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megalomania
June 26th, 2003, 04:05 PM
CragHack
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posted March 17, 2001 09:07 PM
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I might be mistaken but i think this topic was glossed over in the previous forum but i am not sure. i preformed a search on this forum and no results were produced.
My question is, does anyone know of a way, to break a single pane glass window so that it makes very little noise? i recall someone saying, on the other forum (i think anyway, unless i am just pulling this out of my ass), someone saying to cover the glass with duct tape strips and then break it? does this ring a bell to anyone? if not, does anyone have any different way to do it? any help would be appreciated. thanks

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PYRO500
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posted March 17, 2001 09:46 PM
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yes, cover a square near the corner of a window with tape and hammer around the edge with your tool


BoB-
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posted March 17, 2001 11:02 PM
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I once heard it discussed that if one were to heat the pane of glass it would crack and eventually shatter, this would require practice though.
If you got it to work for you it would probably be more quiet than tooling.



PYRO500
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From: somewhere in florida
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posted March 17, 2001 11:47 PM
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someone said that they should use a propane torch to melt windows and nbk said that he tried that and it expanded the glass (loudly) shattering it, your best bet is to get a rol of duct tape and a hammer or crow bar and shatter the corner first andd work up then from corner then from the corner left and up and crack the top before the tape to keep the thing in 1 piece


CragHack
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posted March 18, 2001 12:02 AM
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sweet thanks guys. i was thiking about covering the whole damn window in duct tape and then breaking from the bottem up. just like you said. thanks again.
actually, one more question does anyone know how loud this will be? i know it won't be as loud as untaped glass, but how loud? low thud? or piercing crack?

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PYRO500
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From: somewhere in florida
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 18, 2001 12:42 AM
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it should be fairly quiet as long as you go very slow, if you do it fast it will be a sharp crack and the glass may fall out, I would use the handle of one of those big maglite flashlights if I was you


zaibatsu
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From: England
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posted March 18, 2001 06:36 AM
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I kinda mentioned about the duct tape I think, but what I suggested is using the sticky back sheets you can get to cover boks etc. The stuff comes on rolls, and is stronger than normal sellotape, so I would think it would be a good choice. Pre-cut to the shape needed, peel it off, stick it on and then hit.
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SATANIC
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posted March 18, 2001 05:47 PM
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the tape or 'contact' book covers would work well, for an improvised method you could hold a blanket tight over the paneand smash it. th glass would then fall right in, and be easier to climb through, ( punch it out at the edges) and hopefully make very little noise. On the old forum i think someone came up with the idea that you could cover the window with silicone sealant.


CragHack
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posted March 18, 2001 07:24 PM
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i think duct tape would be the most cost effective way to do it. using a pillow in conjunction with the tape is probly th best bet. just a little pillow though, placed over the spot where you hit.
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c0deblue
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posted March 19, 2001 12:52 AM
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Just bear in mind that any adhesive surface will not only retain perfect fingerprint images, but also collect any fibers that it touches (from clothing, gloves, etc.), and even hair from your head, hands or arms, even particles of dead skin. Even the side of a roll of duct tape will collect unique microscopic debris such as fibers or dirt from a car trunk or interior upholstery. Unless you're very careful you could wind up leaving quite a lot of information useful to investigators.


NightStalker
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posted March 19, 2001 01:14 PM
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The book-cover stuff works very well. In a "dream" i had we used it to cover the whole window (was a smaller one) and then broke it with a smaller hammer arount the edges, removed it broke the whole stuff and rolled it up and took it with us for later disposal. It was very silent although it took nearly 2 minutes.

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Death stalks silently....



CragHack
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posted March 19, 2001 04:06 PM
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ah yes i am aware of the mass amounts of forensic evidence the duct tape would leave behind. i would more than likely collect the pieces if i were ever to break a window using this method... but thanks for the info. nightstalker, when you used the book cover crap it was really silent? did it have the tell tale high pitched sound or what? thanks in advance.
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NightStalker
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posted March 20, 2001 04:33 PM
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Uh sorry, i forgot something in my post (was in a hurry).
before covering it with the stuff we ran a glass cutter (dunno the real word, a thing that makes kind of a scratch where the glass will break) around the windows edges.
CragHack: It was relative silent, the loudest point is the first hit when the window is still in its normal position. once it is broke the noise is much less cause there is no resonance any more. At first it sounds like a medium-loud knocking on the window, afterwards just a dry cracking. But with this method the charakteristical sound of breaking glass that attracts attention is gone. But it is too loud to get into someones sleeping room while he is sleeping there :-)

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Death stalks silently....

