Thread: Any glassworkers here?

I was reading a great article on www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/ about windows. The page is titled "insultingly stupid movie physics" and is a great nerdy read. Anyhow, they were talking about the (largely fatal) consequences of jumping through a plate glass window due to incredibly sharp shards of glass.

This got me to thinking...you know what would be an absolutely awesome-looking razor? One with a glass blade! The only thing I wonder is if the manufacture of such an item is possible. Does anyone here work with glass, or know about glassworking? Is there a feasible process for creating a glass blade of the delicacy needed for shaving?

Amusing, but I think some of their physics may be as faulty as the movies. Enjoyable read nonetheless. I personally ran straight through a plate glass window once and I outran the falling glass, It all came down behind me except for the few pieces stuck on my shirt. Granted I had double protection from St. Francis as I was both young and a drunk fool.

Yeah, I wouldn't qualify them as the authoritative voice on all things physics, although my mom has scars all over her legs from running through plate glass. I think that perhaps before the glass breaks, some intertia is imparted to it which causes it to burst outwards. I'm just an armchair physicist, though.

Further research shows the John Logie Baird invented a glass razor, and the U.S. Patent Office has several patents on file related to them. They're also evidently used in electron microscopy for chopping things. I don't know how well one would shave, but I think it would be a neat art piece...just have to find someone that works glass.

Its probably like the obsidian knives you see in some knife catalogues. I would think it would be just too fragile. The slightest bump could break it and the edge ground that fine would be very thin and brittle. I would think it would shave like a feather as long as you could maintain the edge. You would probably need some high mineral content glass mixture or obsidian or for that matter how about a razor made of sapphire. There are all kinds of possibilities. Personally I would like to see a blade with Talonite.

I am not sure as to whether or not glass could be ground down to a suitable edge. I have done some flintknapping with glass and obsidian however and obsidian (volcanic glass) makes the sharpest edge pretty much known to man. The problem lies in that to get this edge it has to be broken in a controlled way. This process usually creates a more jagged edge. Think a stone knife or arrowhead.

Chris

Making glass scales shouldn't be a problem, unless they come with a few spares and an easy way to replace a broken one they would be very unpractical.

Glass scales would be too heavy to be practical. Same with various stones.

Glass is too brittle, but maybe an edge from industriul ruby or diamond?
They can grow them pretty large these days.

Originally Posted by Kees

Making glass scales shouldn't be a problem, unless they come with a few spares and an easy way to replace a broken one they would be very unpractical.

How the hell could you pin them tightly enough?

X

Rubber washers? Silicone coated pins?

OTOH: do razors need to be tightly pinned?