Buying float glass

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Lonman
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Buying float glass

Post by Lonman »

Can anyone tell me where to buy float glass? And I have been told that there is frit for float glass. Is this correct?

Thanks
Lonman :shock:
Kitty
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Location: Gig Harbor, WA

Post by Kitty »

C&R Loo has float frit. you'll have to test it with whatever float you buy, i think, to see if compatibility is OK. i get my float from the building supply business in my town.
Anea
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Post by Anea »

CR&Loo also carries larger sheets of float relatively cheap. Check with your local glass shop, the place that sells shower doors and windows. They often sell float very cheap in nice big sheets, and will cut it down for you. Many will also give you scraps for free.

Have fun!!

Aimee
aka
Anea :lol:
Peg
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Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 7:50 am
Location: Bristol, UK

Post by Peg »

Bohle (in Germany and most of Europe) do a range of frits for float. See:-

http://www.bohle.de/scripts/mgrqispi.dl ... TS=-N2,-N2

I don't think they cover the US, but they have a brilliant on-line order and delivery service in the UK.
Bert Weiss
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Re: Buying float glass

Post by Bert Weiss »

Lonman wrote:Can anyone tell me where to buy float glass? And I have been told that there is frit for float glass. Is this correct?

Thanks
Lonman :shock:
I use Ferro Sunshine enamels on float glass. See the archives for lots of info about them. I'm teaching a 3 day class before the WGWE conference on painting on glass for painters using these enamels.

Buy float glass from your neighborhood window glass shop. It comes in lots of thicknesses and is always compatible with itself. That is, you can always fuse glass together that is from the same sheet or the same case. Beyond that you have to test.

I buy my glass in 2 ton cases and pay about 1/5 of what my neighborhood store charges to contractors. Their thinking is that when breaking down a sheet, 1/2 is waste so that accounts for 400% then they add a little more.

Buying whole or split sheets is often a way to lower your costs. So is using salvage. When you cover the surface with frit, you can hide scratches and stuff.
Bert

Bert Weiss Art Glass*
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Lighting Sculpture Tableware
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BobB

float glass?

Post by BobB »

Are there any guidelines for buying float glass from a local hardware store? Can common window pane glass be used? What thickness is the best to work with? If I walk into a glass store and ask for float glass for fusing will they look at me like I'm from another planet?
So many questions............ :roll:
Ron Coleman
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Location: Columbus, Ohio USA

Re: float glass?

Post by Ron Coleman »

BobB wrote:Are there any guidelines for buying float glass from a local hardware store? Can common window pane glass be used? What thickness is the best to work with? If I walk into a glass store and ask for float glass for fusing will they look at me like I'm from another planet?
So many questions............ :roll:
Good old window glass is float glass. What ever size you buy, get enough from the same sheet to make your project. Glass from different sheets may not be compatible. Lots of room for testing.

They won't know anything about glass fusing. What they have is what you get. No special kind for fusing. It's up to you to do the learning about fusing with float. Not a big deal but a little different that regular fusible glass. Devit can be a problem, use overspray. The tin side can be a problem, use a UV lamp to find it and fire it down or inside. Check archives for more on the UV lamps. The old archives has tons on float glass.

The only options are thickness, single strength, double strength, and 1/4" are fairly standard.

Ron
Bert Weiss
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Re: float glass?

Post by Bert Weiss »

BobB wrote:Are there any guidelines for buying float glass from a local hardware store? Can common window pane glass be used? What thickness is the best to work with? If I walk into a glass store and ask for float glass for fusing will they look at me like I'm from another planet?
So many questions............ :roll:
I have seen single strength window glass for sale, in a hardware store, in relatively small pieces, for $10 per square foot. I nearly chocked. I used to buy handblown antiques for less. Your neighborhood window glass store should be less expensive than the hardware store.

Your local store doesn't know about fusing. That is of no concern to you.

