"Trimming" a ground glass

<p>I decided to order the Toyo ground glass for my 8x10 Deardorff, as I was having a hard time seeing the Beattie screen anymore due to aging eyes and its hot spot. But the Toyo is about a millimeter or two wider than my Deardorff's cutout. On the long side (so i'd have to "trim" the long side). I could either route the Deardorff, but I am reluctant to do that to this wonderful camera, or cut a tiny edge off both long sides of the ground glass.<br>

<br />My question, for any of you with experience, should I take the glass to a glass shop here in Fairbanks, Alaska, and hope they can take such a tiny edge off without destroying or marking the whole glass. Is this a simple thing, really, for people who cut glass, to remove even a tiny strip like that? Or should I look for a second Deardorff user back and route it to fit this one.<br>

Thanks!<br>

Charles</p>

<p>Can you return it ? You could order the exact size that you need from Steve Hopf <https://www.google.com/#q=steve+hopf+ground+glass> since trimming may cost as much as 1/2 of that glass panel.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>The traditional tool for trimming glass is a pair of grozing pliers. These are used in making up stained glass panels when the pieces need to be trimmed. If the glass is new it is fairly straightforward but old glass can crack easily. The glass is nibbled away with the pliers and then the rough edge smoothed as necessary.<br>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaker-grozier_pliers<br>

A glass shop which makes real stained glass panels would be able to do this. But as Leszek suggests check their prices first!</p>

<p>Thanks, the stained glass idea is great. And I think we actually have such a shop in Fairbanks. I can check out Steve Hopf, but I know the Toyo GG is excellent. </p>

<p>We are talking of 1 mm off either side. I was thinking of grinding rather than cutting. Glass firms or framing firms will have tools to do this. You could try it yourself with Silicon Carbide paper. Fix a strip on a workbench or piece of wood and move the edge of the ground glass over it. The choice of the right kind of abrasive material could be tricky, so having it done by a professional looks a better solution. It would not hurt talking to one of them and see what they can do.</p>

<p>Right, glass sheet grinding is not difficult, I have done it quite a few times. Glaziers use to do it, even using disks mounted on ordinary drills. <br /> The thing is to choose the right thickness of grinding paper (as Ferdi says, silicon carbide); if too thick you`ll leave chips or even break the glass, if too thin you´ll need to work a lot, and to waste a load of paper.<br /> Any glazier will do it for you, I guess. Don`t even think to route the Dorff, please!!! :)<br /> BTW, you`ll probably be better with a "real" groundglass... I checked mi Beattie time ago and found that tend to be bend. They are much brighter, but also coarser, and (at least mine), off the focus plane. A removable fresnel would be great, too.</p>

<p>I just had to replace my 8x10 GG and my spare was 1mm too high (the long edge) so I just ground it off on a diamond wheel. Took less than 2 minutes. A good glass place should have the capability to carefully remove a mm or two evenly on a grinding wheel as that is how they remove the sharp edges. You might place a strip of masking tape along the edge revealing just the amount you want them to remove. Don't go nibbling on it!</p>