glass cuttimg medium

[Don Burt]

Thank you for the information Mike. I went to Glass Chem's website. I was appalled to see that they have a whole handful of different cutting lubricants made to match the application. Now I'll be tormented with wondering if using the perfect cutting fluid would really make a difference.

[Mike Griffin]

Don, There are several other manufacturers too and they are mostly formulated for automatic glass cutting machines and often for thick float glass but most have just one, sometimes two suitable for hand cutters.

[Kevin Midgley]

You don't want to put the wrong medium into an oil cutter barrel. If it turns gummy the lubrication wick stops working,

[Bert Weiss]

You don't want to put the wrong medium into an oil cutter barrel. If it turns gummy the lubrication wick stops working,

I swear by Toyo cutters, but I never found their fluid delivery systems adequate. My solution is to use kerosene applied to the glass with a paint brush. I prefer kerosene to mineral spirits because it is slower to evaporate, so a single dip of my brush will last for more uses. Where I live K-1 heating oil is available at pumps for somewhere around $4 a gallon. A gallon is a lifetime supply. My routine is to clean the glass, place my straight edge, paint the glass, score and break, then run my dry belt sander (or diamond hand pad) over the sharp edges, then clean with Glass Plus (an inexpensive ethanol based glass cleaner from my local grocery store). The result is glass ready for the kiln. I work primarily with float glass. Failure to skip any step in my routine can be disastrous. I am basically a cheap lazy guy, so economy of motion and cost, and keeping my fingers intact, are what I strive for.

[Morganica]

Easy solution: Lintfree paper towel or cloth+small plastic deli cup+tablespoon of whatever medium you're using.
Crumple a bit of the towel, stick it in the cup, pour the medium over it, and cap with the lid. Whenever you need to make a lubricated cut, pop off the lid, roll the cutter down the towel a couple of times, snap the lid back on and cut. Every so often pull the towel out and recrumple it to expose a new surface to your cutter. Works well.

I love Toyo cutters, but the lubrication reservoirs don't do much for me, either. Even when cutting float, about the only time I actually paint lubrication on a surface is when the glass is 4mm or thicker and I'm using the lens cutter.

[JestersBaubles]

Easy solution: Lintfree paper towel or cloth+small plastic deli cup+tablespoon of whatever medium you're using.
Crumple a bit of the towel, stick it in the cup, pour the medium over it, and cap with the lid. Whenever you need to make a lubricated cut, pop off the lid, roll the cutter down the towel a couple of times, snap the lid back on and cut. Every so often pull the towel out and recrumple it to expose a new surface to your cutter. Works well.

I love Toyo cutters, but the lubrication reservoirs don't do much for me, either. Even when cutting float, about the only time I actually paint lubrication on a surface is when the glass is 4mm or thicker and I'm using the lens cutter.

This is what I do, except I use one of the cotton make-up remover pads and put it in a little shallow round glass votive holder (is that enough adjectives for you? . Wait, how about a little shallow round clear glass votive holder?)

I thought it was just me who couldn't get the darned oil out of the reservoir!

Dana

[Valerie Adams]

Pimento jar with lamp oil; a little bit of blue shop paper toweling stuffed into the lid. Tilt jar, remove lid, run the cutter over the towel, good to go. Cap it when finished to keep the cat hair out.

[Susanbuckler]

Cat hair in the lid! I use cutter oil in a lid but leave it exposed. My cat likes to sit on my work table looking out the window. I'll start to protect the lid from his hair. Thanks for mentioning this.

[RHunter]

Hi All,

Was really puzzled by the resurrection of this thread, however it is an old but goody...
About 1978 in a stained glass setting, pre TOYO , using one of those Fletcher $ 2.00 cutters, I was cautioned to use oil as well,
have since given up on the practice, but I used what was once the ubiquitous plastic 35mm film canisters with a cotton ball soaked in 3 in 1 oil...
lasted for decades but hated cleaning the oily glass , each and every time.

Randy

[jim simmons]

HOBOY<<<
I use mineral spirits and don't even clean it. It burns off so clean :>)
Jim

[Mike Griffin]

I've just started using NFK fast evaporating cutting oil. CR Laurance have similar. It has a very low surface tension on glass and literally climbs out of cutters. It is designed to evaporate entirely without leaving a residue. Gum Turpentine is just as good without having the same low surface tension.

[Bert Weiss]

I gotta say, I find this kind of confusing. Why would you want to risk not cleaning glass right before it is put in the kiln? Maybe if you are cutting window glass and selling it to somebody, this would save a step. But for kiln firing, I would never in a million years skip the final cleaning. So my protocol of using the slow to evaporate kerosene, and cleaning with a cleaner that works exactly as it would if there were no kerosene, still makes perfect sense to me. There are certainly other ways to get the job done.

Yes it is much less important to use cutting oil when cutting stained or fusing glasses. But if you are cutting float glass, ignoring this step is stupid.