[This message has been edited by NightStalker (edited March 20, 2001).]



Ctrl_C
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posted March 21, 2001 12:44 AM
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quote:
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Originally posted by NightStalker:
charakteristical
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hahaha...so you and G.W.Bush were in the same English class?


[This message has been edited by Ctrl_C (edited March 21, 2001).]



blackadder
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From: London
Registered: DEC 2000
posted March 21, 2001 04:15 PM
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Could you put a pillow over it and then push SLOWLY, but with something big and bulky, like a tree log, or the top of a hammer/sledgehammer?
(Yes that would really stop the sound of the glass shattering and falling everywhere, why not just punch the glass and trash it up like you do to your classroom, dumb shit.

Other people have to use that room, schools suck enough as it is without some Jock/Kevin acting "Hard" to his friends by punching walls.)

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GOT VIOLENCE?

[This message has been edited by Maddoc (edited March 21, 2001).]



angelo
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posted March 21, 2001 10:40 PM
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how about those hammers they have in buses?
they shatter a window with a slight tap,
and they are really quiet.
But they are hard to come by.


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have a good link? add it here


[This message has been edited by angelo (edited March 21, 2001).]



-Onthefringe-
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From:
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posted March 22, 2001 03:41 AM
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Instead of a hammer, try using a spring-loaded center punch. Place it up against the duct tape/glass and release it. Its very fast & powerful, and the tip can knock out a small hole, similar to a bb pellet hole, in the glass. Maybe then all you need to do is reach in with a rod or wire to open the latch?

yt2095
June 26th, 2003, 04:48 PM
cover it with peanut butter and just smash it. no finger prints either :)

knowledgehungry
June 26th, 2003, 05:16 PM
Score the window with a glass cutter first than tape it then break, thats what i'd do.

Psymage
June 29th, 2003, 11:00 AM
hi,

've heard (never tried it myself) if you want to break glass you've need porseline en break it into pieces and trow those pieces hard on the window, the window wil be broken but wil stil stand in the wall, and the only thing you've got to do now is to pusch te window so it falls into pieces (here is being silent a problem)

yt2095
June 29th, 2003, 11:19 AM
Psymage,

yes it does work, i beleive your refering to the white ceramic on the sparks plugs that have been smashed up and flicked at car wind screens?

the only reason this works (some cars only) is because the laminate on the glass is under tension, the schrapnel will penetrate this and create a weakness, the tension in the glass does the rest of the damage for you.
the reason that the ceramic is used (spark plugs) is because of the way it`s treated, then when shattered an edge can be a sharp as a single molecule! Bic and Gillete eat your heart out! :)

so only a tiny flick (and hitting it just right) is all thats needed to penetrate this layer and create a tiny breach.
it wouldn`t work on window glass in a house though and won`t work on some cars either.

i find half a house brick works just great tho, phuk the noise :)

Arthis
June 29th, 2003, 03:56 PM
The propane torch will not work. Why ? In fact I cannot understand why sometimes you can melt the glass, to shape it for example, and sometimes it just breaks. The heat of the torch is one point, maybe, the size of the glass may be another reason. Anyone could explain me ? thanks.

McGuyver
June 30th, 2003, 01:21 AM
When glass is melted and formed it is heated uniformly. When you take a torch to a piece of glass the torch only heats a small part of the glass and that heated glass expands and pushes against the cold glass- breaking it.

I believe the type of glass also has a large affect on it crack resistance. Flint glass is the stuff that breaks real easy, and I'm not sure but I think windows are made from it.

irish
June 30th, 2003, 04:59 AM
Glass windows are made of soda/lime glass.
The link below has a little bit of info on a few different glasses,

http://www.glasstopia.com/e_site/glassis/category/species/bychemical.html

Bit hard to find good tecnical info on glass online most sites seem to be selling vases etc.

zeocrash
July 6th, 2003, 08:10 AM
soda glass has a very low melting point iirc.
i was thinking, how loud would it be if you were to heat the glass up, then cool it down very quickly using water or something slmilar.
another thing would be to just remove the pane of glass, by removing the putty round the edge and using a sucker thing, (used for carrying glass panes and for removing dents from cars) to lift out the pane

Arthis
July 6th, 2003, 10:19 AM
A priori, when trying to destroy a window to pass, you're supposed to be on the wrong side. You shouldn't have access to the putty. You can use a diamond cutter, along with the "sucker thing".

