The beauty of glass speaks for itself. Yet the language of glass can often be confusing. Glassworks offers clear definitions to some of the words most commonly used in the production of art glass-works.
Anneal
Glass is subjected to a process of heating and slow cooling in order to reduce brittleness and reform into a new product.
Back Painted glass
Any form of clear glass that is painted from the back side and viewed from the front or glazed side. Back painting is an expressive and versitile transformative tool for glass since the color palette is virtually limitless allowing for subtle to bold design or simply an overall tint can be achieved.
Beveled glass
Glass with a slanted edge that has been cut to achieve a prismatic effect.
Cast glass
Created by using smaller pieces of glass and is shaped by a custom mold through a process of heating and cooling. Bubbles are the unique characteristic of cast glass.
Carved glass
Involves sandblasting or acid etch on the surface of the glass to varying depths and levels, giving the glass a “hand carved” appearance.
Cullet
Raw glass or pieces of broken glass from a cooled melt; or scrap glass intended for recycling.
Edging
The shaping or finishing of the edges of a glass surface, usually by grinding with an abrasive wheel. See also Polishing.
Etched glass
Glass which incorporates frosting technique but is more design oriented overall. Decorative patterns may be imposed upon otherwise plain glass by using a resist to retain the transparent areas.
Fused glass
Pieces of glass are joined together through a process of heating and cooling. When you see glass that has layers you are encountering fused glass, and you will notice that this glass obtains a slight texture as a result of the fusing process that appears similar to slumped glass.
Frit
Glass frit is a color element composed of tiny pellets of colored glass which can be added to the glass project in various ways, typically in the heat part of the kiln formed glass process, to create color in the overall piece.
Frosted glass
A type of surface textured glass achieved by applying a light and even sandblast or acid etch over whole surface of the piece of glass. Frosting removes the shine from the glass and lends it a more translucent quality with the opportunity to vary the opacity level to match your individual taste.
Kiln
An oven used to heat glass. Often associated with ceramics, kilns support high, uniform temperatures that can be controlled and adjusted to achieve specific end results.
Laminated glass
A layer of resin is poured or placed between two pieces of glass. Used as one of Glassworks‘ safety glass choices, if one of the glass surfaces breaks, the piece is held together by the plastic inner layer.
Layered glass
See Fused glass.
Leaded glass
Stained or clear glass held together by soldered lead. Used for both exterior and interior windows and openings, leaded glass can be designed in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Mirrored glass
Constructed by adding a shiny, often metalic, surface to the underside of the glass. Mirroring creates a highlight room feature when combined with stained glass to created a layered effect.
Mould
A form, normally made of wood or metal, used for shaping and/or decorating molten glass.
Ovenwork
See kiln.
Polishing
Smoothing the surface of an object when it is cold by holding it against a rotating wheel fed with a fine abrasive. Glass can also be polished with hand-held tools. See also Edging.
Safety glass
Safety glass is glass that has been strengthened or reinforced so if broken, it breaks into tiny pieces rather than shards. Ideal for a number of applications, many building codes require the use of safety glass. Safety glass should be installed where there is a great deal of public traffic.
Sandblasting
A process of adding surface texture to yield a matt finish either for decoration or to reduce transparency whereby compressed air forces abrasive material through the nozzle of a sandblasting gun and onto the glass surface.
Silica
Silicon dioxide, a mixture that is the main ingredient of glass. The most common form of silica used in glassmaking has always been sand.
Slumped glass
Formed by using a combination of heat, gravity and bending to mold flat glass into textured and/or three-dimensional shapes.
Tempered glass
Another option for safety glass, tempered glass undergoes a heat-treatment in a controlled environment that results in a stronger glass. Should tempered glass break, it will form “pebbles” instead of dangerous shards.
