Category: Glass

What is the Most common seal used in blowing glass

I think the most used is a standard seal like when welding a blow tube to a larger piece of glass, or adding glass to glass.  It is all the same, just different because of the color vescosities

What’s the difference between the structure of UV reactive glass versus CFL reactive glass?

It is all about what minerals where put in the glass.  There are many

Does glass require a special type of sandblaster or sand?

Any sandblaster will work to etch glass.  The most common abrasive is aluminum oxide.

Does blending color occur in the prep stage or actually when a piece of glass is being blown?

This is done at the beginning of the process, it is pre prep

Are there colors of glass that are super rare and or extinct? I know terps is one that rarer in the glass world, and if I heard right its almost extinct? How is that possible?

A glass that sucks goes extinct.  Terps sucks much like other colors you will not see.

Trade in for Glass Pieces

When a customer offers to trade in a piece of glass, before we agree to anything have them submit photos of the pieces to assure we are even interested in the glass piece. Even if the piece has been used we still may accept it for a trade in.

What is the process like to mix colors together to form a unique color?

There are many techniques.  Most use colors already made and mix them, some add minerals to the glass to change them.

Is UV and CFL glass colors harder for blowers to work with compared to just normal colors. I know colors are harder because the different melting points and properties but would UV and CFL take it a step above that? Is that why pieces usually aren’t full UV, just accented?

UV and florescent reactive

How rare is it to add frit to a piece after it is done? What’s the process like to apply it on top without losing form of what you are placing it on

It is tricky to do if it is a formed shape.  The trick is to melt the frit and the surface of the form, not melting the inside of the form.  It is fast.

Does fume work depend on the glass melting point or the metals melting point. How much do those temperatures differentiate?

Gold and silver melt at different temperatures,  the working temperature of glass will burn off the fume, which is why most fume is incased