| Acid
etched |
Glass
(usually flashed, see definition below) that
has had a layer eaten
away by hydrofluoric acid.
This leaves a matte finish and
usually a lighter color.
|
| Annealed |
Glass
that has been cooled slowly,
resulting in a soft glass that is
easy to cut. Opposite of
Tempered. |
| Antique |
Glass made by the “antique” method,
namely by an artisan blowing a glass bubble that is formed into a cylinder,
cooled, cut open, and then flattened in a reheat oven.
This glass is characterized by variations in thickness that gives the
glass a gradient in color across each sheet. It usually also has some small air
bubbles and/or variations in the refractive index that produce slight prismatic
effects. |
| Architectural |
Glass
designed to become part of a building's structure. This term is used
when the architect specifies the glass as part of the architectural
design. |
| Art |
A generic category that covers all
artistic uses of glass as contrasted with functional use. Typical art glass
types are stained glass, carved glass, fused glass, lamp-worked glass. |
| Artique |
An
imitation of antique glass made by
Spectrum Glass Company. The
fine lines from a change of
density in antique glass are
molded into the surface of this
glass giving a similar
effect in a machine-rolled
glass at lower cost than true
antique blown glass. |
| Backing |
A
thin piece of glass
used to hold together broken
fragments of old glass by adhering
to them (usually with silicone or
epoxy).
|
| Backlighting |
A
method of using artificial light
to illuminate stained glass not
illuminated by sunlight.
|
| Baroque |
An
artistic style of stained glass
characterized by the use of curved
lines and extravagant
ornamentation.
|
| Bent |
Glass that has been bent by heating and , usually, forming it
over a curved mold.
|
| Beveled |
Glass
that has the edge cut off at an angle. This
bends the light and produces a prismatic effect.
The width of the bevel can vary but
½” is the most common width. The
bevel is made by grinding off the edge of flat
glass. Straight-edged
bevels are made by multiple machine
grinding steps while curved
edge bevels must be made by hand.
|
| Blown |
Glass made from blowing a glass bubble on the end of a hollow tube.
An artisan may then shape it by spinning, rolling and pinching with
iron tools to make a vase, bottle, glass or other object.
Alternatively, the bubble may be placed into a hollow mold and
further blown until it expands into all of the details of the mold. |
| Border |
A
band of glass that
surrounds the main work in a
window. It's purpose is to frame
but also to allow removal of a
non-essential area to adjust the fit of the stained
glass to the window. It is
often made of strips, geometric,
or plant shapes.
|
| Bottle |
Sheet glass that is cut
from the four sides of a glass
bottle that was blown into a
square mold. It has been
replaced by the cylinder-blowing
method described under
"Antique."
|
| Carved |
Glass
with the appearance of a three-dimensional sculpture imprisoned
within the glass. This is
achieved by etching the glass to varying depths. |
| Cast |
Glass
made by pouring molten glass into a mold. |
| Cathedral |
Transparent glass of uniform thickness made by squeezing molten
glass between rollers. The
color is uniform across the piece of glass (no color gradient). Usually
one roller is smooth and the other textured, which gives texture to the
glass. (See “Hammered” below for one of the more popular
textures). |
| Copper-foiled |
Copper-foil
is a method for making 2 or 3-dimensional objects from small pieces of
colored glass. Very thin
strips of copper foil are wrapped around the edges of each piece of glass. The pieces are positioned into the desired shape or design
and then soldered together. The
copper foil is completely hidden underneath the solder, which is usually
blackened by application of a patina-forming chemical.
Stained glass lamps of all shapes are made by this method. |
| Crackle |
Glass
made by dipping a molten cylinder
into water. The exterior of
the cylinder cracks but the molten
interior holds it together.
The cylinder is sliced down the
side and flattened. There
are now imitation crackle textures
rolled into glass. |
| Crown |
Glass that is rotated as
it is blown, thereby creating a
disk shape with a knob, or crown,
in the center.
Same as Roundel.
|
| Cut |
Sculptural glass (three-dimensional, like a vase or goblet) that
has designs cut into the glass with a copper wheel. |
| Curious |
Glass
that did not meet the manufacturer's
specifications (in other words,
"rejects"). Mostly
this glass is very unusual,
unpredictable, sometimes beautiful
and sometimes ugly. |
| Cylinder
|
Most
common type of blown glass. The
glass bubble is blown into a
cylinder, the ends cut off, the
cylinder split along its length,
and then unrolled into a flat
sheet.
|
| Dalle
de Verre |
“Slab
of glass” (translation from the French) is a
cast chunk of glass approximately 1” x 10”
x 8” that is used to
make “faceted” glass windows (see “Faceted”). |
| Dichroic |
Glass
which has a thin metal film vaporized onto its surface. The glass
transmits one color and reflects a different color.
Each manufacturer offers about a dozen
different color combinations. |
| Drapery |
Glass
with varying thickness and
irregular ripples. It is
made by pushing a hot sheet of
glass across a tabletop into folds
resembling fabric drapery.
|
| Enameled |
Glass
design made by melting enamels on
the surface of the glass.
|
| Encapsulated |
Glass
which has been sealed inside a
"sandwich" of two sheets
of clear glass. Commercial
beveled glass doors have
encapsulated glass because some
building codes (e.g. in
hurricane-prone Florida) require
it. |
| Etched |
Glass
with some of the surface removed by either a chemical or by sandblasting.
This gives the glass a white or gray
diffused reflective surface.
|
| Faceted |
Slab
glass that has been chipped on the edges to cause thin flakes of glass to
break off the flat surfaces. Pieces
of this type of glass are set into an
epoxy or concrete mixture to produce
large architectural window-walls. The fractured edges ("facets")
cause the light to bend and refract (break into a rainbow of colors). |
| Favrile |
Type
of glass produced by Louis Comfort
Tiffany that is opalescent with a
coppery metallic coating. Note:
Starting in
1892, Tiffany called his glassware
"Fabrile", supposedly,
derived from the old English,
meaning "hand-made".
"Fabrile" evolved into
"Favrile", which he
trademarked on November 13, 1894.
He used this word to apply to all
of his glass, enamel, and pottery.) |
| Fired |
Heated to a critical temperature in a kiln.
The temperature depends on the glass and the desired effect.
Painting becomes part of the glass about 1200 degrees F.
Glass will slump or fuse (see
definitions) at higher temperatures. |
| Flashed |
The
glass has a thin coating of a
second color of glass processed
onto the base glass. For
example, most antique reds are
made of clear glass with a very
thin layer of intense red
glass. |
| Flat |
Glass
art that has minimal thickness.
The glass has NOT been worked into a three dimensional shape by
being bent or fused or otherwise assembled or distorted.
|
| Float |
Glass
that is made by floating molten glass on a bed of mercury.
