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glass cutting




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From:  Bert Pool [SMTP:bertpool-at-ticnet-dot-com]
Sent:  Saturday, February 28, 1998 4:25 PM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: glass cutting


> From:  Eleanor Flood [SMTP:eflood-at-bellsouth-dot-net]
> Sent:  Monday, January 12, 1998 2:01 PM
> To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:  glass cutting
> 
> If anyone out there is planning on making plate glass caps, please be
> warned, our neighbor gave us a couple of fine sheets of Hercules Safety
> glass.  The sheets were 24" long and 8" wide. Harold thought to saw them
> into 8" square pieces to make a glass cap. I do a bit of lapidary work,
> so we have a diamond edge abrasive saw that is used to cut rocks, glass
> and the like.  Harold marked the glass, donned a rubber apron, a hat and
> safety goggles, and turned on the saw.  He had not cut an eighth of an
> inch into that glass when it literally exploded.  There was not a piece
> of it left as big as a match head.  The glass was scattered all over the
> 10' x 24' room.  We have no idea what was so different about this glass
> to cause such an event. He frequently saws regular window glass and
> glass bottles for salt water caps with no problem.  Anyway, if you plan
> to saw glass, just be careful.  We also wonder what might have happened,
> should he have had access to the size he needed, constructed the cap and
> put the high voltage to it.  Big explosion?  Anyone know anything about
> this type glass.

Safety glass is specially heat treated.  It makes the glass very 
tough to break, but when it does break, the glass fractures into a 
million small, round pieces which cannot easily cut or injure a 
person.  You cannot, to my knowledge, cut tempered glass in any 
manner.  I have built caps using tempered glass and had it explode 
while in use.  Very spectacular failures.
Bert


> 
> Safe sparking, and safe sawing!
> Elli
> 
> 
> 
Bert Pool
TCBFW
bertpool-at-ticnet-dot-com