Can anyone suggest a DIY way to grind/cut a glass (UCL from flashlightlens.com) lens about 1-2 mm in diameter? I own a Dremel, but I guess I'd also need some way to mount and rotate it to get an even grind off the edge. Maybe someone has a better method that isn't too likely to damage the lens?
I've done a couple by hand w/ my grinding wheel. The coarse wheel makes for a lot of chips. My finest wheel wasn't as bad, but still some. The slower and more patient I was, the less it ripped off chunks...
i use very fine sandpaper or use ur dremel with a fine sanding wheel on it and should work fine
I can certainly try a Dremel or sanding wheel, but any hints how I might mount and spin the lens to get a clean circle in the end? Or do you guys just clamp the lens down or hold it and then rotate it manually as you sand?
i have a mini vice like this>>>>
with rubber on it so it does not scratch any of my flashlights ect..... when i did mine i placed it on the vice and went back and fourth like a half moon if u get what im trying to say lol
It goes without saying, but wear eye protection.
I'd suggest cutting a piece of....something, to the exact size you want, fixing it to the lens and then remove material until you reach it
Any updates on this? I received a lens that was slightly larger as well and i was wondering if anyone else can chime in
thanks
Actually, I have an acrylic lens. Is it ok to use the above methods to grind it down slightly?
probably much easier than glass as it is less likely to chip
just don't go so fast (w/ dremel or grinder) that it starts to melt!
I just finished resizing a lens I picked up from Kaidomain to fit my LF5XT. slow and steady with some sandpaper. for 1-2mm it really isn't worth breaking out the power tools. I'd most likely end up making it too small/chipping/cracking it anyway :p
thanks for the replies. will try sandpaper then
yeah can only imagine lots of eye protection and high grit abrasives
Check out ur local art/leaded glass supplier. they carry glass grinders that use diamond bits and water. won't be cheap but it'll get the job done.
I used a sanding drum on a drill press to reduce a lens by 5-6mm in diameter. It is a time consuming process even with power tools as mineral glass is hard stuff and bites back on a sanding drum just as hard as the drum bites at it. I will also reiterate the need for eye protection! I had a small chip/shard go into my eye when I first started grinding that lens and learned real quick to wear the damned glasses!
Either by hand or by power tool, the best way I found to mark off the area to be removed was to cover the entire lens, front and back, in blue masking tape. Once masked off I used the original plastic lens as a template and laid it on the glass lens and using a razor blade cut around the old lens making a cut in the masking tape. Flip the lens over and repeat on the other side. I then peeled off the outer ring of tape from each side leaving the part to be used protected from scratches and easy to grind. Just trim away the glass until you reach the taped area. Perfect circle every time.
Hope it helps,
Johnny