How to cut a mirror for closets
Separation from the cabinet of mirrors held on its surface by fasteners
So, first of all, let’s discuss how to detach from the cabinet mirrors, which are planted on its surface using fixing systems.
Table 1. Mounting systems for mirrors
| Silicone suction cup-holders are not often used as a fixing device for placing a mirror on the vertical surface of the cabinet, but they still occur. |
In this case you will rather worry about the suction pads not to unintentionally peel off if the door of the given piece of furniture slams too loudly, because the silicone suction pads are too often made of poor quality. Consequently, they are unable to hold the mirror in the place you have defined, and this accessory often falls down.
All you will need to do to remove the mirror, planted on the screws. to pick up the decorative knob of fasteners, remove it, and then with the most ordinary screwdriver, suitable in size, in turn unscrew all the screws on which the mirror is held.
On each screw before screwing it in, put a bracket. a holder, which will then hold the mirror. The tighter the bracket is, the more firmly the mirror “sits” in it.
There are several such brackets for the whole perimeter of the mirror in order to clearly fix our mirror accessory.
Listed above methods of fixing mirror imply the use of special fasteners that were originally designed so that you can easily get rid of them, easily remove and remove them from the mount, and along with them and the mirror itself.
Such fasteners are called reusable fasteners. Really, if you don’t damage them by accident or on purpose during the removal of the mirror, they can be used in tandem with the mirror afterwards, placing the interior object on a different surface. We recommend that you use these fasteners, as they are the easiest to remove, even without any specialized experience and sophisticated construction tools. To get rid of a mirror cabinet with each of these, the maximum you’ll need is this:
However, a serious problem can be created by pre-mounting mirrors to other construction devices. Let’s look at them in the next section.
How to cut glass without glass cutters
Before we get into a detailed description of glass-cutting techniques, we want to remind you of safety. Always wear gloves and safety glasses when working to avoid cuts and shards in the eyes. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the glass.
Using a burning thread
Soak the string in flammable liquid and fix it on the glass by the mowing line of the cut. We ignite, wait for complete burnout, and immediately put it in cold water or pour it over the place of heating. The main thing is to make sure that the glass cools down as quickly as possible and breaks from the temperature difference. A characteristic click will signal the success of the work done. If the glass is not cracked, you can try to repeat the operation.
A similar method is quite even to break bottles, but does not always work with large glass sizes. It is also very flammable and requires a fire extinguisher on hand or a container of water, which is a must.
Soldering iron
Having marked the line of the future cut on the glass, we take a file and make with it a small groove at the very edge. at a distance of 1-2 mm from it, heat the place with the soldering iron until a micro-crack is formed between it and the groove. Then we step back from the crack itself by the same distance and gradually move to the finish point. It takes a long time to cut glass this way, but you can get any shape. To speed things up a bit, you can periodically cool the glass by putting a wet rag on it.
Scissors in water
The simple method of directional cutting. Allows you to easily cut round shapes, but is not suitable for creating straight lines. For this cutting you will need ordinary scissors and a container of water, which will serve as a kind of lubricant. The maximum thickness of the glass should not exceed 4 mm.
The process of cutting with this method is very simple. You take a piece of glass to be cut, immerse it in water, and use scissors to cut off small pieces from the edges. The water will not crack the glass, allowing you to make a controlled bevel. It is possible to make shapes of oval and circular shape using this method.
Use a diamond wheel
Not the safest way to cut glass, requiring extra care and mandatory compliance with safety rules. Can easily chip glass and launch a shard of glass in either direction. Otherwise the method is quite effective and can cope with the task. For cutting you will need a special tool (angle grinder, drilling machine or drill) with a diamond disk with a thickness of 0.1 mm.
The cutting process itself is quite simple, but requires some skill and a steady hand to guide the tool clearly along the mowing line. We put the piece of glass to be treated on a flat place, then we take the cutter and hold the disk of fishing line on the surface of the glass. The main thing is not to plunge deep into it, but to touch it only slightly, so that a small groove is formed, similar to a wide line from the glass cutter. Then simply break the glass in the right place.
To reduce the risk of glass breakage and to minimize glass dust, you can periodically sprinkle the place of the cut with water.
File
One more way how to cut glass at home without a glass cutter and expensive power tools. You will need a file and some experience with glass. Please note that a file must have angles, so a round one will not do.
To cut glass, all you have to do is make a few notches on its surface with the angle of a file. You need to press the file a little harder than average to create a clean groove that looks like a cut glass cutter. When the cut is ready, simply break the glass against the edge of the table or put a match under the cut.
