Glossary
Glossary
Bevelled Glass
Flat glass where the edges, which usually meet at right angles, are cut away, producing a chamfered edge. This can be done for decorative effect and also to prevent chipping.
Bullions
Technically, the thickened point at which the blow pipe was attached to a piece of blown glass. Usually used interchangeably with 'pebbles'.
Dichroic Glass
Glass made with a thin layer of a metal oxide such as chromium, silicon, titanium, aluminium or zirconium depending on the colour wanted. Dichroic glass changes colour depending on whether it transmits or reflects light.
Float Glass
The primary industrial method for making flat glass, introduced by Pilkington Brothers in 1959. A continuous ribbon of molten glass from the furnace floats across a bath of molten tin under strictly controlled conditions and is then polished and annealed.
Fused Glass
Two or more pieces of stained glass placed either side by side or in layers, which are melted together.
Laminated Glass
Two layers of glass bonded together by a resin. Sometimes called "Safety Glass", it is resistant to breakage or shattering - and difficult to cut.
Lead
A heavy, soft, bluish-grey metal used to bind pieces of stained glass together into a window or panel.
Rolled Glass
Sheet glass made by positioning the hot glass between rollers, often imprinted with a pattern.
Sand-blasting
Subjecting the surface of the glass, often partly covered by a template, to a jet of air containing sand., crushed flint or powdered iron in order to etch a design or texture.