen/Propane).
Using a Dremel tool, I first rough up the sharp cut using a Silicon Carbide conical grinding tip. Oh yeah, wear a dust mask, you don't want to be breathing ground glass!
Roughly grind the inside and outside of the edges using the Dremel. I also placed a strip of aluminum tape around the rim of the glass so that my grinding comes out as even as possible.
Continue to smooth out the edge using drum sanding attachments: I used 80, 120 and 150 grit. I would have used finer grits but that is all that I could find for the Dremel.
After a while, you'll have a fairly smooth edge that although usable, it is still kind of rough. Time to sand by hand using 200 grit sandpaper or finer.
You can keep going with a finer and finer grit, but if you want to finish the glass sometime this year, you'll call it a day after 200 grit.
You can also use a wire wheel on the lip, you'll get a shiny silver edge on glass that actually looks pretty cool.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis
Frequent contact with dry glass dust will cause upper respiratory irritaion (think sore throat). Coughing will typically clear that. Silicosis occurs with long term exposure to silica-the main component in the production of glass. You're concern for safety is appreciated. Let's not forget saftey glasses and gloves too!
The term "bottle cutter" is a bit of a misnomer, as mentioned, because you dont actually cut the glass, you're etching a line of very fine breaks.
Heat the score line with a heat source (Eph's cutter comes with a candle), then cool it quickly (rub ice on it, lower it into a bucket of cold water, etc). The contrast between the hot and cold breaks the bottle along the scored line.
Ephrem's bottle cutter comes with a silicone grinding power that you use to grind down the edge, and then you finish it with a bit of sand paper. It works perfectly well and results in safe glasses, but may not be as fancy as the dremel method outlined above.
Enjoy!
http://www.ephremsbottleworks.com/