We use a lot of glass in our furniture from decorative panels to simple protection of a surface. It is a major subject, we have tried to cover some of the basics.
What is the difference between Float glass and Annealed glass?
Fundamentally they are the same thing, the float process is the method of making flat glass by running the molten glass over hot liquid metal. Annealing is the secondary process that controls the cooling of the glass so that equalises the internal stresses and gives a stable product.
What is Laminated glass?
It is formed of two sheets of glass with one or more plastic layers sandwiched between and bonded together with heat and pressure. The major benefit is that when the glass is broken the plastic layer holds the glass together and it is still transparent. Security and bulletproof glass are particular types.
Is Toughened glass the same safety glass?
Toughened glass is produced by a heating or a chemical process. The majority of toughened glass is produced by being heated to just below its softening point and rapidly cooled by jets of cold-air. This glass is much stronger than standard annealed glass and when broken it shatters into small blunt edged pieces. Toughened glass is safety glass but so is laminated glass.
What’s special about Low-iron glass?
Low-iron glass is made from silica with very low amounts of iron, which results in much higher clarity removing the greenish tinge that standard annealed glass has. It is used widely for display cases and aquariums.
What can you do to glass to make it more interesting?
The simple stuff is bevelling and cutting it into shapes, which you have to do before it’s toughened. There are a great many applied surface treatments you can use such as paint and silver leaf and then you can change the surface by acid etching and sandblasting.