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Mercury glass makes a comeback

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Mercury glass makes a comeback

Mercury glass makes a comeback

If you’ve never heard of mercury glass (also called silvered glass), it just means that you weren’t born in the 19th century! Genuine mercury glass is a decorative, double-walled, hand-blown glass that has a layer of mercury or silver sandwiched between the layers. The term “mercury” is a bit misleading; elemental mercury is not used in the creation of this kind of glass, although early versions may have contained it. “Silvered” glass is made with a silver nitrate solution, and is not genuine silver, either.

Mercury glass was made as a tarnish-free alternative to silver, and was also used as a “cheap” substitute for genuine silver. Household objects like doorknobs, glasses, vases and candlesticks were prime candidates for mercury glass. As it began to fade from popular favor, mercury glass could be found in purely decorative objects like Christmas ornaments.

Original mercury glass is now a popular antique find. Because the glass was usually not perfectly sealed, antique mercury glass can tarnish or deteriorate. Delamination is also a common issue among antique mercury glass pieces.

Painting on glass

Some crafters like making their own faux mercury glass using mirror spray paint. This paint will adhere to glass, but doesn’t bond permanently, so the mirror effect will be vulnerable to impact damage and delamination over time.

True glass paint, like Glassprimer™ glass paint, makes a permanent bond with glass surfaces. This exceptional paint allows you to apply paint in any color to any glass surface. In addition, special frosting finishes allow painted glass to take on the appearance of frosted glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint will not peel, chip or fade. It also provides exceptional UV resistance. This allows the paint to retain its color, even when exposed to direct sunlight. It can also help control solar heat gain, which reduces energy consumption.

Used in a decorative capacity, Glassprimer™ glass paint performs well in high-humidity areas like kitchens and bathrooms. It will enable you to create beautifully decorated, cost-effective glass surfaces for walls, cabinet fronts and countertops.

If you’d like more information about decorating with Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Cheryl, via FreeImages.com

Industries turn to glass for packaging safety

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Industries turn to glass for packaging safety

Industries turn to glass for packaging safety

The issue of safety, especially among food and personal products manufacturers, is coming to the forefront. A recent study of consumers in Europe showed that more than half of respondents were worried about the safety of plastic packaging, especially as it relates to food.

Glass perceived as safe for food contact

Six out of ten consumers indicated that they were most concerned about plastic food packaging. Nearly half of consumers expressed reservations about the safety of metal food containers, primarily metal beverage cans. In contrast, only 8% of study participants were concerned about contamination from glass containers. Consumers specifically cited food contamination and chemical contamination from leaching as major concerns. More than 8 of 10 consumers think that contamination from packaging could pose a risk to human health.

61% consumers said that they trusted glass as a packaging material. This is up from 48% of consumers who said they trusted glass as a food packaging material in 2010.

The preference of consumers for glass packaging comes at an inconvenient crossroads: fewer efforts are being made to recycle container glass at a time when certain producers are looking to increase the amount of glass packaging to allay consumer concerns about safety.

Glass is inert, which means that it can “contain” virtually anything without interacting with it. That makes it a good choice for packaging from a safety perspective. Glass is also infinitely recyclable; it can be reformed an endless number of times without any significant degradation in quality or safety.

Glass is also attractive from an ecological perspective: when recycled, it reduces the amount of energy required to reform it into a new container. When it is discarded, it does not interact with the environment in a negative way.

New studies show that even organic products can be a source of known endocrine disruptors like bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates because these products pick up chemicals from their plastic packaging. These and other chemicals may also be present in other materials that may come into contact with food – like countertops, for example.

This makes glass a highly desirable surface in the kitchen and bathroom. Additionally, glass is easy to clean and sanitize, and can stand up to most household cleaning agents.

If you’d like more information about incorporating glass into your kitchen, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, which is specially designed to bond with glass surfaces, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Scott Atwood, via Flickr.com

New glass could improve solar cell efficiency

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New glass could improve solar cell efficiency

New glass could improve solar cell efficiency

Researchers at ITMO University in St. Petersburg, Russia have developed a new glass that emits visible light when in the presence of ultraviolet radiation. UV radiation normally counteracts the performance of solar cells, and diminishes the practical lifetime of the cell.

Glass can convert UV radiation to visible light

This glass could intercept UV radiation and convert it to visible frequencies. The converted UV radiation could then actually improve the efficiency of the collector. Currently, solar collectors have variable efficiency ratings, but some collectors are only about 20% efficient. This glass could increase the efficiency of lower performing collectors by one-third.

According to the researchers, the glass is easy to produce. In addition to improving the performance of solar collectors, the glass could also extend the life of both solar cells and white LEDs.

