Using A Wet Belt Sander To
Grind Fused Art Glass
A wet belt sander will carry out many fusing glass and stained glass grinding operations.Professional belt sanders have been available for some time and are somewhat expensive for the home user. However a sander from Gryphon is available which is more suited for the home fusing and jewelry maker. Heavy duty fused glass grinding will require a more powerful machine. Delphi Glass have Wet Belt Sanders available for home glass fusing.
Like other belt sanders it relies on an endless belt to provide a grinding surface for the glass. Belts are easily changed and come in coarse, fine, ultra fine and cork for final polishing. Glass grinding generates a lot of heat so the belt run against a wet sponge in the bottom water reservoir. As well as keeping the belt cool the water will capture some of the glass dust. The sponge is easily replaced, replacement sponges can usually be found in your supermarket. The grinder has an adjustable work table that can be adjusted to allow a bevel angle to be ground on the glass.
This type of grinder is suitable for fused glass or stained glass work. Glass from a warm glass kiln quite often needs some form of cold working. The range of belts allows for large amounts of glass to be removed up to just fine polishing. The belts are about 3" wide. Straight lines can be ground or curved surfaces trued up; unlike the small grinders, which use a round grinding head, these grinders handle larger glass items. Like all grinding equipment protective eye wear and other protective clothing should be worn. If you are carrying out normal glass fusing as well as jewelry making this type of sander may be worth a look. This equipment can be supplied to suit international voltages. For more heavy-duty work other styles of belt grinders are available at three to four times the price of these machines.
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