I want to start off by saying that grinding glass can be fairly dangerous. You are essentially putting glass dust into the air and you need to be careful not to breathe that in or get in your eyes. You will need a mask, safety glasses, and a well-ventilated area.
I will also go on to say that grinding glass can be my least favorite part especially if can be impatient like me. You have to stand or sit there hunched over working away at carving out your design. It can take quite a while depending on how complicated your design is and how much glass you were able to cut away before this step.
So, to get into it.
What you need:
- Heavy duty gloves
- Water either by a faucet or a small tub of water
- Sponges
- Face mask/respirator
First you will need a rotary tool and some diamond tipped bits. You can buy a whole set of diamond bits for a good price on eBay, which is important because you will go through lots of them. You really want just the regular cylinder topped ones like this because it will help keep your edges flat.
Next you are going to need water and a sponge. I like to work next to a sink, but if that’s not available, you can grab a small bucket or tub and fill it with water. The water is extremely important to grinding glass because it keeps if from smoking and breaking. It also takes the glass dust off your tip and keep the glass dust in the air down.
You are going to set up where the wet sponge is on the counter or table. You are going to hold the rotary tool in one hand the piece of glass in the other. Turn the rotary tool on and make sure it’s spinning as fast as you feel comfortable. The faster it spins the easier it will be to grind the glass away. Hold the tip against the wet sponge and bring the glass down to start carving away. Be careful of your fingers. I have carved away small bits of my fingernails without noticing (granted I do keep them a little long).
Work away at the design. If at any time you feel you need to redraw the design on the glass because the wet sponge has rubbed it away, I encourage you to do so. Just dry off the glass first.
Once you are satisfied with your shape, wipe it off and we will move on to the next step. We will go over that step in part 3. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you found this useful. Please like and subscribe to my website. Have a blessed day.
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