White LEDs are currently made by coating blue LEDs with yellow phosphor. The yellow phosphor doesn’t age well, and often causes the LED to overheat. The significant rise in temperature destroys the phosphor layer and causes the LED to fail. This is particularly apparent in large LEDs – those used for public lighting on streets, airports and in stadiums.

Using the technology developed at ITMO University, photoluminescent particles can be embedded directly into glass. This improves both the durability and performance of large LED lights. Typically, large LED lights must be replaced every 6 months. This glass technology, which eliminates the LED’s main failure mode, could extend the life of LEDs to as much as 5 years.

Technological advances in glass and glass production can significantly enhance energy efficiency. Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be tinted to match virtually any major paint manufacturer’s paint palette. In addition, the paintprovides superior UV resistance without sacrificing performance.

If you’re looking for ways to control sunlight and reduce heat gain, please consider the advantages of Glassprimer™ glass paint. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory , via Flickr.com

Stained glass future in doubt

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Stained glass future in doubt

Stained glass future in doubt

Churches around the United States are finding themselves in a new battle – one that pits their cherished stained glass artwork against the environment. Stained glass suppliers and manufacturers are being limited by federal regulations governing lead and other heavy metal emissions from glass furnaces. That makes the future of stained glass uncertain. It also means that churches will have an increasingly difficult time getting stained glass windows made, repaired and replaced.

Stained glass cost may exceed market demand

The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering new regulations that will significantly limit the emissions from glass furnaces. Ordinary glass does not emit significant pollution, but colored glasses – many of which are made by combining metallic salts with raw materials for glass – can emit high levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, manganese, chromium, cobalt, copper, nickel and uranium.

While some of these metals are stable at room temperature, the glassmaking process heats the metals to the point of vaporization. Most of the vaporized metals are released into the furnace exhaust. Furnace exhaust can be filtered, but the filtration systems are extremely expensive, and beyond the budget of most glass producers.

In addition, current federal regulations provide exemptions for smaller glass furnaces, but new regulations would lower the filtration requirements. The required filtration systems would likely be too expensive for small glass furnaces. Stained glass windows are completely customized, and can exceed $20,000 apiece. The loss of smaller glass producers would likely increase the price of stained glass beyond the reach of most churches, and increase the amount of time required to fulfill stained glass orders.

One alternative to stained glass is painted glass. Painted glass windows can provide a similar effect to stained glass windows, but do not compromise the environment during production. In addition, painted glass windows are easier and less expensive to repair and maintain.

If you’d like more information about glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Sheta Chow , via Flickr.com

Iconic Glass Structures – Palm House, Kew Gardens

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Iconic Glass Structures – Palm House, Kew Gardens

Iconic Glass Structures – Palm House, Kew Gardens

In Southwest London, the iconic Kew Gardens houses the world’s most diverse collection of living plants – numbering about 30,000. The Herbarium at Kew Gardens contains about 7 million preserved plants. The on-site library contains about 750,000 volumes dedicated to plant studies. In 2003, Kew Gardens was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Palm House is glass, wrought iron

The Palm House is one of three major buildings on the grounds. It is a breathtaking glass structure made of wrought iron and glass. The building houses the Garden’s collection of palms. A second structure, twice the size of the Palm House, known as the Temperate House, is the largest glasshouse in the world. The third major structure in the Kew Gardens is the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which was opened in 1987. It houses plants from the dry and wet tropics.

Kew, which is an area that has been absorbed by London, has been the site of a royal residence since about 1300. The Kew Gardens were originally created in the late 1700’s by combining several royal residences. At that time, the Garden’s first curator was also appointed. The Gardens became a national botanical garden in 1840, shortly before the Palm House was built. The Palm House was constructed between 1844-1848 of wrought iron and glass. It is the largest surviving Victorian-era iron-and-glass structure in the world. The glass panes in the Palm House are all hand-blown. The original glass in the Palm House was tinted green to reduce the heat buildup in the building.

The Kew Gardens is one of London’s top tourist attractions. Annually, it welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors, and occupies about 300 acres.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialty glass coating product designed to bond permanently to glass. Glassprimer™ is low-odor, and comes in both oil- and water-based forms. If you’re looking for some glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Steve James , via Flickr.com

Glass insulation and new technologies

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Glass insulation and new technologies

Glass insulation and new technologies

Glass has been used in building windows for hundreds of years. Single pane windows were the standard for most of this time, but in the quest for better energy efficiency, double-pane and triple-pane windows have been brought to the market.

Research on glass insulation shows promise

Double pane windows have two sheets of glass with a single gap between them. The gap is often filled with an inert gas like argon, and tightly sealed. The gas increases the insulating value of the glass and helps reduce both energy costs and energy losses. Double-pane windows are readily available for both new construction and as replacement windows.

