When you are using resin or just cutting something for a long or circular part, or just using a blade to remove parts from the Sprue. Put Glass on your work surface. Why? Well, Tempered Glass is a great Flat cutting surface. I mentioned Tempered Glass. You remember those Stereo stacks with the Glass doors? That’s where mine came from. Thirty years later and it is still scar free, and allowing perfectly square cuts and with the right tools perfectly square builds. They even come on IKEA and SAUDER Brand(WAL-MART) as well as other types of Do-It-Yourself Cabinets! both double and single door.
It can be Tinted or not, That part doesn’t matter. Some had holes for the hinges and a lot just clamped it between a nylon or such gasket. The great part is when you are working on a kit, you are on page twelve, maybe. Where’s your instructions? taking up room on the bench that you need to do these steps. So, Put you instructions Under the Glass. This gives you Freedom to work, on top and keeps the Instructions from getting, paint, Glue, or Decal water and Setting solution on them. Plus you don’t accidently cut a slot in them.
If you can’t find one of those then invest in a Glass Cutting Board you can find at Kitchen and Culinary stores. The investment is worth it. Right, if you get it from the Culinary store, it will be costly. So look for the stereo stacks at yard sales. You will get a nice Topper and if the cabinet is in fair shape, a place to store your compressor and paints after adding some impromptu shelves.
The other reason for glass is Resin. This stuff before mixing in the hardener is Sticky and Yuck! So, if you are working on glass, when you are finished just wipe down the whole thing with Lacquer thinner and Viola’ you are all clean and pristine again. Plus, if you need to have an absolute Flat bottom to something, like the Glue Bottle Holder I mentioned in another post, Just take some release agent, rub it on the glass out of your way, Then place the pipe or bottle ring down, Insert the pattern and pour. You will then get a Perfectly flat bottom that pops off easily when set. Make sure to use the release agent though.
Look for old copiers or scanners. I have a friend who recycles digital devices, and I asked him to save me the plate glass from some copiers. I use it as a surface for cutting PE, and as a surface for working with 2-part epoxy putty, for rolling it out and cutting it.
I completely forgot about them. Good source there too. I cut my P.E. now on a polished steel ingot I found at a so-called antique store. They thought it was a lamp weight. It is actually a weight used on very old Industrial engraving heads. For depth setting. Haven’t even succeeded in scratching it yet!
The jalousie fragment I have is a convenient size - around 4"x5", which is good enough for most tasks. I suppose a cutting board would be great for sanding vac form kits. But a lot of people nowadays have never seen a vac kit! [:D]
It’s always worth asking at your local hardware store (or wherever they cut glass)…particularly if you’ve got an old ‘neighborhood’ store rather than one of the ‘big box’ places…if they’ve got any 1/4 or 3/8-inch glass ‘extra’ pieces from custom cuts, or larger panels that were ordered and never picked up. They may be willing to let 'em go at a discount, just to get them out of the way.
That’s how I got my 15x15 3/8" ‘cutting board,’ complete with curved corners and smooth beveled edges, for about $3.00 back in the day.
Years ago a friend in the pay phone business was closing down and he gave me a stack of glass from pay phone cabinets. It’s what I use on top of all my build surfaces. Easy to clean paint and glue off off as well as cut on.
Yeah, jalousie window slats are a good source, too. My kitchen door was aluminum with jalousies, and when the door finally wore out-the door came apart at its seams-I salvalged the slats for shelving in a wall display cabinet.
Jalousy windows are neat when the weather is mild. But even closed they were not the best with the horizontal rain that comes with Hurricane type storms. We covered them up completely then. Plus in an air conditioned home they leaked air too much. I haven’t seen them but a few times here in Texas!
Jalousies are common here in Hawaii, as we don’t really have a winter like you guys do on the mainland - it’s “freezing” when the daytime temperature dips all the way down to 70 degrees. [:P] But other more weather-tight window designs are becomming common these days over here, and they have fewer, larger panes that are easier to clean.
I remember cleaning those things was a regular royal pain in the south side. Only time I was ever stung by a wasp was doing that job…it had landed (unnoticed) in the bucket I was using, and when I reached down to rinse out my sponge… [cnsod]
