Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
ginny20

can small chips on crystal be filed down?

ginny20
11 years ago

I have some 25+ year old Mikasa crystal wine glasses. They're neither antique nor valuable, but I like them. I'd like to be able to use them for entertaining, but I don't have enough left without small chips at the edge of the bowl. The crystal is very thin on these, and they chipped easily. I'm trying to see if I can just get more at Replacements.com, but if not, is there a file of some kind you can use to just smooth out the edge a little? Is this something only a pro should attempt?

thanks

Comments (13)

  • lindac
    11 years ago

    Yes....I have never done it....but I know you can take them "somewhere" and have the chip filed off.
    When you are looking to buy a "set" of antique crystal goblets....always line them up to see if they ae the same height....many times one or 2 will have been ground down 1/4 inch or so to eliminate chips.
    I have heard of people doing it themselves with wet garnet sand paper.

  • ginny20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Lindac. Since I can't use them as is, it might be worth it to try one and see.

    I didn't know that about the varying height in sets. Thanks for that info, too.

  • sunnyca_gw
    11 years ago

    I've used wet & dry sandpaper(it's dark grey/black color) & wet it or some emeryboards(not metal ones) that are very fine work well as you can gently pull back & forth until smooth. I live in earthquake country so that is how we handle saving our treasures from the trash can. That way you can use some lightly damaged things or at least not cut your fingers on grandma's 100 yr old family treasure.

  • ginny20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Sunnyca. You mean like nail emeryboards? I have those around anyway.

    Wow, I never thought of that advantage of living in a snow zone instead of an earthquake zone. A blizzard that leaves 3 ft of snow is a pain, but it's never broken any of my glasses. That's part of the difference between an inconvenience and a disaster, I guess.

    Hope you stay earthquake-free.

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    I chose earthquakes. =)

    I've got some old chipped crystal as well. Maybe I'll try this!

  • ginny20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Well, there is the point that while you may or may not have a quake in a given year, snow is guaranteed for me every winter. Unless we don't do anything about global warming. Then Upstate NY will become a tropical zone, and we can scrap our snowblower.

  • cloudy_christine
    11 years ago

    I have very fine file made just for crystal. It's very easy to use on tiny chips so the glass is safe to drink from.

  • cloudy_christine
    11 years ago

    This is it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: crystal file on Amazon

  • ginny20
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That looks great, cloudy christine. Thanks. The price of that file is about the same as replacing one glass. Worth a try, since I need to either replace or repair 5. And I still don't know if Replacements even has my pattern.

  • cloudy_christine
    11 years ago

    You're welcome. I should have mentioned that you have to do the filing under water. I think mine came with that direction.

  • sunnyca_gw
    11 years ago

    Ginny, Yes you can use a regular cardboard ?? file but I had some I got at beauty supply that have a foam core in center & then 1 side is very fine & other is rougher, I use them to file off rough edge on painting projects or between coats on small projects. Mine are 7 in. long & 3/4 in wide but a narrower 1 works best on glass rims. I will take earthquakes any day over floods & 10 ft of snow. I remember walking home from babysitting with huge walls of snow on both sides of road & in spring a couple of times the lake flooded & we rowed down to elderly neighbor lady to take her food & check on her. We passed food to her through a window. Our house was much higher but when I was at college that spring had a nasty storm that took out 1/3 of our front yard. My dad got discarded bedsprings & other huge pieces of metal & made a wall to hold the rest of yard & then covered it with graduated concrete, soil & stone down to lake. I had nightmares until they moved out here.

  • Richard Dollard
    11 years ago

    I have used that crystal file on several old kitchenware glass baking dishes and old depression to smooth the chips out. It takes the sharpess out of the chip.

  • sheilajoyce_gw
    11 years ago

    I have used very fine black emery boards to smooth edges of glassware I wanted to keep. Go slowly and use very, very fine emery or sandpaper, not the regular brown emery board.