Gauge glass tube

[Garry Coles]

Hi everyone

Hope Father Xmas brought you all those goodies you been waiting for.
My new years resolution is to spend more time in the workshop and less time watching telly.

My question for today is, how do you cut water gauge glass tube ? without breaking it. I thought about using my dremel with one of the cut off disc's, would this be a good idea or is there a more simple idea.

And has anyone or know of anybody who has built Martin Evans 3 1/2 g "William".

Cheers for now and a happy new year.

Garry

[SteveW]

Garry,

I parted a bit of gauge glass by scoring it around with a triangular file and then 'bent' it at the mark I'd made. Basically the same way you cut sheet glass.

[ron]

I grip it lightly in the three jaw and score a mark on it with a diamond needle file while it's running, it breaks off easily and cleanly then.
Ron

[greasemonkey]

or wrap a couple of turns of fuse wire around it and then connect to a car battery. The heat will cause it to fracture. Which ever method you use hold the end of the cut tube in a gas torch flame and heat till red to anneal it and prevent those annoying fractures and chips breaking of as the nuts are tightened.

Andy

[ron]

Cheers Andy, didn't know that about annealing the glass.
Ron

[gilesengineer]

All of the above work, but it is also a good idea to warm the tube in hot water - this greatly reduces the incidence of breaking erratically (...it works in full size too....) - interesting that a few extra degrees of heat makes so much difference!

[Garry Coles]

Thanks for the ideas, I will try the heating and scoring method.

garry