When heating then cooling very fast glass, it makes a loud noise, easily recognizible. You're not even sure to be able to cool it down fast enough for it to break.

Skean Dhu
July 6th, 2003, 05:13 PM
the propane torch against glass does work.me and a friend heating a pane a while back trying to make it red hot but after about 5 min we got bored and turned off the torch then while we were standing there talking we heard a *twang* and looked around thinking someone was throwing shit at us(being halloween night) only to discover a huge crack running through the whole pane, its not a very quiet method but it does work, kinda sounds like breaking the Ice of a pond in the winter time.

GibboNet
July 6th, 2003, 09:40 PM
The hammers in buses that break windows easily - they are special windows, not special hammers. You can smash the window with anything, but using that hammer is just the same as using as any other on a normal window.

Peanut butter ? I don't think so.

I believe that sparkplug thing was from one of the 'cookbooks'. I didn't know there was any truth behind it.

You usually do have access to the putty, but only in the older wooden framed windows. My house just got Aluminium frames put in, and they are much more secure. The putty is only easy to remove for a few months, after that, it hardens up too much, and you'll probably break the glas trying to chip it out. Before a few months, you can usually cut it out with a sharp putty knife. Then, you'll still have to remove window clips, or small nails, (The ones that hold the glass in place while they putty the window) so bring a small flat head screwdriver along.

If you're in a hurry, then you could try the army (Australian) method.

They have short swords, same sort of size as those that the hobbits carry in lord of the rings. They look like they have been cut out of thick sheet steel or something. The handle was covered by the hand, but there was a large hand guard across the hand, that bent back over the back of the hand, giving it full protection. They run up to the window, push the point through the glass in the centre, then run the blade around the edges, clearing out all the glass from the entire frame. that means no bits of glass left to cut you.

Then enter the window, using the back of your hands, so that if you do cut yourself, it will be on the back of your hand, and so will not affect your mobility. I know that makes a lot of noinse, but the advantge - quick (hey, two or three seconds for a full window, with no sharps left behind)

McGuyver
July 6th, 2003, 10:31 PM
Why not just wear gloves?

Anyway, maybe a cordless Dremel tool would work faster than the diamond cutter deal. They have those diamond bits so there wouldn't be a problem cutting it. I'm sure it would be quieter than breaking it, and much less startling. Then just use the dent pullers to hold it.

EDIT: Notice I said cordless: meaning battery powered

GibboNet
July 6th, 2003, 10:42 PM
Dremel tools need power, and make a lot of noise (a high pitched whine for some brands) which would be a lot more suspicious than even the sound of breaking glass.

A hand diamond cutter is like a pen with a diamond head, that will easily score glass. Once scvored, you need to snap it out. Chances are that's when it breaks, but if you've duct taped it, or similar, then you're pretty right.

I suppose the dremel tool will cut right through the glass, meaning no snaps. Unfortunately, that takes time, and makes way too much noise. Also, it would be pretty difficult to hold it steady if you're working on a high / arkward window.

Wearing gloves, (you would be anyway) you need a bit more than that. Sharp shards of glass will go through a lot of glaves.

The army thing I mentioned, they wore full face masks, throat collars, large thick gloves ( like tactical welders gloves :rolleyes: ) IN addition to the usual aus army goggles and helmets.

Arthis
July 7th, 2003, 12:02 PM
Normally those tools to cut glass, as you may see in the films, a compass with the diamond cutter at one end, the suction cup at the other, would perfectly do the job. When you cut the glass, you will cut the duct tape too. Since snaping it up is way easier and no more expensive (invest in a small suction cup), you will then be able to cut the rest of the window easily, piece by piece.

When planning such a job, you may use some metal reinforced gloves. Some are not really heavy, while resistant.

Zach
July 8th, 2003, 03:15 AM
Using a cutter to score the glass and then breaking it off the edge of a peice is one thing, but cutting a circle and then snapping the hole out (IMHO) would be a tricky thing to do. I think the pressure needed to snap the glass on a circular score would have to be totally even all the way around. SWIY could possibly use a peice of tube that is perfectly flush with the window to bust out the circle, but I'm guessing it wont work as it does in the movies.

I would give it a go, but I am currently at a loss for equipment and materials. Have you ever sucessfully accomplished this Arthis?

Arthis
July 8th, 2003, 08:52 AM
I dare to say I've never tried that. The cutting tool I tried once wasn't working very good, of course it wasn't a diamond cutter.

Back to snapping the glass out, you can of course push it inside. The suction cup is far enough to hold a small portion of glass. Attach it to a small rope, let it hang inside. If the cord is not long enough, or there are risks that the balancing stuff makes some noise, wrap the edges with duct tape (just make a large enough hole for your hand(s) to get thru to put the tape).

Then you cut other pieces, these are easy to take out because you can catch them. Of course you can't do that with a compass, you need the diamond cutter apart.

yt2095
July 8th, 2003, 09:15 AM
i could be wrong here, but when i`ve seen manual glass cutters at work after scribing the cut they always seem to tap along it 1`st before atempting to break the glass, i don`t know what effect this has exactly, but i assume it`s to deepen the fracture or make it more uniform before the final snap, maybe this will help you pull your circle out a little easier?
but then there is that noise factor involved with tapping the glass, i got to thinking, maybe an ultrasonic "hammer" would do that more efficiently and a wee bit quieter? at most you`de get a screeee type sound as you moved it along your scribe, but wetting it would avoid alot of the noise and make the tool more effective to boot! :)

i`m sure some electric tooth brushes work on this principal too.

it`s only an idea :)

yt2095
July 8th, 2003, 02:08 PM
as much as i hate to double post and i`m SURE someone will try jump on me because of it, i just had to share this...

the above is no longer an IDEA, i`ve done it!

using a Rowenta Dentasonic tooth brush and one of the old brush heads i adapted.
i cut the the head off with a carpet blade (the bit that has the angle arangement and crap).
i epoxy resined a steel ball bearing to the new tip (after taking the rust off the ball and roughing up the side that the adhesive went on)

i let it set while i surfed, i then got a milk bottle and scribed around the outside so that both ends met up (using a simple roller cutter).

i applied my toothbrush idea along the scribe, i got half way around and CRASH! the bottom fell off and smashed on the floor leaving a perfectly cut end in my hand!
a subsequent test on a green thicker beer bottle did the same except i held it above a bin (trash can) this time.

i`ve NOT tested on window pane glass as i have non spare in my lab, only the sheet i use for wet experiments, and i need that.
if nothing else, i`ve discovered a neat way to make personalised ashtrays :)

hope this helps a little :)

wrench352
August 10th, 2003, 12:43 AM
I used to be a glazier and this is how you do it
take a 2.00 dollar glass cutter,dip in kerosene for lube(you get a great cut)
score the edges,top bottom,sides,in no particular order
then corner to corner x(dont forget to lube your cutter)
tape the shit out of the glass with good duct tape or 90mph tape
gently push through
If your working through the hole to get at a latch or alarm tape off the edges so you dont get cut

Forget the circular cutter that only works in movies
its used to cut circles not holes i.e. table tops,mirrors,etc.
besides in order to make it work pressure would have to be applied from the opposie side of the cut.
circle cut on outside,push through from inside,
get it?plus there would be extra cuts to help free the circle from the pane of glass
on a worktable its a pain
thats all I know on this subject

fasa
August 13th, 2003, 10:25 AM
wouldn't just heating the glass and then cooling it instantly work best? I tried this and it make no noise at all...
just use the temp. differences....

cross
August 15th, 2003, 06:40 PM
Shards from a spark plug work rather well and I have tested them. You hit the white ceramic with a rock so that it shatters and simply throw one of the shards at the window. It doesn't shatter the glass so much as it splits it, the edges of the glass are mostly smooth to the touch. The noise is a simple pop. The shards can also be used to carve witting into glass.

Another method for breaking glass is to peal back the plastic insulation stuff in and push hard on the corner with a screwdriver/keys/ect. This cause the glass to crack into pieces (the only noise being the crack) but it won't fall until you push it. Emergency workers use this method because they can control which way the glass falls. If you had the pieces of glass fall onto something like a pillow it would be very silent.

As for using things like tape I recall hearing that rubber cement works rather good. Also if sound is not an issue one should use a block of ice to break the glass seeings how it will evaporate leaving no evidence. I also recall there being a type of glass/plastic used for windows guarding things like computers that you could throw a brick at and it would bounce back, I can't remember the name though.

vulture
August 16th, 2003, 06:32 AM
Have you ever seen those plastic motives you can glue onto windows to keep the sun out or for decorational purposes? Mostly it has been pre glued, you only need to tear off a protective sheet. After you've done that it'll stick to anything in its way, making it a pain in the ass to do it right.


See where I'm getting at?

Take a large sheet of the stuff, glue it onto the window, roughly if you have no time, carefully if you have time. Make sure the outer ends are firmly glued to the frame.
Use one of the less aggressive methods to break the glass and the window will behave like safety glass: Thousands of broken pieces kept together by the laminate. Carefully cut the laminate from the frame and take out the broken glass.

Anthony
August 16th, 2003, 04:29 PM
"being a type of glass/plastic used for windows guarding things like computers that you could throw a brick at and it would bounce back"

Polycarbonate.

nbk2000
August 16th, 2003, 04:51 PM
Imagine a row of windows as being a row of books on a shelf.

No one pays attention to the books when they are all there, but they'll instantly notice the gap where one book was removed.

Same thing with windows. It's abnormal for a window to be missing from an obvious windowframe, this instantly drawing attention to itself, and you.

So, once you've got the window out, then what? You replace it. :)

Not with glass, for the obvious reasons, but rather with a flexible plastic sheet. I've seen it somewhere, and now I've forgotten where, but there's a crystal clear plastic material that comes in sheet form that is fairly rigid, but flexible enough to be rolled and bent, that would be perfect for replacing busted window panes so it doesn't draw attention by its absence.

You would have a roll of this plastic sheet with you, place it against the target window, and cut it with a razor with a few millimeters extra around the edges. After busting the window, you'd pop the plastic into place in the groove left in the window from by the removed glass. :D

I got the idea for doing this from the fact that car thieves who bust the window to get in (amauters! :rolleyes: ) are often caught by the fact that they're driving around in cold/wet weather with the window "down". What cop isn't going to notice you zipping along in a driving rain storm with a window "down"? :p

Whereas, if you were stealing a specific car you could already have the plastic "window" all rolled up and ready to go. Lay a sheet of pre-cut adhesive paper over the window, pop it with a spring loaded center punch, pull out the glass intact, open the door, pop in your plastic window sheet, and drive off. ;)

Spray a polycarb window with a large CO2 extinguisher, THEN hit it with a brick, and it'll shatter like glass because it's brittle when cold. :)

Tended Tripod
August 16th, 2003, 09:28 PM
From what I've read, the polycarbonate glass you guys are talking about sounds like Plexiglass. Is that just a brand name? I've heard a story about a guy who chucked a brick at it and it bounced back, hitting him in the forehead. Police found him unconscious, and when they figured out what happened, arrested him (he was trying to break into a liquor store).

nbk2000
August 17th, 2003, 12:35 AM
Try searching the net to figure out the answer to your question, eh? :rolleyes:

Don't make the Fasa mistake...

Sarevok
August 17th, 2003, 12:54 AM
Originally posted by Tended Tripod
From what I've read, the polycarbonate glass you guys are talking about sounds like Plexiglass.
I don't think so. Plexiglas (http://www.pslc.ws/macrog/kidsmac/pmma.htm) is poly(methyl methacrylate), while Polycarbonate (http://www.pslc.ws/macrog/kidsmac/polycarb.htm) is another kind of polymer.

Tended Tripod, when in doubt, use Google (http://www.google.com).

IDTB
September 24th, 2003, 08:43 PM
This is completely on theory, but since heat expands glass wouldn't freezing it shrink it? Here is where I'm going with this: cut a circle in the glass and spray some kind of chemical that freezes within the circle. I would think it would simply make a *ting* and come on out. Perhaps having a chemical in a spray bottle that reacts with oxygen to create the desired effect. Unfortunately I'm not too knowledged with chemicals to know if that aspect is possible.

Lil_Guppy
September 24th, 2003, 09:24 PM
If you have the tool(s) to cut the circle in the first place, why dont you just cut it completely out instead of freezing it out? As I'm not too sure how glass reacts with sudden negative changes in temperature, I cant say if it would work or not, *but* you could try some freeze spray that you can find in electronics stores. It's used to cool down components.

IDTB
September 24th, 2003, 11:59 PM
I think you may have misunderstood me. I didn't mean cut as in cut all the way through, but mearly scratch or carve.

Cyclonite
September 25th, 2003, 08:56 AM
First off when you cut glass you don’t cut it all the way through. You make a scratch and tap it creating a precise fracture. Cutting all the way would take allot more time and better tools im guessing. It would be great if the cooling idea works but I have my doubts, it would be like a "silent hammer".

blackninja
October 6th, 2003, 04:17 PM
hello,
my first post but i thought i would clarify something.
i disagree with yt2095.
i have used the ceramic from spark plugs on non laminated glass and it worked fine.
just had to throw it harder.
also works well on those telstra(aussie) phone booths launched from a slingshot.
thanks.
blackninja.

p.s hope i didnt bump an anchient thread :)

sauvin
October 10th, 2003, 05:08 AM
I've always been led to believe that Plexiglas is simply acrylic - somebody earlier in this thread identified it by another name that I do not recognise. I can't be certain either way, but Plexiglas certainly does have the yellowish tinge to it I associate with acrylic.

Polycarbonate has a bluish tinge and is (among other things) the prime component of many bullet-proof glasses. I can personally testify the stuff is hard as hell to crack.

In thicknesses greater than (tongue in cheek) 0,5mm, neither thermoplastic is easily "rolled". and thicknesses of either material that COULD be rolled would not be rigid enough IMO to serve as a window pane. temporary or not.

On a slightly related note, my father had this scheme, when I was 17 or so, of "antiquing" glass power line insulators (made of various colours of glass) by sudden changes in temperature. Unfortunately, he didn't do it in the same sequence I would have done: he let them sit for a while in a very frigid northern snow and THEN tossed them into a pre-heated oven. The insulators exploded, of course.

The intended effect would have been achieved by heating and then suddenly cooling them. The insulators would have tried to shrink, obviously, along the outside surfaces first because this is where the heat loss would have been most dramatic, causing all sorts of fracturing.

I am, of course, the idiot who just a couple of nights ago set a hot Ehrlenmeyer flask on a cold metal surface. It CLACKED at me immediately with a sound loud enough to make me jump - and I'm nearly deaf.

I don't believe cutting glass by thermal difference would be particularly quiet under any circumstance. YMMV with various damping schemes.

nbk2000
October 10th, 2003, 09:57 PM
In thicknesses greater than (tongue in cheek) 0,5mm, neither thermoplastic is easily "rolled". and thicknesses of either material that COULD be rolled would not be rigid enough IMO to serve as a window pane. temporary or not.


At no time did I say it was PC or PMA, just a flexible plastic, which could be a type of vinyl for all I know.

DropNazi
October 28th, 2003, 04:37 AM
The Ceramic chips DO work thats why it is illegal in Los Angeles to have them on your person. Put a piece in your palm and smack the window it will shatter fairly quietly and you can push the window in.

Knuckles666
December 14th, 2003, 04:44 PM
An automatic centerpunch found in some hardware stores and eBay does the job. Just put it against the bottom corner of the window and press the button. As for heating the glass, this only works if you throw cold water over it after heating. This works beause the glass expands when heated and rapidly contracts when cold water comes into contact with it. This cracks the glass into thousands of pieces while still holding in the frame, making pretty quiet snapping noises. Then just push it through!

wrench352
December 15th, 2003, 08:06 PM
While its true plexi cant be rolled.You can treat it pretty roughly with out really damaging it(unlike glass)so its perfect for hasty operations.With a lil practice you could throw up a whole sheet, by yourself,at night,in less than five minutes.and have it look good(like glass).
Again,for what its worth its just easier to remove the whole pane of glass than it would be to cut a whole in it. especially if its your intention to either crawl through said whole or stick an arm through.Because the whole thing is now(dependent on size) dangerously unstable.
oh yeah they have canvas gloves that are dipped in rubber,they have a rough apearance,not smooth.I wouldnt work glass without em,and consider them mission essential equiptment.

ShadowAlchemist
December 25th, 2003, 07:17 AM
In my travels i have found an easy solution for breaking glass in cars and residential windows.
For cars it is fairly simple.
CARS 1: Super glue a shard of spark plug porcelian to a piece of string and flick the window swiftly(POP) Front/passenger windows may require serveral whacks to crack sompletely.
Triangle shaped panels only take 1 hit.
CARS 2: Only works on triangle quarter glass..Use flathead screwie, dig under rubber and lever opposite direction. Preferably, put thick cloth against window to muffle crack!
I have found the best way to take out a house window is to attach a small charge to window and detonate..lol
Okay so you want subtle entry eh..;)
Well, i'll side with wrench352 on this one..but my version varies slightly.
For one, my cutter has a lubrication tank which i fill with about 100ml of kero(ensuring constant lubrication and a very clean consistent cut)
Anyways, i generally scribe the borser of the pane sevreral times for good luck, then i cut 1-2 layers of clear contact to suit pane dimensions and stick them to the glass. (you know the stuff to cover books!) Nice even adhesive layer!
Now depending on how confident i am, i either apply considerable pressure with my hands, use a wooden mallet to tap the edges or use my foot. (a crowbar has been substituted on occasions when im frustrated!)
Sometimes if you have cut deep enough into the glass, you can actually push/pull and peel the contact layers off the window with a section of glass stuck to contact. (requires skill)
If you are going to use brute force and implode window, then find a removalists blanket(THICK) and use a section of it to muffle the impact noise of a metallic item hitting glass.
Hope ya can understand this and i hope it helps somewhat,
Mitch

akinrog
January 16th, 2004, 02:39 PM
When I was a prisoner long time ago, one of my prison inmates who makes his life through burglary and thievery, taught an improvised technique: He said you shall wet news paper sheets and have them stick on the glass pane and when you hit on it, it simply shatters with little noise and due to (vacuum) sticking of the glass to paper, no glass shards fall thereby minimising noise.

Since I am not a burglar or thieve, I never tested it. Maybe it's a crap and if so please forgive me I am just relating a technique which is claimed to be regularly used by a thieve.
Regards,

Phantomhck
March 10th, 2007, 12:51 PM
Most of those sound like good ideas, but what about glass with wire crossed inside of it? You can't just break it then, it would just crack and be really obvious. Though if you did get maybe one strip of glass broken, you could use cutters and make your way around and cut a hole out. You could then separate larger pieces and take out the whole pane where you could replace it with another pane or something else when you finish.

wst50
March 11th, 2007, 08:31 AM
For cars, couldn't you use a screwdriver?
I think you insert the blade at the back of the window, at the bottom corner. You use the window frame as a pivot and just pull backwards on the 'driver. This would exert a lot of force on the window, as it would be amplified by the pivoting effect, or is my idea spouting rubbish a bit. The program I saw it on blurred out that aspect, he may have twisted the blade instead.

Jacks Complete
March 16th, 2007, 03:25 PM
Ok, time to inject some science and fact into this thread.

Firstly, everyone here should know full well there are different types of glass, used in different situations.

Types

Pyrex is a low expansion glass, designed to handle high heat and shock. Commonly found in the kitchen and the lab.

Borosilicate glass is your standard glassware in the lab. Prone to cracking if thick and heated too fast.

Flint glasses are what tend to be used for lenses, as the refractive index can be finely varied across a wide range.

Soda glass is a low melting point glass, used to make things in the lab, using only the heat from an alcohol burner.

;-p

Real world

Now, outside the lab, you get three main types of glass, and some sub-types.

At the manufacturing stage, there are two types of glass.

Float glass is your basic stuff. It is floated onto a bed of molten tin, and the result is it is perfectly flat. Once cooled a bit it is cut up. When broken, this sends shards everywhere. Found in homes across the world.

Toughened glass, as found in 99% of car side windows, is made in the same way, but the cut bits are re-heated, and the outer surfaces are then cooled with jets of air, which sets up a tension across the pane. Even the slightest scratch can cause these stresses to shatter the glass entirely, but, rather than lethal shards, you get the familiar small glass cubes that do only minor cuts.

Wire-reinforced glass is toughened or float. It contains a mesh of steel wire that retains the bits if the glass is shattered. It is not as strong as laminated glass, as the thin steel wire isn't nearly as strong as the bulk sheet of laminate and glue.

