3. Flat Glass
All glass goes through a molten (liquid) state and how it is cast (made
into its final product) determines its shape. When molten glass is
spread out in sheets on a metal plane, it makes flat glass. The glass is
flat like sheets of paper. It is also sometimes called sheet glass and
plate glass.
The most common use of flat glass is in windows, doors, automotive
glass, mirrors and in solar panels. Flat glass is made by melting sand
and other materials into a liquid, spreading the liquid (molten) glass to
a desired thickness, and cooling into the final product.
Flat glass has a different chemical make-up from container glass,
which is used for bottles, jars, cups, and glass fibers used for thermal
insulation, in fiberglass composites, and optical communication.
Most flat glass is soda-lime glass and is most frequently made via the
float glass process, though it can also be rolled or made by broad
sheet. Flat glass can be bent after it’s made, for architectural and
automotive applications
4. Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used
for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and
automotive applications, the flat glass is sometimes bent after production of the plane sheet. Flat
glass stands in contrast to container glass (used for bottles, jars, cups) and glass fibre (used for
thermal insulation, in fibreglass composites, and optical communication).
Flat glass has a higher magnesium oxide and sodium oxide content than container glass, and a lower
silica, calcium oxide, and aluminium oxide content.[1] From the lower soluble oxide content comes the
better chemical durability of container glass against water, which is required especially for storage of
beverages and food.
Plate Glass
5. Float glass is extremely smooth, the distortion-free glass
used in many window applications. It also provides the
material for many other forms of glass, including tinted
glass (heat absorbing) and laminated glass.
Float glass is made by pouring the molten glass from a
furnace into a chamber that contains a bed of molten tin.
The process is sometimes call the Pilkington Process. The
atmosphere inside the chamber is carefully controlled. The
glass floats on the tin and forms itself in the shape of the
container. It spreads 90 to 140 inches wide at a thickness
determined at the time of manufacture.
Float Glass
6. Fiberglass really is made of glass similar to
that in windows or kitchen drinking glasses.
To manufacture fiberglass, glass is heated
until molten, then forced through superfine
holes. This creates glass filaments that are
extremely thin—so thin, in fact, that they're
best measured in microns.
Fibre Glass
7. Obscure glass is a very broad term that actually covers any type of glass that is not
crystal-clear transparent. It is glass that ‘obscures’ the view through it, distorting
or concealing what is on the other side, because of this it’s often referred to as
privacy glass.
This obscuring effect can be achieved in a variety of ways, usually by the use of a
texture or pattern. It can range from offering complete privacy by obscuring the
view completely or simply showing silhouettes. It can also be more of a style
choice, that offers only a very mild distortion.
Obscure glass can be highly decorative and very practical. It is also versatile.
Obscure glass
8. Container glass, also generally called “hollow glass”, is used as packaging in all aspects of
everyday life, e.g. for food, beverages, perfumes, medicine, etc.Glass packaging can be
produced in almost all colors in order to achieve additional features. amber glass, for instance,
is used to pack light/ UV sensitive contents, such as medicine, juice or beverages containing
beer to prolong shelf life. Choosing the glass color for a product, a company's marketing
department should, however, always take into consideration the recycling possibilities, e.g. red
glass is not a reasonable choice in the sense of recycling. Classifying the glass while trying to
correctly separate it at the bottle banks becomes disproportionately more difficult for the
consumer which thereby leads to a decline in the recycling results
Hollow Glassware
9. Safety glass is glass that is
specifically designed to be less
likely to break, and less prone to
inflicting injury when it breaks. It
also includes glass that is
manufactured for strength or fire
resistance.
Safety Glass
10. Cut glass is created by using rotating wheels to
shape the glass by hand. The cuts in the glass reflect
the light, which gives the item a high-value look.
This style is known for being luxurious because of
its high labor cost. Although cut glass has been
around for centuries, it peaked in America during
the Brilliant Period, from the late 19th to early 20th
century. Cut glass is highly collectible but not
practical due to its tendency to crack.
Cut Glass
12. Wear rubber gloves to avoid adding your own fingerprints to the glass and to protect
your hands from cleaning materials.
Use warm or hot tap water for cleaning. The water from most hot water taps is about
140 ° F. (60 °C.) but tepid 110 ° F. (43 °C.) water can also be used.
Use a clean-rinsing laboratory grade cleaner like our Concentrated Liquid Cleaner.
Many commercial cleaners like Windex™ or Dawn™ leave a invisible film that blocks
the mirror chemicals. Bon Ami™ cleanser, while useful for leaf gilding, is not suitable
for chemical mirroring.
Pay special attention to the edges of flat glass. Not only do most people hold flat glass
by the edges, but there may be oil left on the glass from the glass cutter.
After you strip paint from the back of an existing mirror, you may need to remove the
waxy residue with acetone before cleaning it with glass cleaner.
Always use distilled water to rinse off all traces of tap water as the last step in the
cleaning process.
Any exposed surface has dust, grease and fingerprints on it. These must be removed for
the mirror to take. The inside of an object to be mirrored also has particulates on the
surface though not fingerprints. Cleaning is the process of removing these without adding
back films or smears of suspended contaminants. Even a newly-blown glass object
benefits from a light cleaning before mirroring if only to get the water to flow freely over
the surface.
Cleaning
13. Polishing
Cerium Oxide - the best cleaner for flat glass. It polishes by abrasion and
by a chemical reaction with the glass. It must be physically wiped off the
glass with a sponge or clean paper towel. It has replaced it messier cousin,
rouge or iron oxide, for most glass fabrication.
Whiting - an inert white powdered chalk often used to polish the face of a
mirror
Extra-fine pumice - a more aggressive abrasive that is very useful for
removing backing paint
Polishing with an abrasive can help to remove stubborn dirt on any type of
glass. Most plastics are too soft to polish and abrasives can ruin the glass-like
surface. We recommend using new plastic for mirrors. See our page on
mirroring plastics for more information.
Each abrasive has its own characteristics. Sprinkle a small amount on the
surface and add hot water to make a slurry. Use a pure wool felt polisher to
scrub the surface. Synthetic polishing materials can scratch the glass. Use a
clean sponge or brush to physically remove the used compound. Finish with a
spray of distilled water.
it is not necessary and often not possible to polish the inside of a glass
container. Not only is it difficult to reach but it is usually not covered with
fingerprints or other random contaminants.