As to what thickness to use, it is my experience that 3/8" and thicker do not devit but 1/4" and thinner do. You also want to know which side traveled through the float line up and down. If you are looking at a sheet in a factory case that has never been removed, there is a tag on the side of the case telling which side is the air side. That is the side that the cutter runs across when the sheet comes off the line. If you don't have the luxury of knowing how the sheet came out of the case, you need a short wave UV light with a purple filter, which costs around $40. These lights are used by rock hounds to look at minerals. The tin coating will flouresce white when the UV light is shined on it.

As to thickness, my advice is to get it as thick as you can. Thin glass breaks easily. I can jump up and down on my bent heavy glass. I use 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" in my work, but my glass of choice is 10mm (3/8").
Bert

Bert Weiss Art Glass*
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John

Post by John »

your local glass supplier is the man to see. 98% of all window glass is now float. I am using float for sand slumping and most of the float i use id Ashai Float (chinees) and it slumps well. most of the Pilkington and Saint Gobain are extremly good. ned a nice glossy surface? Tin side down is the way to go. Like Bert said, UV light. I use a germicidal UV light the light is a lot purer than the purple UV. But don't look at the light, it's not good for you. 6mm, 10mm, 12mm and 15mm are my prefered thicknesses.
John
Bert Weiss
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Post by Bert Weiss »

John wrote:your local glass supplier is the man to see. 98% of all window glass is now float. I am using float for sand slumping and most of the float i use id Ashai Float (chinees) and it slumps well. most of the Pilkington and Saint Gobain are extremly good. ned a nice glossy surface? Tin side down is the way to go. Like Bert said, UV light. I use a germicidal UV light the light is a lot purer than the purple UV. But don't look at the light, it's not good for you. 6mm, 10mm, 12mm and 15mm are my prefered thicknesses.
John
John

My UV flashlight fell apart. I kept the germicidal bulb and the purple filter. I put the bulb in a Fluorescent flashlight that holds the same size bulbs. When I look at the glass with just the germicidal light, I can detect nothing. WHen I add the purple filter, I get the white glow. Some day soon I will break down and buy another UVP flashlight.

I'm curious, does your 6 mm glass devit? I am under the impression that the thickness of the glass is the deciding factor about tendency to devit. My 10mm and 12mm can devit, but if you follow the basic cleanliness rules, they come out shiny. My 6mm is fine under 1300. but over 1300 it devits unless sprayed with Borax.
Bert

Bert Weiss Art Glass*
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Lighting Sculpture Tableware
Architectural Commissions
John

Post by John »

Bert,
I have used a 300mm 8 watt "Thorn bikini mini fuorescent lamp" it is like the ones you see in campers above the kitchenette. it comes with a tube (fluro) and has a neat little cover over the tube, also a on/off switch. G&E make a similar one but it is more expensive. Take the cover off and drill a 20mm hole about 50-60mm in from the edge through the top of the cover. this cover usually is obscured or frosted. Drilling the hole gives you the pure light but also blocking some UV rays with the frosted cover. I have put black contact over the rest of the lamp cover which intensfies the light through the hole. Also i have even less harmful UV's tring to eat me.( no need for 1500 c sun block) Put the lamp up to the glass so that the hole is on the glass about 10mm from the edge on the surface, look through the edge, tin side has a clear white spot from the lamp, non tin side is hazy and dull.

