How To Cut a Mirror Without a Glass Cutter in 5 minutes

If you are thinking how to cut a mirror without a glass cutter, then read this article to learn how to do so. As the name suggests, glass cutters are tools that are used to cut glass.

Long before glass cutters were invented pointed and heated iron rods were used to cut glass. This was an effective method, but it lacked precision. So Glass cutter were introduced. The cutters are made up of different materials, while some use a diamond tip in the wheel others use hardened steel or tungsten carbide. But again, you don't always need a glass cutter to cut glass.

HOW TO CUT A MIRROR WITHOUT A GLASS CUTTER

If you want to cut a mirror glass, you can just score the top surface of the glass to cut it. This weakens the glass after which you can just snap the glass along the line you scored to cut. While a glass cutter is an ideal tool, you can use any other sharp object to score the surface of the glass. But the real challenge here is to cut mirror without breaking it.

Now in this article, let us now have a look at how to cut a mirror without using a glass cutter. 

STEPS TO CUT A MIRROR WITHOUT A GLASS CUTTER

Before starting this process make sure you take necessary safety precautions.

STEP 1:

First and foremost you have to select the ideal tool to cut a mirror without a cutter.

  • Carbide Scribe: These are tipped with tungsten carbide which is used in many glass cutters. It is a high-quality cutting material which will give precise cuts.
  • Diamond-tipped Scribe: These are used to score sheets of metal for cutting in industrial settings. These are sharp enough to score glass.
  • Steel File: You can use a steel file to score a glass as a cheap alternative. These are not as precise as the carbide scribe, but it will get your job done.

STEP 2:

The second step in the mirror cutting process is all about cleaning and scoring the mirror. You have to lay 4 to 5 sheets of newspaper on a large, flat surface, you can even use a tabletop. The sheets of newspaper will give you a smooth workspace.

The mirror will have dust and grit on it and you must clean the glass with the help of a glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. Cutting the glass without cleaning it can lead to rough imprecise cut.

You must use a metal ruler and a permanent marker to mark the place where you want to cut. Draw a straight line as it will help you to maintain precision. You must wear protective work gloves to protect your hands from getting a cut as there are sharp edges in a glass.

You must also use protective eye-wear as the glass dust can damage your eyes. You must use glass cutting oil to lubricate the area which you want to cut. Use your fingers to gently rub the oil evenly across the area you want to cut.

If you don't apply oil to the glass before cutting, you might end up with an uneven, rough-cut. If you don’t have glass cutting oil you can even use all-purpose oil.

You have to score the mirror by tracing the line you made with the marker with your cutting tool. Then, you must press the tool hard against the line to make a precise cut. 

You should not stop while scoring as you would not be able to re-begin scoring at the same place. If you are scoring the glass with a steel file, you might need to make 2-3 passes to score the glass properly.

STEP 3:

Now the next step is in this DIY glass cutting is to score glass without a glass cutter. For this you must slide down a dowel beneath the mirror. The dowel will be used to snap the mirror along the scored line. You should make sure that the dowel is perfectly centered beneath the scored line. If the dowel is not centered, you might break the mirror while pressing it down.

Once the dowel is beneath the scored line, keep both of your hands on either side of the mirror on top of the dowel. Then, gently press down the mirror until you feel a snap in the mirror.

If the mirror doesn’t break, then try pressing down in different spots. You must keep your hands on the opposite of each other all the time.

HOW TO CUT A MIRROR WITHOUT A GLASS CUTTER

STEP 4:

Once you have snapped the mirror in 2 parts, you will be left with rough edges. To make the glass edges smooth you will have to use sandpaper. You must wrap a piece of sandpaper around each edge and sand back and forth. This will make the mirror edges smooth and dull.

You must avoid touching the edges of the mirror before using sandpaper as the edges can be sharp and will damage your hands and you are done.

Conclusion

I hope that I have faithfully answered your question on how to cut a mirror without a glass cutter. This DIY glass cutting tutorial will help you to cut a mirror without using a glass cutter. And we ought to mention that these methods are not just limited to cutting mirror, but they can cut any kind of glass without mirror cutter. Also, if you have the need to cut a glass at home without cutter you can do that as well.

Give a thumbs up for this article if you found this one useful and interesting. Cheers!!

Peter
 

Hey friends I am Peter, greeting my post. My goal is to provide the most up-to-date and complete info on tech products and other accessories. So, those who are spending more time in researching the best product can reduce their searching time and can start to enjoy using the latest trending tools and accessories. Just give a read to my blog and save your time.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments

Leave a Reply: