source for float glass

[ironman55]

What is a good source for float glass? Do you use new or salvaged glass? Anyone tried using cullet in tack fusing projects?
Thanks, Joe

[Brad Walker]

A good source depends on the quantity you're buying. For small quantities, try a local glass shop. For larger quantities (skids!), you can buy direct from a distributor.

Lots of sources for used/recycled float, starting with used office furniture places (glass shelves), cutoffs from places like Home Depot/Lowes & picture framing shops (they sometimes give them away), old houses, dumpster diving, etc.

If you tack fuse glass pieces on another piece that's not from the same sheet, you'll probably have a compatibility problem. Not all float glass is the same COE.

[charlie]

yard sales. think chipped dining room or living room tabletops. i've gotten pieces up to 1.5" thick for a few dollars.

[Peter McCarthy]

When you buy used float, be sure to bring your polarizing filters. You want to know whether the glass is tempered before you buy it.

[SGS]

Freecycle and craigslist -- I've gotten lots of glass from freecycle (check for your local one at freecycle.org)

[Morganica]

Cullet would be interesting in a tack-fuse; haven't tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Thing to remember is that cullet is thickish, so two pieces of cullet together are going to make for a fairly long anneal schedule.

My best sources for float are usually salvage or commercial resale places. In our town we have several that buy up the fixtures when restaurants and retail establishments remodel or close. They usually get a lot of damaged glass shelves and doors in with the good stuff, so if you become a regular at such places you can usually learn when they ship stuff off for recycling. I pick up cracked or chipped float shelves for around 50 cents to $1 each (or if they're really loaded with them and I'm prepared to take a truckload, I can get them for free. Typically it's quarter-inch (6mm), but I've gotten as thick as 3.5 inches from these places.

The polarizing filters are useful, but when you're salvaging glass shelves, tempered glass is pretty obvious: If a shelf is chipped or cracked, it's not tempered. If I see an unblemished shelf I'll sometimes check it with the polarizer, but it's easy to untemper it in the kiln so I usually don't bother. Besides, tempered glass crumbles can make some gorgeous stuff.

[jolly]

I live in a small town and I have gotten to know some of the local contractors. I have a small trailer and an A frame that I can put in it to carry glass. The contractor calls me when they are taking out a bunch of windows and I park my trailer where they want it. They call me when they are done loading. Believe me, they love not having to spend time dumping it or paying the dump fee.