smoothing glass edges

Here you go Anthony.

http://www.ehow.com/list_5931497_glass-sanding-tools.html

I would think emery cloth would work fine.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

emery does work
on a block of wood
or on a sander

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

Hey thank you very much guys, I appreciate the help. Have a merry christmas and a happy new year!!!

-- Salem, New York "Find something you love to do and you will never have to work another day of your life"

I always use a diamond sharpening stone and water.

I’ve always used sand paper and a block. Sand it smooth. 180 on down.

-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.

The $5 dual-grit oil stone you find at hardware stores works great of knocking off the sharp edges (burr) after cutting glass. Just make a pass round the edge with the coarse then the fine grit.

-- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Anthony, I have made several mirrors and, after a less than stellar effort at cutting them to size, gave up and let a local glass shop cut them. For $2.50 a cut it was well worth the cost to let them do it. The guy did let me watch his technique and, while I did not see anything different from what I was doing, his results were far superior to mine.

Following the cut he used an angle grinder with a 50 grit wheel to smooth the cut edge. It took less than a minute to smooth out the side.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

I’ve used a little 220 grit sandpaper to knock down chipped edges on drinking glasses.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

I too took a mirror to be cut to a professional. After he cut it, he fired up a hand held belt sander and ran it across all edges. Don’t know the grit.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

The shop I went to used a wet belt — I don’t think you want to breath the dust!!!!!

-- Fred, Springfield, Ma

Whatever you do, do it by hand. Power tools send dust flying, and you look too young and your wife too pretty to breathe in glass (or any other dust). Do it by hand, whilst you still have them (heck, you have 27 more knuckles).

Steve

-- Steve in KY. 44 years so far with my lovely bride. Think I'll keep her.

The process is called seaming.
At the glass shop I used to work at I usually used a common belt sander and started with a 180 grit belt made specifically for glass. We had belts that went all the way to 320 for smoother work like shelf fronts. We had a spray on oil that we used to cut down on dust. We also had a huge and really loud stationary belt sander for bigger work.
I would suggest either using a block and at least 180 grit sandpaper (I would go even higher), or using emery cloth. Do yourself a favor and wet sand.
Also if you are nervous about the sharp edges, some of those cheap cotton gloves dipped in rubber are great to use both for grip and a bit of cut resistance.
And if it is not too much trouble, just call up the shop where you got the glass. Seaming is usually pretty cheap. If I remember we charged 10 cents per inch.
Hope this helps.

-- Tim, Nevada MO