This method requires some skill, and if you are cutting glass for the first time, we highly recommend that you practice on small, unnecessary pieces before moving on to the main material.
Victory drill
If you know what glass cutting is all about, here is another way to cut glass without a glass cutter. With some experience, one drill bit with a pobedite tip may be enough for this operation. The main thing is that the drill should be more or less new, with sharp angles on the head.
The process itself of cutting glass with a drill bit is much the same as with a regular roller glass cutter. The differences include a higher pressure force, but otherwise the steps are standard. We lay the glass on a flat surface, mark the cutting line, attach a plank, and guide the line down along it. Before cutting, turn the tip so that the sharpest corner of the glass touches the glass. Having received a clear line, break the glass along the beveled line of the cut.
How to cut a large mirror without breaking it
The method of cutting glass with a Pobedite bit, requires skill and practical experience in handling this material. At beginners masters there are very few chances to perform an accurate cut by this method, but with patience and straight hands, it is possible to get the necessary result.
How to cut a mirror properly with a glass cutter
Wonderful mirror surfaces, all kinds of shapes and sizes, are firmly rooted in the design of modern homes. This stunning material, able to magically expand space, has become a real source of inspiration for creative people. Unfortunately, due to the fragility and peculiar way of cutting, creative work with mirrors is inaccessible for many. In this article, we will try to help novice designers and show that cutting a mirror with an ordinary glass cutter is within everyone’s power.
Other necessary tools and materials
To cut a piece of the mirror is possible only on the prepared workplace. For this take a table, its surface must be big enough and flat enough. The mirror will lie completely on the tabletop, so its size is appropriate. Before you start the workplace is covered with a soft cloth. At home, an old sheet or tablecloth is often used. Take a ruler and a square, thick and long, preferably specially designed for cutting glass. In addition, a pair of pliers with rubber pads, a tape measure, and a small hammer will come in handy. Place a wooden box or a box of heavy cardboard under the scraps and trimmings.
In the process of cutting and preparing for it, the following consumables will be used: rags, alcohol and soda, crayon or marker. Instead of the latter for marking sometimes buy pencils-glass. For shape cutting molds are made in advance.
The choice of glue
Currently, the construction industry offers consumers such a wide range of different sealants, liquid nails, adhesives, etc. д., That beginners to stop on unique correct decision owing to insufficiency of knowledge cannot.
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Acrylic sealants. This is by and large not glue, slight adhesion is designed to hold only the sealant itself, foam baguettes and other lightweight, unresponsive and small objects. These materials should only be used by builders, furniture makers do not use them because of their poor quality. Do not buy them and never use them for gluing the mirror. It concerns all kinds of acrylic compounds without exception.
Do not save on the price of glue and do not use low-quality compounds for gluing mirrors. In relation to the price of furniture it is insignificant increase of cost, and the loss can be very appreciable and exceed the price of the mirror.
Preparing the mirror for cutting
Before you start to cut the mirror with a glass cutter its surface should be prepared. Use a rag to remove fine debris and dust particles. Mirrors contaminated with grease are wiped with a solution of soda. In addition it is treated with spirit and wiped dry afterwards. The mirror’s surface preparation is very important because the grease and dust pollution may cause dislocation of the mowing line. If the mirror has just been in a cold temperature, give it time to warm up. Only after all these procedures should you start cutting.
How to cut a mirror
If we are talking about a small and not very thick cloth, it is not difficult to cut a mirror at home. It is not necessary to go to a workshop or call “the man for an hour”, it is enough to have a man in the house and a small set of tools.
Prerequisites
Cutting a mirror differs from glass only in the fact that it can be carried out only from the front. The other conditions are the same, which means it is necessary to have:
- A table with a surface area larger than the size of the mirror;
- A long ruler or a strip of hard material with a thickness of about 8 mm;
- glass cutter;
- a small hammer and pliers.
It is also desirable to have a soft and non-slippery natural cloth and some small thin pieces of rubber or leather. By the way, pieces of leather are much easier to find.
All this applies if we are talking about simple cutting.
Shaped will require additional conditions:
Tools and materials
The table. In principle, there are no such limitations for cutting a mirror as there are for glass. As a rule, the size of the mirror is quite comparable to the area of a standard tabletop, and its thickness does not exceed 5 mm (that is, it will do and roller glass cutter).