Under the assumption that two panes of glass are better than one, triple pane windows feature three panes of glass and two air gaps. As with double-pane windows, the gaps are filled with inert gas and tightly sealed to prevent leakage. Are triple-pane windows really better?

Triple-pane windows are heavier than their double-pane counterparts, but they’re about 20%-30% better insulators than their double-pane cousins. The weight of the window may not be of great concern, because once the window is installed, it’s weight isn’t really relevant. The added weight does increase the cost of transportation, however. The increased insulating value does have significant benefits. With regard to noise insulation, triple-pane glass doesn’t provide significantly better noise insulation that double pane glass does.

There is some industry research being conducted in Europe on the value of quadruple-pane glass windows. Quad-paned windows have four sheets of glass and three insulating spaces. Typically, the four sheets of glass have a single-sided anti-reflective coating, and the inner and outer panes are made of low-emissivity glass. These windows aren’t in production, but they’re being evaluated on a cost-benefit basis.

In addition to quadruple-pane glass windows, some research is being done on multi-pane thin glass that is vacuum sealed. The thin glass reduces the weight of the finished window, and the vacuum sealing helps improve the insulating value of the window. Building a thin-glass, vacuum sealed window is tricky, because the seals need to be robust enough to last over time. Experimental windows using vacuum-sealing haven’t proven to last very long, which makes them unlikely candidates for production.

Currently, triple-pane windows offer the best insulation properties of any window product on the market for residential applications. Glass with low-emissivity and anti-reflective coatings offers significant advantages in commercial applications.

One inexpensive option to reduce heat gain is glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is designed to bond permanently with glass, and can help reduce solar heat gain, while still permitting light transmission. Glassprimer™ glass paint also offers superior UV resistance, so it won’t chip, fade or peel, even in direct sunlight.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Raul Lieberwirth , via Flickr.com

Cardinal Glass To Build Advanced Glass Facility

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Cardinal Glass To Build Advanced Glass Facility

Cardinal Glass To Build Advanced Glass Facility

Cardinal Insulating Glass (Cardinal IG), a subsidiary of Cardinal Glass Industries, will build a 250,000 square foot advanced manufacturing facility in Buckman, AZ. Cardinal was founded in Minneapolis, MN in 1962, and has more than three dozen glass manufacturing facilities in the United States.

The Buckman facility will join other Cardinal IG manufacturing plants in Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The company’s research and development firm is located in Minneapolis.

As a company, Cardinal specializes in producing energy-efficient windows and doors for residential use. According to the company, energy savings from its annual production eliminates the need for 3.5 coal-fired power plants. Additionally, use of the company’s energy efficient glass products virtually neutralizes the company’s carbon footprint from manufacturing.

In addition to manufacturing low-e glass, the company also manufactures spacer systems for double-pane and triple-pane windows, gas-insulated windows and films designed to protect glass in transit. Additionally, the company manufactures coatings designed to reduce solar heat gain in buildings, decrease dirt accumulation on glass, and resist the impact of severe weather events like hurricanes.

Controlling heat gain in buildings (both residential and commercial) is critical to reducing energy consumption. Currently, residential construction is the single largest consumer of energy in the United States. To meet reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the need for additional power plants, residential consumers will be encouraged to reduce their energy consumption.

By installing energy efficient glass in windows and doors, and by making use of glass coatings to reduce solar heat gain, residential consumers can reduce their energy bills and make their homes more comfortable.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers superior UV resistance and performance when applied to glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially engineered to bond permanently to glass surfaces, and will not peel, chip or fade. Glassprimer™ glass paint can help reduce solar heat gain without significantly reducing transmissible light, and performs well in kitchens and bathrooms.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Stuart Rankik, via Flickr.com

Getting more privacy from glass

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Getting more privacy from glass

Getting more privacy from glass

There’s always that one space in your home that would benefit from a little privacy. It’s the room with the misplaced window, or the unattractive view of the street or the building next door. You like the natural light it provides – just not the view. There are ways to keep the light from this window without having to put up with its issues.

Close the window, keep the glass

Curtains, blinds and shades can take you only so far. Yes, they can disguise the view, but in doing so, they also take away the light. Unless you’re ok with that, you need a better solution for those times when you need or want daylight.

Frosted glass allows most visible light to pass, but eliminates the view either into or out of the room. Frosted glass is a great option for the bathroom or bedroom. It can also work for windows that have an unattractive view of the building next door. Here’s the rub. Frosted glass is expensive. Traditional frosted glass uses a chemical or mechanical process to abrade the surface of the glass. It’s a permanent solution, so once it’s installed, it’s yours.