As for devit, I have just commissioned my kiln and a lot of testing is under way. i have got rid of the devit on the surface but i am still getting devit on the edges. the edges have rolled nicely, but lacking that great see through fire polish i desire.
temps are;
3 hrs to 620
fast to 750
1 hr hold at 750
off.
these are a guide that has been given to me so i am playing around there.
sorry about the metric system

John
rosanna gusler
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Post by rosanna gusler »

hi john, i have been having some problems with edges as well. not devit so much as little fissures or cracks on fuse. i wet sand these out for the slump and the edges fire polish out nicely. i did have devit problems and got rid of those by religiously cleaning the cut edge. you would think that it was clean, being just cut but i think that running the score sucks your oil into it . i also now hit all square or other sharp corners with a diamond pad to ease them just a little and they round much more nicely. i fuse at 1535f. we need a c:f converter on site somewhere. rosanna
Bonita (Nita) Crawford
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Montgomery, AL

Post by Bonita (Nita) Crawford »

Hi, Friends,
I found out years ago that all float is not the same. Frit from one sheet
may not work with another sheet. I solved my problem by buying a
two ton case of Russian Blue float glass - crystal clear, no devit, and
it doesn't matter which side is fused up.

Because of worry about COE problems, I make my own frit and sift
it through a series of various sized sifters my roommate (husband!)
made for me.

Since I had bought it from my old teacher several years ago and he
is now dead, no one , including his widow, knows where to get more.
He kept names, addresses, and other facts in his head even in his 80s.
This glass reminds me of the lost chord - or last shard. Are we allowed to make puns on this Board?

One man tried to sell me glass from an old church - large panes, thick,very dirty, rather pricy. Fortunately, there were some broken
pieces lying around and he let me take them home for testing. No matter
how long I soaked the glass or how hot I got the temp., it would not
slump. Needless to say, I didn't buy the glass.

Warmly,
Nita
Bert Weiss
Posts: 2339
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 12:06 am
Location: Chatham NH
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Post by Bert Weiss »

Bonita (Nita) Crawford wrote:Hi, Friends,
I found out years ago that all float is not the same. Frit from one sheet
may not work with another sheet. I solved my problem by buying a
two ton case of Russian Blue float glass - crystal clear, no devit, and
it doesn't matter which side is fused up.

Because of worry about COE problems, I make my own frit and sift
it through a series of various sized sifters my roommate (husband!)
made for me.

Since I had bought it from my old teacher several years ago and he
is now dead, no one , including his widow, knows where to get more.
He kept names, addresses, and other facts in his head even in his 80s.
This glass reminds me of the lost chord - or last shard. Are we allowed to make puns on this Board?

One man tried to sell me glass from an old church - large panes, thick,very dirty, rather pricy. Fortunately, there were some broken
pieces lying around and he let me take them home for testing. No matter
how long I soaked the glass or how hot I got the temp., it would not
slump. Needless to say, I didn't buy the glass.

Warmly,
Nita
Nita

I love my 2 ton cases. That is the way to go if you can deal with paying for it and storing it. I had a deal where I bought 4 cases of 1/2" float made in Indonesia from a salvage company. I paid less than a buck a square foot and it is almost gone. The cases had been stored outdoors for 10 years before I got it. I had to hire a boom truck to get it and deliver it to my yard. The mahogany cases were getting rotten so we had to pick them up with slings under the case. This glass was very devit resistant and nice to work with.

I was very fortunate to get my hands on 3 sets of steel A frames designed to hole these cases. They used to come with the cases of glass from the wholesaler, but have been discontinued for many years.
Bert

Bert Weiss Art Glass*
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Lighting Sculpture Tableware
Architectural Commissions
Bonita (Nita) Crawford
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Montgomery, AL

Post by Bonita (Nita) Crawford »

Bert, I love the two ton case, also. It was delivered to the wrong
address so Bill rented a fork lift, boom truck, or whatever it was he
needed and drove across our town veerry slowly. The glass was in
its original crate (still is) with each sheet separated with a good grade
of paper. Fortunately, no water has gotten to it so the sheets are easy
to separate.

I believe it was something like 75 cents a square foot delivered to our
town. It's a joy to cut, too. Wish I could find another source for it.

Have a great day. I check your website occasionally to see if you
have added more wonderful glass. Your glass art is amazing, and I am
convinced there is no project too large for you to tackle.

Warmly,
Nita
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