Ruler. When cutting a mirror with a hand tool, you need to have a good stop on the side of the mirror. An ordinary metal ruler does not provide this condition, and the availability of special rulers or angles for cutting glass from an ordinary tool set is not to be expected. Not always there is even a meter wooden ruler, which has the right thickness, although it occurs quite often. That’s why you have to use pieces of rubber or leather for the metal ruler. They keep the metal from sliding on the mirror (this pair has one of the lowest coefficients of friction) and raise the ruler high enough above the mirror for the glass cutter to rest.
Glass cutter. In everyday life it is more often possible to meet a roller glass cutter, the cutting part of which is made of hard alloy. That’s what the side edge of the ruler is so important for.
It does “roll” rather than cut, hence there is a risk that it may drift to the side. Therefore, if there is a choice, it is better to use a diamond tool.
Hammer and pliers. A small hammer is needed to lightly tap the bottom of a thick mirror, this will make it easier to break on the mowing line of the cut. Pliers are used to break small strips when the thickness of the “unnecessary” edge is small for breaking.
Cloth. It is a thick tablecloth or a thin bedspread, preferably made of natural fabrics, you can use a linen sheet. Cut on the table, and countertops have a polished, slippery surface. Besides, there is a risk that the mirror may crack on a hard base if it is not moved properly.
Mirror cutting
It is necessary to prepare not only the tool and the workplace, but also the mirror itself. It is washed and degreased. Dirty, dusty or “greasy” surfaces can cause the glass cutter to walk away.
Then the mirror is wiped dry and put face up on the table top covered with a cloth.
Make a marking and apply a ruler so that the marks coincide with the working part of the glass cutter (roller or diamond) and a small indentation is necessary for this.
The glass cutter itself is held perpendicular or at a slight angle to the surface, but the diamond cutter has its own specific position.
The glass cutter itself should be held perpendicular or at a slight angle to the surface
The crystal is inserted in the metal frame in such a way that it can have an acute or obtuse angle in relation to the mirror. Exactly the sharp corner is working. For the correct orientation of the glass cutter make a mark on the frame, which in the process of cutting should be directed to the ruler.
To make it easier to work with the roller glass cutter, the surface of the mirror at the point of cut can be moistened with turpentine.
Cut the mirror with the glass cutter should be a single movement. repetitions are not allowed, this is a direct way to spoil it. Therefore, the movement must be progressive-equal with the same force along the whole length, except for the edge (the pressure on the edge must be slightly weakened in order not to damage it).
The trace from a diamond glass cutter is thin and nearly colorless, from a roller cutter the streak is slightly wider and whitish in color. By the way, it is easier to control the cut on a mirror than on glass. The force for a roller tool is usually a little more than for a diamond tool.
A wide band or whitish glass dust indicates excessive force. Alternatively, for the roller, this could mean that it is blunt, and for the diamond, that the cut is at a blunt angle.
displace the cut mirror (without turning it upside down) to the table top edge so that the cutting trace will exit beyond it not more than the mirror thickness (from 3 to 5 mm). Press the mirror to the table with one hand and break it downwards with one sharp movement (but without fanaticism).
If necessary, use grooves in the glass cutter or pliers. The jaws of the pliers can be wrapped with insulating tape or use strips of rubber (leather).
The shape cutting
The cutting technology is similar. It differs only in the fact that it is necessary to make a mold.
The main difference in the breakage procedure. Break off the unwanted parts by portions, dividing them into parts with more or less equal shares according to the degree of curvature or the angle of inclination to the straight line. To facilitate the breaking by hand, make an additional mowing line from the highs and lows of the curve to the outer edge with a glass cutter. Circles or ovals are simply divided into a number of segments.
Safety
All operations must be carried out in work gloves. It is usually recommended to choose latex gloves, but it is enough to use cotton ones with a protective working layer.
After the mirror is cut, its edges are processed with a fine-grained emery paper.
How to take the mirror off the closet door
Sometimes there are times when the old items no longer fit in the new design of the room or you’re just tired of. This also applies to mirrors. They are like nothing else is a top decor element that can not only give a bright accent, but also significantly spoil it. If the mirror is attached to the special reusable fasteners, then in this case, you can remove it without any problems. Well and what to do when it is fixed with “liquid nails” or special glue? Now we’ll tell you how to remove a mirror from the door from the closet or other surfaces accurately, without breaking it and not injuring yourself.
Preparation of the mirror surface
For those who are already faced with the cut glass, this process will not seem new, everything is done in the same way, but with a small correction of the mirror surface is cut only from the front side!
- Clean the mirror with the special glass cleaner or with the baking soda solution and remove all stains.
- Choose an even section of the mirror that we want to cut, and degrease the surface.
- Wipe the surface dry with a clean rag.