TIL: Most glass used today is float glass
TIL: Most glass used today is float glass
Liquid glass is poured over a bath of liquid tin where it floats on top, gradually cooling until it can be lifted off, annealed to prevent cracking, cut and packaged.
Also, this all has to be done without oxygen, because tin dioxide will stick to glass
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Neat, I never even thought about why window panes were a thing. I like to make a game almost of not taking things for granted but that's impossible to do completely, and it's fun when some knowledge and insight comes along about an aspect of how things work that was invisible to me
Wanna learn another neat thing? Most people dont know how braided cables are made. Thats what i do for a living. Check out cable harness braiding on youtube when you get a chance. The braiding machines are pretty neat.
Do they operate on a similar (or identical) principle as the machines which make braided rope?
I could never get a reply to post before, but I had fun watching videos of those machines! I liked the one with 30 or so little yellow bobbins dancing around, and the giant metal monster one was intimidating at first but the braid was really satisfying
Surprisingly some companies still make Drawn Glass, mostly sold for restoring historical buildings. Personally I like the slightly curved look it has.
I love seeing examples of the old ways still being produced. I always thought old glass panes weren't totally flat because of the way things like glass and vinyl warp, and now I'm wondering if it was actually just that way since production. I'm not sure how long it takes glass to warp like that or how it would look different from drawn glass
Glass doesn't flow, that's a myth from the fact that when people installed drawn glass they favoured putting the thicker side down so that it was more stable.
Oh! Well how about that. I was so sure it was true, over a long period of time, but I just looked it up and lo and behold you're right. I'm learning a lot in this one thread
You should check out this guy's Instagram. He goes hard on restoring old windows with a focus on sharing knowledge.
https://instagram.com/gantelius_fonsterhantverk?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ==
I kept trying to reply way back when and couldn't get it to post, but I followed that guy and I love every time his work pops up, it's so freaking satisfying to watch