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Just been through my first attempt at cutting a sheet of Conservation Clear, and seem to be learning the hard way. The fact that the lite is only six inches shorter than I am was a challenge to say the least.... Is it just me being a big scaredy-wuss-puss, or is it much tougher than regular glass?
Now that I've got the piece cut to size, can anyone p-l-e-e-e-e-z-e tell me which way up to put it over the mounted artwork. Is it the side you score that faces inwards, or should it be the other way round. I'm half afraid to take it off the Excalibur in case I'll forget which side is which - what am I like?
I wish that the pack came with an instruction sheet for first-time users. Next time I have to cut from a full sheet, I'm gonna reach for the brown trousers....
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
The laminated side goes against your art since it is much more prone to scratching than the smooth side.
I haven’t had the problem that others seem to be having in that recently the teeny, tiny lettering on the edge seems to have been printed either on the wrong side or is too confusing to make sense of.
And, if you are using scrap pieces, the lettering instructions may have been cut off altogether.
The easy way to tell which side is which is to use a sharp kraft knife and try to scratch the surface very close to the edge of the glass. The laminated side will make a weird scraping noise and you’ll see a slight scratch. The non-laminate side will not leave a mark.
It is this scratched side that you want against the rabbet (rebate to youze guys).
Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent! – Porky Pine
Moglet wrote:I'm half afraid to take it off the Excalibur in case I'll forget which side is which
Hi Áine,
That's you and me both! O.K., this is what I do:-
The coated side goes towards the artwork, so I take a used mountcutting blade and right it the very corner to the glass (where it will never be seen due to the rebate), I do a very small scratch test. The side which scratches goes towards the artwork. Works for me!
The instructions for CC state that you should score the side of the glass opposite the laminate.
But, since the laminate is so fragile, it is easily scratched if you slide it in your glass cutter (at least it does in ours – it is 20 years old and has mysteriously acquired dings and bumps – go figure).
We have found that scoring the laminated side yields as good a cut as if we had score the “right” side. This way we don’t have to worry about marring the laminate or worry about having to pad the cutter when we use CC.
If you use soft cotton gloves while handling CC, you shouldn't have to worry about cleaning it – most of the time.
Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent! – Porky Pine
Bill Henry wrote:... the teeny, tiny lettering on the edge seems to have been printed either on the wrong side or is too confusing to make sense of.
Chalk it down, Bill. I actually took a magnifying glass to it and still couldn't fathom out what was printed!
As an experiment, I actually tried scoring both sides of the glass on separate cuts, if you get my drift. The first score (laminate towards machine) did not cut cleanly - went wavy on the side to the left of the Excalibur score line. Tried it on the other side, and it shattered big-time (did say I was learning the hard way). The guy who delivered the lites advised me to put a sheet of suedette board behind the glass. Would this make it more difficult to snap? Assuming this might be the case, I actually slid the board away from the clamp for my third and fourth (successful) attempts. Would it be better to put a clean sheet of a thinner material (e.g. barrier board) behind the glass for protection in future?
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
Aine,
I use a sheet of matboard behind my CC glass. Suede and other fabrics can hold little specks of glass that can scratch the coating. If you slide the matboard with the glass you will eliminate the possibility of scratching.
As someone else said, just try to scratch the surface near the edge to find the coated side and place the side that scratches towards the artwork.
Always make your cut on the opposite side to the coated side.
A problem with Keencut's System 4000 and Excalliber cutters is that, because they are only supported at the top and the bottom, they tend to slightly sag in middle.
This allows the glass sometimes to not be in contact with the machine along it's whole cutting length, (particlarly a problem with larger pieces of glass). This means that there is a risk that the spring in the glass will allow the cutter not to score properly in the centre part of the cut.
I've learnt to get around this applying pressure by placing my left hand on the centre of the glass while scoring.
BTW, I use a piece of mountboard to lay the coated side of the glass against - It doesn't matter what type of mountboard.
I've got an excalibur - score the coated side and the wheel skips and the stuff either just shatters when you snap it or at best you get a curve at the top/bottom/both.
I don't have the sagging problem - never have - maybe it depends on what angle you have the thing against the wall - maybe it's because the cutting head is on a spring and that spring should espand if it needs to follow a contour - that's what springs do - ask Zebedee!
Test on long thin offcuts and adjust as necc - be that adjustments of angle of the whole setup or adjustments of pressure of the cutting wheel - prevention is better than cure - and if you are using a piece of mountboard behind the glass, to prevent scratching the coated side - (recommended) then you need to adjust the pressure of your wheel accordingly - then, to save re-adjustment - use that piece of mountboard all the time - for all glass.
Why do you need to test which side of the glass is coated?
It says "............. score opposite side" on the glass.
When scoring a full sheet, or an offcut with the writing on, just stop and think - see if you will end up with an offcut with no writing on - if so, put some of your own on with a sharpie that says "score"
Don't use a knife to test - well, you can if you want - BUT a knife/blade CAN mark the uncoated side as well - Liberon 0000 grade steel wool won't - but it will mark the coated side.
Another test is that glass cleaner will 'bead' on the coated side - but use gloves all the time and mark non-printed offcuts and you may not need to worry anyway.
Thanks all for the ultra-fast advice - as always very much appreciated!!!
One point worth mentiioning - when I scored the "non-laminated" side, it did not have the "ripping silk" sound as the wheel traversed the glass. Will try with the "scratch test" before placing the glass over the artpiece.
Once again, I'd like to say that I'm so glad that I've become a member of the forum. I value and appreciate you all so very much!
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
PS - on the subject of glass cleaning, once again thanks for the hints and tips for the right materials to use for the task. Now that I'm not doing something to exacerbate the inflammation, my shoulder is finally beginning to heal!
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
I understand the difficulty of reading the words on the glass - sometimes it is faint; sometimes it is only printed half on - recently the wording itself has been confusing.
Golden rule - make sense of any word - score the opposite side.
Coated side of the glass when sprayed with mist of water leaves distinct droplet shapes as if the surface was slightly oily - non coated side is normal glass so the water tends to wet the entire surface. - Try it out on a scrap piece and you will see what I mean.
My method is to srcatch the corner of the glass with a blade,
the side that scratches faces the art work and the opposite side I score.
I wrap all usable off cuts in paper as they scratch like there is no tomorrow and I normally put a small piece of brown tape on the side that faces out.
Thanks for all the help and advice, peeps! Tried the scratch test on a scrap piece of glass, and it worked like a charm. Portrait is now framed and ready for the customer!
I can see myself becoming a nervous wreck when I start using Museum glass...
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
The fact that the lite is only six inches shorter than I am was a challenge to say the least.... 
Is it just me being a big scaredy-wuss-puss, or is it much tougher than regular glass?
