How to cut glass??

[boyohboy]

My current glass-window for my hood is abit too small for my new PC strip light so I need a new top. The all glass canopy is $22 here but I think it may not even fit in my tank. The glass is 1/4" longer than the inside rim of my tank based on the listed dimension I saw.

So is it possible to grind/cut away the extra 1/4" of glass away? Also, I found some glass stip (5-7" wide) from 2nd-hand hardware store for $2 but will need to cut them shorter if to be use as my tank canopy. My tank is 30" and the glass strips are 40"+. Will cutting this long piece of glass be easier than trying to grind away 1/4"? How would I do it? Thanks

 

[beviking]

Most hardware stores carry glass cutters. It's a funny little tool made of metal about the size of a pen/pencil. One end has a ball (used to stress the glass at the etch and break it) and the other end has 2 different sized indentations like an "E" with a small cutting wheel on the back side. You lubricate the glass (kerosene is what the local glass shop uses)and run the wheel down the line you want to cut while applying pressure. After the etch is made, you simply snap the glass using a firm tabletop as a guide. Sounds simple, looks simple when a pro does it, I can't tell you how many practice peices I wasted trying to cut one straight line!
My advice would be stop in at a local glass shop with the peices in hand and see if they would cut it for you. The hardware store in the small town I grew up in use to do this too so maybe a hardware store will do it but I doubt it.
Good luck!