You can create your own frosted glass using Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass surface, so just like frosted glass, it’s forever. You can apply Glassprimer™ glass paint directly to the glass, using a brush, roller or a high-volume, low pressure paint sprayer. Minimal surface preparation is required, and you can order Glassprimer™ glass paint in any color with a frosted effect.

The benefit of using Glassprimer™ glass paint is that unlike true frosted glass, you can get it in virtually any color. Frosted glass is – of course – “glass colored.” It’s made by modifying the surface of the glass, rather than applied as a coating. If you use Glassprimer™ glass paint, you can incorporate color into your decorating scheme. You can create a translucent effect on glass in a color scheme that matches your room décor for about $1 per square foot of coverage. White always works for the frosted effect, but if you’re going for something more, Glassprimer™ glass paint is your go-to option.

You can also use Glassprimer™ glass paint to dress up interior glass walls and partitions. Use it in conference rooms or offices to minimize distractions, control light and heat gain, and to perk up an otherwise plain space. The glass partition can still transmit visible light into the space, and you can control how much of the glass partition is coated.

If you’d like more glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jisc infonet, via Flickr.com

Construction spurs glass recycling discussion

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New construction makes extensive use of glass. For a variety of reasons, glass has become an attractive material for builders to use. But what happens to architectural glass when it is no longer used? In most cases, the glass ends up in the landfill. In an effort to change that, a few movements are underway to discuss commercial glass recycling.

Glass is infinitely recyclable. It can be remade into glass an unlimited number of times, often at lower cost. The glass recycling process takes less energy that the glass making process does, so the idea of commercial glass recycling is attractive.

Commercial glass recycling has significant benefits

The vast majority of commercial glass is currently installed. While window frames deteriorate, the glass inside of them doesn’t. Although this glass could be recycled, most building construction and destruction companies don’t know what to do with window glass. The glass that doesn’t end up in the landfill usually gets repurposed in paving aggregate, used in road construction and repair. While this re-use is better than consignment to the landfill, over the long run, it increases the cost of commercial glass because virtually all commercial glass is made from new materials.
Why isn’t commercial glass recycled more frequently? First, removing glass from a building that’s being torn down or remodeled is labor-intensive. Second, unlike scrap metal and other architectural materials that can be recovered at a profit, no one’s paying for used glass. Coupled together, removing commercial glass becomes a labor-intensive activity that while good for the environment, has no immediate payback for the company performing the work.

Some newer commercial glasses – especially low-emissivity glasses, laminated glasses and wired glasses – can’t simply be recycled as is. These glasses have been specially treated or formulated in ways that regular container glass and standard float glass haven’t been, and they can’t simply be combined together in the remanufacturing process.

One of the biggest obstacles to recycling glass from building sites is the fact that most contractors don’t know what to do with the glass, how to identify and sort it, and how to ensure that the glass gets into the hands of reprocessors.

A British firm is now doing research on the best ways to process and remanufacture commercial glass. The research is funded by a European project aimed at returning construction debris to raw materials economically. The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce carbon emissions, energy consumption and landfill usage.

If you’re looking for some glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Alexandre Dulaunoy, via Flickr.com

New glass coating could reduce energy use

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New glass coating could reduce energy use

New glass coating could reduce energy use

Scientists at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore have developed a glass coating that permits visible light but blocks 90% of near infrared lightwaves. If applied to architectural glass, the coating could reduce energy consumption by nearly eliminating solar heat gain. The glass coating could prove to be especially useful in countries near the equator, where air conditioning accounts for most of a building’s energy use.

Glass coating can be applied to existing windows

The coating consists of 10-nanometer antimony-doped tin oxide particles. In the lab, the researchers could control the near-infrared light absorption by varying the concentration of the antimony-doped particles. Antimony-doped nanoparticles are already in use, but the commercially available mixtures feature particles that are much larger. By reducing the size of the antimony nanoparticles, scientists were able to achieve near complete infrared rejection.

According to the agency, a local glass company is already interested in licensing the coating. According to the developers, it is also possible to apply the coatings to windows that are already installed.

Reducing solar heat gain is essential to reducing energy costs in buildings. Low-emissivity glass has been proven to perform, but it is expensive and supply issues have arisen globally. Glassprimer™ glass paint offers the ability to block invisible light waves, while permitting visible light. Glassprimer™ glass paint is an industry leader in coatings and can provide about 250 square feet of coverage for about $1 per square foot.

Glassprimer™ glass paint performs well, even in direct sunlight and high humidty. The paint is specially engineered to bond permanently with the glass surface. Once cured, the paint will not peel, chip or fade. When applied according to manufacturer instructions, the paint is waranted for 10 years. It can also be tinted to match the paint palette of virtually all major paint manufacturers. That means you can incorporate Glassprimer™ glass paint seamlessly into your decorating plan.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jes, via Flickr.com