Laminated glass is a very tough composite material, made from regular float glass, and is tough enough to stop even powerful rifle rounds if multi-layer. The front layer is glass, which is glued to a plastic sheet, which is then glued to another sheet of glass. This can be repeated for further protection. In the UK, all windscreens are laminated, except for a few very old cars. When broken, the shards are held in place by the plastic and other bits of glass.

Breaching

With plain glass, I have had success with heat shock from a minitorch. Heat the middle fast for 30 - 60 seconds. Don't play the torch, and get the tip of the cone right on the glass. Then leave. When you return, there will be a break in the glass, and you weren't about when the glass popped. Take your torch, and chase the cracks. Use pliers to help it, by adding a little strain. This lets you silently remove the glass and place it down somewhere.

Toughened glass is almost silent to break. You get a distinctive pop, but it is pretty quiet. However, the noise from all the glass falling out the frame will be more than enough to bring investigation if anyone hears it. To combat this, use sticky tape or a roll of stickybacked plastic, and a bit of wire or string. Cover 95% of the window, and include the wire as a handle. Leave a small area in a bottom corner clear if using heat to fracture the glass. If not, cover it entirely, keeping clear of the frame. Now use anything really hard to pop the glass. Ceramic chips (from sparkplugs and other places), stones and centerpunches have all been used. It will be very muffled. Use the handles to pull the glass from the frame entirely.

With wire glass, if the glass has shattered all around the area you are pressing on, it is possible for the wires to snap in turn until you have removed a section. You could also cut them if you can get a tool in. Pliers will work well, as a hard pull will snap the wires. You could try the laminate attack, but it is very unlikely to work.

Laminated glass is the hard one. I've hit a windscreen with a brick multiple times. It fractures, but holds. Even under wild attacks from police batons, it doesn't fail totally, but it does go opaque. There are a few ideas, such as dry cleaning fluid (carbon tetrachloride) which attacks the glue and plastic after the glass is broken away a small way. However, there is no quiet way.

Laminate defeats are tricky. Going through the glass is hard work. If it is a high value target, drill a hole with a carbide bit. Insert a rawlbolt with the expansion part reversed (you need one that won't fall to bits if used this way around, or use one esigned for heavy things and fragile wall, take a look around a DIY store), with an eye. Expand as far as you can, then pull hard, and try to remove the entire pane from the frame.

When doing this, you are basically hoping that there is nothing like the frameguard system in use. If there is, you will need a truck! If not, hopefully the sheet will collapse away from the frame, and be drawn out the hole. This will work with the security films as long as they haven't been screwed to the frame, and also against plastic sheets (see below). If screwed to the frame, it is unlikely the rawlbolt will hold before pulling through. If it is, then don't drill in the center so the force pulls more on one side than the others, and the holes might pull through one by one, but be prepared for a fight and lots of noise!

Other

Other things you might find are plastic sheeting rather than glass. This melts away usually, but it might burn or smoke. See also the laminated glass attack above. Chemicals such as carbon tet or chloroform do a number on this stuff, as do the fibreglass attacks.

Fibreglass is common, but that is opaque and easily spotted, and a set of really heavy scissors or tin snips will get you in quietly, if you can either peel an edge or drill a starter hole.

Double or triple glazing is generally deal with by repeating the same trick two or three times.

Oops

The one most likely to catch you out is security sheeting on the window. The window looks perfectly normal, but there is a plastic sheet bonded to the back. Common in older business premises to bring single glazing up to safety spec. This makes it very like laminated glass, but with only one sheet of glass. With access to the wrong side, a knife will easily defeat it, as the plastic can be scored. However, from the outside, you will find nothing so easy. Heat might work, but is more likely to make the sheet smoke as temperature inside will be impossible to control.

Any questions?

This concludes todays lesson.

Fourfifth
March 16th, 2007, 04:51 PM
The easiest method I've found, and can be done with £2 is buy some Golden Syrup and smear over the glass, then press brown parcel paper into the syrup, strike once and peel the glass out with the paper :)

Hope that 1st post is good enough for a newbie ;)

WMD
March 17th, 2007, 02:43 PM
While I haven't tried it myself, I read that using a CO2 fire extinguisher to cool down laminated glass helps breaking it. Using the extinguisher you can get down to about -30 °C if I recall correctly at which point the plastic becomes quite brittle.