Coombe Barton Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Having puzzled long and hard about glazing an Airfix autocoach, I was fortunate to find a demo at ExpoEM abut precisely this. The technique involves a bit of plastic excavation, non-fogging superglue and microscope cover slips cut with a diamont record stylus. Cover slips are small and certified for medical use, usually, but I found on ebay a source of 22mm x 60mm out of date slips. 1000 off for 14.99 post free (that's 1.32 square metres of glass). So if anyone else is thinking of doing this the link is http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1497.l2649 No connection with the company other than one transaction - they came within a few days. Now I have more than a lifetime's supply. Reckon I could glaze more than 100 autocoaches with this lot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Hi John, Could you tell me how thick they are please. At the moment I have some at 1mm which are a bit thick and some very fine ones which while you can cut them they seem to break when you breath on them.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Could you tell me how thick they are please. They are normally 5 thou, or at least the ones I have are. The size at 22 x 60mm is very good, I've now ordered some. Coincidently I had a query the other day about what to cut the glass with. I use a diamond tipped marker pen, I get mine from my local Vet, the nearest thing I can see on Ebay for example is this, http://www.ebay.co.u...75#ht_745wt_905 though mine are much neater, the diamond tip being set in a brass extension, with a protective cap, the brass extension fitted into a very nice walnut 'pen' handle.. EDIT - Just measuerd my glass 6.5 thou, mines from the Brum firm of Chance Propper Ltd. at Smethwick. Also just photo'ed the Pen/Scribber :- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 My micrometer says these are 0.2mm - about 8 thou. They seem a little thicker than the square ones I used to have at school, and a bit tougher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 ... and some very fine ones which while you can cut them they seem to break when you breath on them.... How are you cutting them? The demo at ExpoEM used a diamond record stylus in a pin vice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Thanks both, I am cutting them with a tungsten scribe that I got with a glass cutting set from CPL Products at the Halifax show ( I got the idea from this thread by Richard_T). The ones described above sound very much like the pack of a hundred that came with the set - perhaps I am just being heavy handed and need to be a bit more gentle with them when fitting them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 The surface does have to be firm for cutting on, I'm using a smooth but matt finish dark grey worktop off-cut, matt so you can see where the gloss faced glass is, or has gone to when you have a light above it Experiance comes with age, experiance also means you forget things too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penlan Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Rob, your cross reference to Richard_T's article, about 2/3 down the page shows a suitable marker, however the 'Cutting Sheet' may be just a teeny bit soft if your pressing hard. You don't need to cut all the way through the glass to cut it off, just a light score, then it will snap along the line, just like 4mm picture framing glass etc., (I mean 4mm thick glass in the real world, not 4mm scale glass). Of course if your trying to cut 13mm circles like Richard_T, good luck. The main thing about this glass in Carriages etc., is there's no double reflection off the glass if viewed at an angle rather than face on. I have some Resin Horseboxes that were cast with thicker glass in the windows (Custom Carriage and Wagon Kits of long ago), at any angle rather than face on, the double reflection (front and back of the glass) detracts from the appearance. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenceb Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Trick told to me by someone who makes stained glass windows- score and touch with a hot iron it breaks along the score mark Laurence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Pulham Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Rob, your cross reference to Richard_T's article, about 2/3 down the page shows a suitable marker, however the 'Cutting Sheet' may be just a teeny bit soft if your pressing hard. You don't need to cut all the way through the glass to cut it off, just a light score, then it will snap along the line, just like 4mm picture framing glass etc., (I mean 4mm thick glass in the real world, not 4mm scale glass). Of course if your trying to cut 13mm circles like Richard_T, good luck. The main thing about this glass in Carriages etc., is there's no double reflection off the glass if viewed at an angle rather than face on. I have some Resin Horseboxes that were cast with thicker glass in the windows (Custom Carriage and Wagon Kits of long ago), at any angle rather than face on, the double reflection (front and back of the glass) detracts from the appearance. Good luck. Hi Penlan, that was my initial problem - cutting on a cutting mat. Things improved tremendously when I cut onto the plate glass sheet that occupies half my workbench. cutting out the circle in the end hasn't been the issue. The issue has been when trying to fit them into circular frames they cracked at the slightest touch (or so it seems). I haven't tried them on any flat windows as per your example yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Never thought of using microscope glass, sounds like a good idea. I've been using slide projector glass which is 1mm thick and perhaps a little to thick. snitzl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelcliffe Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I had a similar question the other day over cutting microscope coverslips to size, and found this website article: http://www.ngineering.com/glass_howto.htm I tried a variation on the method. Workbase was a piece of MDF board, covered with some normal copier paper. I held the coverslip down and provided a straight edge using some mountboard (cardboard). I scored gently a few times with a very thin minidrill cutting disc (one with a small notch in it from a breakage). Glass cut quite easily and cleanly. - Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portchullin Tatty Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I have found that it is important when cutting microstrips (and indeed any glass) is that you must only scribe once, then bend. if you scribe more than once, things go wrong! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted June 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 12, 2012 As a biologist the last coverslips I bought for my own use at home were from Rapid Electronics, but I notice now that they only do 18x18mm and 22x22mm. They only cost around £1-25 per 100. All coverslips are normally 0.17 to 0.19 mm thick. As well as the supplier mentioned in the first post a quick google search will produce a wide range of UK suppliers, some of whom will happily fulfil what to them are small orders. For those who are not used to them be careful when cutting them, the very small bits of glass you end up with if you break them penetrate skin very easily, they are like a tiny knife blade and can be difficult to remove (speaking with over 40 years experience of using them in labs!). David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 You'll probably find it in the Shawplan laserglaze range soon. The B-set certainly looked nice and the suburban packs I have are great. Saves a lot of cutting out! Useful link though to the oddities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 My problems with these wouldn't be cutting, or fixing, but handling and cleaning. You can literally breaqk one by poking it, I'd hate to go to the trouble of faffing about cuttingand fitting, only to cave it in cleaning it up. I think I'll stick with microscope slide glass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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