Satin Glass

Satin glass was first made as decorative pressed glass in England and the United States during the 1880s. Satin glass is similar to milk glass in that it is opaque, and has decorative surface patterns moulded into it; however, satin glass has a satin, rather than glossy surface.

Satin glass is typically tinted with a pastel color, blue being the most common. Satin glass is also used to impart privacy where full transparency of glass is undesirable. Satin glass arouses a lot of interest through its unusual feel and appearance.

Satin glass is nothing but any glass that has been chemically treated to give it a satin finish. Satin Glass is made by treating finished glass products with hydrofluoric acid to remove the shine. Normally clear glass is dipped into hydrofluoric acid, which eats away the shine and dulls the surface. The finish itself is both visible and most certainly recognizable by the touch. The term "satin glass" is frequently used to refer to a collectible type of pressed glass.

Satin Glass looks sandblasted but is actually acid-etched. It reveals finger prints less than real sandblasted glass. In certain varieties of satin glass such as “Clear Shield” or “Diamond Fusion”, finger prints are even less visible.

Good pieces of satin glass feel actually like a piece of fine satin cloth. The translucent quality of satin glass make it especially desirable for use in lampshades; a form of satin glass still has a universal practical use in “pearl” or frosted light bulbs. Satin glass is typically used as art glass in windows or doors.

Fire Safety: Is Your Glass Fire Resistant? Another Wake-up Call

Yet another fire accident, still a lot left to chance rather than appropriate safety measures. The fire that broke out on Tuesday morning in the cafeteria of the Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS) office at Kolkata once again drove home this point. An apparent gas leak is said to have started the fire, injuring two cooks and causing considerable damage to assets.

Police said gas that leaked from a cylinder caused the fire at around 9.40 am when one of the cooks, Chandrasekhar, was apparently pushing the cylinder below the kitchen table. Both burners of the oven had already been lit. With the regulator removed and gas leaking freely, the flames spread from the burners in a flash, injuring Chandrasekhar.

The obvious learning is that gas cylinders must never be handled carelessly. A suspended regulator is a recipe for disaster. Apart from this, measures to control and restrict fire in case it breaks out must also be taken.

Extinguishing is usually the reactive action that is deployed in case of a fire accident. But insulation could be the smarter thing to do. Different kinds of fire-resistant substances are abundantly available, but if aesthetics, visibility as well as fire security are to be taken care of, then fire-proof glass would be the ideal solution. With functionalities such as cutting out the fire itself, smoke, gases and even radiant heat, fire resistant glass has almost no equivalent substitute.

The usage of the right type of glass could be a life-saver too. For instance, fortunately wired glass (glass laced with very sharp and fine strands of steel) had not been used to glaze the kitchen exteriors. Had that been the case, rescue teams would have found it extremely difficult to enter the premises.

Be it the use of a fire-resistant glass or some other fire-retardation substance, the point is that fire safety is not an option and that we need to wake up to it, and soon.

Enamelled Glass

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the use of enamels became widespread, replacing the old methods of coloring glass - pot metal, flashing, and staining. Colored enamels seldom have the brilliance of pot-metal glass but can take on a rich translucence when carefully applied. Enamels are compounds of ground glass and oxides that become fairly transparent when heated and fused to clear or white glass.


Enamels are soft powdered coloured glass that are mixed with a medium and painted onto the glass with a brush. Deposits of special mineral pigments on the glass surface which vitrify at the annealing or tempering temperatures are stable, non-biodegradable deposits, and can be produced in one or more colours, and in different figures (tips, letters, and pads). When the medium is dry, the glass is placed in a kiln for firing.

Enamelled glass is tempered or heat-strengthened glass, one face of which is covered, either partially or totally, with mineral pigments. In addition to its decorative function, enamelled glass is also a solar ray controller.

Manufacturing Process

Glass is covered by some metallic oxide, and rendered opaque by the presence of arsenic trioxide, or an equally fusible transparent glass, mixed with some opaque infusible powder. It is always applied as a pigment, and is fixed to the glass background by heat. It is essentially a glass, and by heat should become partially incorporated with the glass upon which it is painted.

Applications

Enamelled glass can be used both internally and externally. Externally it can be used for overhead glazing such as in canopies. Internally it can be used for wall cladding and furniture and is particularly useful where resistance to humidity is required. Enamelled glass is used for glazing and for cladding in facades and roofs. Enamelled glass is also used in insulated spandrels or cladding panels in non-vision areas for an aesthetically clean appearance. It can be assembled into laminated glass or glazed insulation.