I recently got this question about glass cutters and oil.
“I just received the Toyo glass cutter (which was suggested in my bottle cutter plans). It’s oil filled. How can that work based on the position of the cutter in the guide? Oil does not run uphill. Thanks in advance, Jim”
My response: The oil isn’t necessarily required but it does prolong the life of the cutter and help making a nicer cut. Even if you don’t use the oil, you will still get a much longer lasting life and a much cleaner cut than those cheapie cutters.
If you wanted to, you can just brush a little bit on the cutter wheel before use. Many glass art professionals don’t even use the self oiling thing and just dip it in a small cup of oil. If you are looking for oil, I provided links to some brands below.
Cutting Oil
- CRL Cutting Oil– Cost is $7.25 for a 4 ounce bottle.
- Novacan Cutter Oil– Cost is $8.95.
- Generic Cutter Oil– Cost is $6.95 for a 4 ounce bottle.
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Eric. I cut glass for about 10 years in making Tifany repo. Lamps, some had as many as 1200 pieces,you are right, oil has nothing to due with scoring glass, only keeps the cutter axis lub. The best cutters have carbon steel cutter wheels, unlike what you buy at the local hardware store. Also a small tip: never double score a cut,and never cross a scored line while making a different cut. Enjoy your e-mail. Cliff
Thanks for the tips Cliff and it’s good to hear from you.
I just hit my cutter with a drop of 3 in 1 oil or a shot of WD-40. dry off the excess and it seems to work just fine. I don’t do it every time, just when I think it may need a bit.
Eric- I just purchased one of the cutters you recomended in your wine bottle cutting plans. I also bought some oil as well. I also built one of the wine bottle cutters from your site. I can’t wait to try them both out.
Thanks
Dave
i use mineral oil and it works great i saw some glass cutting oil at home depot when i looked at the ingredients it said mineral oil
Excellent tip Greg! Thanks. I will try that out next time.
The stained glass store I go to explained the purpose of the oil. She said glass will try to mend itself, the oil keeps the edges separated, so you can break it properly. She also said do not fill the unit with oil. Dip it instead. The reason being, sometimes the oil doesn’t flow and you end up with a dry cut. Plus, they leak.
Thank you. Just the info I needed.
The guy who trained me said he never uses oil. He had cutters he’s been using for years, and has never had a problem. They use oil in industrial processes to keep blades cool, but for the life of me I’ve never been able to find a good reason to use oil for cutting small pieces of glass. I never use it, and have no problems.
I just used castor oil on a cross cut..