How to Separate Glass Bonded With Epoxy

When you make a mistake bonding glass together with epoxy, you'll need to separate the glass panes from each other. This can done by dissolving the epoxy that keeps the bonded glass pieces together. While epoxy solvents dissolve the bonding and adhesive properties of the epoxy, these products can be expensive and potentially dangerous to use. Fortunately, other alternatives exist. For example, water and acetone -- the latter readily available at your local hardware store -- can be used to separate bonded glass cheaply and effectively.

Protective gloves
Protective mask
Protective goggles
100% acetone
Glass, metal or ceramic container
Glass stirrer
Distilled water

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the dimensions of the bonded glass. Find a glass, metal or ceramic container that you can completely immerse the glass in.
- 2
  Pour 4 cups of acetone with 6 cups of water into the container. Mix the acetone with a glass stirrer. You'll need to use glass, metal or ceramic components as acetone dissolves plastic.
- 3
  Place the bonded glass into the container. Make sure to immerse the bonded glass completely in the solution.
- 4
  Soak the bonded glass in the solution for eight hours. The epoxy in between the bonded glass will start to dissolve during the soaking process.
- 5
  Remove the bonded glass when the epoxy is fully dissolved. At this point, the glass sheets can be separated from each other. Rinse the glass pieces in distilled water to remove any remaining acetone solution.

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