7 Things You Didn’t Know About Glass

1. Glass was not originally man made

• When lighting makes contact with sand, the high temperatures melt the sand to form glass.
• When Lava or Volcanos heat up it forms Obsidian, another form of glass which is dark and naturally occurring

2. Man has been making glass for a long time

• Findings from Egypt and Mesopotamia are the oldest manmade glass dating as far back as 3500BC!
• Telescope and Microscope lenses were originally made in the Netherlands 1590AD

3. Glass can be recycled and reused without losing any purity

• Recycled glass conserves anywhere from 5% up to 30% energy compared to making glass from scratch
• Recycled Glass keeps high amounts of Carbon Dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere during the process

• Bottles and Jars made of glass contain up to 25% of recycled glass
• Recycled glass is sorted by color to keep up with bottle “Color Standards”

4. Fiberglass is glass which is pulled into threads and then woven into fiberglass

• Fiberglass is used to control temperature and for insulation in homes all around the globe.

5. Glass can be made into stronger or weaker forms of glass

• Tempered Glass goes through thermal and chemical treatments to be made into stronger glass
• Tempered Glass does not break into large pieces but rather breaks into many small fragments
• Windshield glass is tempered glass with a laminate holding it together so it doesn’t fall apart when shattered or broken

6. Glass can be Carved, Sandblasted, Fused, Slumped, Casted, Melted and even Sculpted

• Some common technologies to form glass include Thermoforming, Laminated Glass, Glass bending, and UV Bonding

7. Glass can be Opaque, Translucent, Back painted, Rusted, and treated with Special color treatment

Glass is a versatile material which has many uses in today’s society, from windshields to light bulbs, most need or use glass on a daily basis without even knowing it. Here at CGD we work with glass every day and specialize in thermoforming glass countertops & other forms of architectural and decorative glass. We have been doing so for over a decade with love and care. We put our full effort on every piece of glass we produce and have picked up many glass techniques and technologies to give us everything we need to create your unique piece of for your home or workplace!