Learn how glass is made and some tips and tricks on how
to care for it properly
No other kind of factory looks like a glass plant. Huge bins called silos hold the raw materials for glassmaking. These materials are powders that look much alike but can produce greatly different results. Giant roof ventilators and huge stacks release the terrific heat required to melt these powders to a white-hot liquid. At the hot end of the plant are the furnaces.
The major ingredient for glassmaking is silica, in the form of sand. Only sand of exceptional purity can be used to make glass. If the sand contains a trace of iron, for instance, the glass made with it will have a greenish color. Even for ordinary window glass, sand must be better than 99 percent pure silica, perfectly white, and not too fine.
Mixing. The principal raw materials come to the glass plant in railroad cars and are stored in large silos. The materials are carefully weighed and mechanically mixed in the proper proportions. The mix of ingredients is called the batch. The manufacturer then adds cullet to the batch. Cullet is either recycled glass or waste glass from a previous melt of the same kind of glass. Adding cullet to the batch uses materials that otherwise would be wasted. It also reduces the amount of heat needed to melt the new batch of raw materials. Sometimes, glassmakers produce a new batch entirely from cullet. After mixing, the batch goes to the furnaces in batch cars, in hoppers, or on conveyor belts.
Melting. The mixture melts at 2600 to 2900 °F (1425 to 1600 °C), depending on its composition. In early times, the batch was melted in refractory pots (small clay pots) that were generally heated by wood fires. Special refractory pots today hold up to 3,000 pounds (1,400 kilograms) of glass. They are heated by gas or oil, and a single furnace may contain 6 to 12 pots. Small quantities of optical glass, art glass, and specialty glass still are made in refractory pots.
Larger quantities of glass are made in furnaces that are called day tanks because the process that goes on in them takes about 24 hours. The day tank is filled with raw materials, the glass is melted, and all the glass is used before the furnace is filled again. Day tanks can hold 1 to 4 tons (0.9 to 3.6 metric tons) of glass.
Most glass is melted in large furnaces called continuous tanks. The largest continuous tanks can melt 400 to 600 tons (360 to 540 metric tons) a day for production of flat glass. From 50 to 300 tons (45 to 270 metric tons) of container glass can be melted daily. Smaller continuous tanks are used to produce most other glass products. The operation is continuous. Raw materials are fed into the loading end as rapidly as molten glass is removed from the working end. Loading, melting, and working go on from when the fires are first lighted until they are extinguished at the end of a period called a campaign. A campaign may last as long as 10 years. The length of a campaign is almost always determined by the time it takes the refractory brick walls of the furnace to wear out from the constant heat and friction of the glass. How to Clean Your Shower
To receive years of beautiful service from your enclosure requires only a minimum of care and maintenance.
You should not use cleaners that might scratch your glass or do damage to the metal finish of your enclosure. Cleaners you
should NOT use include: Vinegar or vinegar-based cleaners, Abrasive powders,
and Steel or Teflon pads.
In looking for the best cleaners that’s also gentle on surfaces, BEMA ( The Bath Enclosure Manufacturers Association)
tested some of the most popular cleaners and found Comet Non-Abrasive Bathroom Cleaner to be the most effective while still
being gentle on the glass and metal surfaces of an enclosure.
Other good cleaners are: Klean & Shine, Glass Plus, Scratch Guard, and S.O.S.
Vinegar Glassworks.
Cleaners we strongly do not recommend: Lime-Away, Fantastik, Formula 409,
Tough Act, Tackle, and Dow Bathroom and Cleaner. Showerguard is a product that is applied
to the glass during it's manufacturing process. It seals the glass to prevent
build-up from continued shower use. Unlike spray-on or wipe-on treatments that eventually wear off, the protection provided
by ShowerGuard glass is part of the glass itself, so it never needs to be reapplied. With just a minimal amount of
cleaning, ShowerGuard glass will stay beautiful for years to come. How to Clean Your Mirrors
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Supplies:
The first supply needed in the cleaning of glass is, of course, the cleanser. There are a wide variety of off-the-shelf
cleansers to choose from. The simplest homemade recipe is 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water. A more complicated one is:
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˝ cup sudsy ammonia
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1 pint 70% isopropyl alcohol
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1 tablespoon dishwashing detergent
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1 gallon water
We have provided various methods for cleaning glass. Some are different from others and require
different tools. Here is a list of widely used supplies involved with cleaning glass. You can choose which tool and method
best suits you.
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clean cloths or sponge
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bucket
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squeegee
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rubber gloves
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1 capful of ammonia
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paper towels
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newspaper
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razor blade
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Methods:
You will clean mirrors in much the same way you will clean windows. But remember not to use heavy-duty, harsh solutions on
mirrors. Remember the three A's-Abrasives, Alkali, and Acids. Stay away from these…they are very harmful to mirrors. There
are reflective layers of tin, silver, and copper backed by a layer of paint that solvents can damage and corrode. Any other
commercial or household cleansers will do just fine. Mirrors have critical edges where "spillover" solutions attack the
backing at its most vulnerable point. You can protect the edges from "spillover" by applying the cleaning solution to the
cloth rather than the mirror. Once done cleaning, wipe the edges clean and dry off any "spillover" with a clean, dry cloth.
For any further information you may need, refer to ACI Distribution's Technical Bulletin Mirror Cleaning Instructions for
appropriate cleaning techniques.
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Tips and Tricks:
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In order to keep your mirrors streak-free, use some old newspapers. They leave no fuzzy lint and they add a polishing
effect.
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If using paper towels use a fresh one for each portion of the glass.
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Sometimes you will find sticky residue or thick spots that won't come off. Take a sharpened razor blade between your
forefinger and thumb pressing it firmly down on the glass at roughly 180 degrees. Scrape it along the glass through the
spots and residue. They will peel right off without any scratches on the glass.
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When preparing a washing solution, use as little soap as possible to avoid streaking.
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For hard-to-reach mirrors, you can purchase squeegee extension poles at your local hardware store specifically made for
washing mirrors.
