ZENITH SAFETY GLASS CO

Designer Glasses

A variety of different decorative effects can be
applied to Designer Glasses.

We offer over various types of textured clear and jewel tone glass. Most patterns can be tempered, laminated, or insulated. Heavy patterns can be used for office partitions, office doors, frameless showers, and other architectural applications while the lighter glass is typically used in cabinet doors or for privacy purposes. We are constantly adding new inventory with a concentration on heavy pattern glass for architectural applications.

Decorative mirrors

A variety of different decorative effects can be
applied to Decorative Mirrors.

Framed wall mirrors are widely available. Most commonly, frames are made of wood; however, elaborate wall mirrors can be framed in cowhide, mother of pearl, turquoise, or other exotic materials. Framed mirrors give the impression of being larger than they are. The price of framed wall mirrors varies according to size and frame quality. Custom-made mirrors are more costly due to the labor involved.

When choosing a framed wall mirror, the framing should be complimentary to other accessories in the room. For example, in a room containing bold or sturdy furniture, choose a mirror that has a heavy type frame. Painting wood framed mirrors the same color as the walls can create the impression of a larger space. Carved mirrors, a type of framed wall mirror, add visual interest to a room. Some wooden framed mirrors feature unique, intricate carvings or are carved into contemporary shapes.

Beveled, or angled, edges on wall mirrors provide a sleek image. Some beveled mirrors are frameless, while others have frames with beveled edges. Unlike a mirror with a frame or molding, a frameless beveled edge provides a reflective surface to the entire mirror. The beveled edges act as prisms and create color-intensive reflections of light. Beveled edge frames tend to be more costly than framed mirrors. Kits are available to add a bevel mirror overlay to dress up a simple mirror.

Acid Etching Glass

Acid Etching Glass

A Acid etching is a process that uses a strong acid to cut into another substance. It is used for both industrial and artistic purposes. For example, etching can be used to prepare flooring like cement for painting or refinishing, while artists use it to create detailed pictures on metal or glass.

Acid Etching process can create glass etchings as well. A "resist," usually made of wax, or a similar sticky substance, is placed on the glass where the natural color is to remain. The glass is then dipped into a hydrofluoric acid bath, after which the resist is removed and the etched image will be visible. This process is extremely dangerous, however, so the average home craft enthusiast will often choose a much safer etching cream for small home projects on glass. A stencil is placed on the glass and etching cream is wiped over the stencil leaving behind a cloudy pattern. Although they are sometimes confused for acid etchers, these etching creams do not eat into the glass for a permanent etch like hydrofluoric acid does.

Etched Glass

Etched Glass

Etched glass is the result of intentional and often artistic carving of the surface of glass to leave a white, frosted finish. This technique is used to create designs on the glass. Etched glass can be found in a wide variety of decorative contexts, including glass doors and windows, furniture, wine bottles, and serving dishes such as glass platters. The skill of the artisan etching the glass will determine the quality and detail of the resulting piece.

There are three ways to create a piece of etched glass: sandblasting, chemical etching, and acid etching. Sandblasting is the act of shooting an abrasive material, such as sand, at a piece of glass. The abrasive scratches the glass surface, creating the frosted look. Sand, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide, are all used as abrasives, however care needs to be taken when sandblasting. Inhaling dust caused by etching is dangerous. Sand dust especially is unsafe to breathe and can cause a potentially fatal lung disease called silicosis.

Etched glass is created by cutting a design stencil that is made of an abrasive resistant material, such as vinyl or rubber. The resulting stencil is called a resist. The resist is then secured onto the glass to be etched. A blaster gun, powered by an air compressor, is used to bombard the glass with the abrasive. Every part of the glass that is not covered by the resist will take the frosted effect while the parts protected by the resist will remain clear, thus producing a piece of etched glass.

Sand Blasted Frosted Glass

Sand Blasted Frosted Glass

The architectural use of sandblasted glass can enhance the overall look of homes, offices and stores. Sandblasting is a type of glass etching that uses sand propelled by steam or air. Synthetic particles or small pieces of coconut shell are sometimes used instead of sand in sandblasting applications. Dividers, doors and shower surrounds are some of the most popular architectural uses of sandblasted glass.

Sandblasting effects on shower doors can create wonderfully frosted looks to compliment the appearance of any bathroom. Typical sandblasted shower surround designs include waves or horizontal lines, but some designs are more ornate such as pictorial sea life scenes. Sandblasted glass panels on front doors are popular and can really add elegance to the front door of a home. Commercial storefronts and doors may feature sandblasted company logos and business names.

Stained Glass

Stained Glass gives beauty
and elegance in architecture.

Stained glass is an art

Stained glass is an art form in which colored glass is cut into shapes and placed into a mosaic to form a picture. The glass is held in place by metal strips soldered together to gives the stained glass strength and stability.

widely used in windows

Stained glass is most commonly seen in church windows, where it typically depicts saints or scenes from the Bible, but stained glass windows do not necessarily have to depict a scene at all. They can simply be a brightly colored geometric design. The famous Rose Window of Notre Dame is made up of many small pictures that together form a geometric pattern, which creates the overall impression - one must study the window in detail to see that it is indeed a collection of small pictures. The Rose Window's name refers not to the scenes themselves but to the wooden or stone structure that supports the glass, which is radial and composed of many small, petal-like openings into which the glass is set. Often, fine details of the scene are painted on the colored glass, which is then heated to bond the paint to the glass, and thereby 'stained'.

Fused Glass

Fused glass, also known as
warm glass or kiln-formed glass

Fused glass, also known as warm glass or kiln-formed glass, is made when two separate pieces of glass are heated in a kiln until they melt, or fuse, together into a single piece. Typically, fusing refers to any glass that has been worked in a kiln. The process by which fused glass is cooled at a controlled rate is called annealing. Through the process of annealing, the molecules in the glass are aligned, thereby reducing residual stress and making the fused piece stronger than most drinking glasses.

When fusing two pieces of glass together, it is important that each piece shares the same coefficient of expansion (COE). Glass expands as it is heated, but not all glass expands the same amount. The COE is a measurement of the rate at which a particular piece of glass expands. If two pieces of glass with different COEs are fused, the resulting fused glass piece will crack as it cools.

Fused glass can be fired at three different temperature ranges to yield different effects. Slumping refers to the process of firing glass at lower temperatures — between 1,099° to 1,251° F (593° to 677° C). This process is used to shape already fused glass over a mold.

Fused glass finishing techniques include fire polishing, combing, and kiln casting. To fire polish a piece of fused glass, the edges of the piece are heated until they become rounded and smooth. Dragging a raking tool across the surface of a heated piece of glass adds surface texture and is called combing. Kiln casting involved fusing several small bits of glass, or frit, together inside a clay or stainless steel mold.

Enamelled Glass

The use of Enamels became widespread,
replacing the old methods of coloring 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.

Application:

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.