This makes an extremely smooth and flat surface. |
| Fluted |
Glass
that has evenly spaced flutes
running parallel to each other. |
| Fused |
Two
or more pieces of glass that have
been melted together to form one piece. |
| Globs |
Non-uniform
round or oval smooth "puddles" of glass with one flat rough side
formed by dripping glass onto a table. |
| Glue-chip |
Glass
that is covered with an animal
glue and then dried in an
oven. The glue shrinks and pulls chips out of the glass
surface leaving a delicate,
random, feathery, fern-like
texture. This process can be
repeated for a denser "double
chip" appearance. |
| Grisaille |
Black
or brown fusible paint used for
shading on glass. Grisaille glass
is glass that has been painted and
fired. |
| Hammered |
Glass
textured by indentations which resemble a surface that has been beaten
with a ball-peen hammer. |
| Hot |
Glass
that has been worked by a hot process such as fusing, firing, blowing or
lamp-working. |
| Inlaid |
A
term used
for a new type of flat stained glass made by laminating separate pieces of
glass to a plate glass base with a transparent epoxy. The spaces
between the pieces are then filled with a black epoxy, resulting in the
appearance of leaded glass. Clear or colored epoxy grouting produces
a new unique art glass effect. Dazzle Glazz Studio can deliver this
type of glass through our collaboration with another studio. |
| Insulating |
Two
pieces of glass that have been
sealed together at the
edges. The edge strip
usually contains a desiccant to
prevent moisture on the interior
glass surfaces. The space between
the glasses may be filled with
argon gas. |
| Iridescent |
Glass
on which a very thin coating of metal has been applied. This
thin coating reflects light from the upper and lower surfaces of the
metal. These reflected light waves interfere with each other and
produce a rainbow effect similar to that produced by a thin film of oil on
water. |
| Jewel |
Glass
that is cast into molds with jewel-like facets and then polished to
a smooth brilliance. |
| Laminated |
A
sandwich of two pieces of glass
with a plastic-like material
between them. In this type of
safety glass, it is difficult to
penetrate the glass even if both
layers of glass break.
Automobile windshields are made by
this process. |
| Lamp-worked |
Art
glass that is made by heating with a torch and then
"worked" in order to bend or fuse or shape the glass. |
| Leaded |
Type
of art glass that is made by connecting pieces of glass with a lead
channel and soldering at the intersections.
Most large stained glass works
have been made this way for
hundreds of years. Lead is strong enough to support the glass but flexible
enough to withstand the thermal expansion stresses from the glass and the
window encasement. (Brass is sometimes
used for a brilliant appearance
and zinc is used for additional
strength).
|
| Liturgical |
Glass
designed for a prayer or worship space. |
| Medallions |
A
series of stained glass panels
that have been arranged within a
larger window in a narrative
sequence. |
| Mosaic |
Opalescent
glass
that has been sliced into small pieces (smalti) for assembly into designs
that are cemented into building walls, floors or other surfaces.
Mosaic pieces may also be composed of natural stone or ceramics. |
| Mottled |
Glass
that has variation in coloration in the form of small spots,
some of which run together. |
| Obscure |
Clear
glass through which images cannot be can be seen because the light waves
are bent by the texture on the glass surfaces. Obscure glass is
used where light is desired but visibility is not, for example, in a
bathroom. |
| Opak |
Glass
which has a thin coating of white on one side.
This makes it behave somewhat like opalescent glass, but gives a
more delicate effect which transmits more light. |
| Opalescent |
Glass
containing some white pigment.
The glass transmits some of the light striking it and
reflects other light. Most of the glass used in the "Tiffany"
style windows and lamps is opalescent glass. Opalescent glass is excellent
for privacy because nothing can be seen through it.
|
| Painted |
Glass
with designs painted onto it. Most
are fired so that the paint becomes part
of the glass, but there is
"cold" or unfired
painted designs.
|
| Plate |
Thick,
clear, smooth commercial glass. See "Float". |
| Plated |
Multiple
layers of glass used together to achieve a color not available as a single
piece of glass. Tiffany often plated two or three pieces of glass to
obtain the realistic shadings of images in his designs. |
| Privacy |
Glass
which does not reveal much about
what is on the other side. Etched,
Opalescent and Obscure glass are
automatically privacy glass
because of their structure. Most
bathroom windows are designed as
"privacy" glass. |
| Reeded |
Glass
with uniform parallel ridges.
Any dimension given
specifies the spacing, for
example, "1/2 inch Reeded
glass." |
| Reinforced |
Leaded
glass
that has been strengthened by the
use of iron. Common methods
are:
- Narrow
strips within the lead
channel.
- Flat
bars soldered to the back.
- Round
bars in the window frame tied
with wires soldered into the
lead joints.
|
| Residential |
Art
glass designed for residences. The most popular locations, in descending
order are: Entranceway (door, sidelights, transom), bathroom window,
kitchen window, door or window separating rooms,
built-in cabinet doors, etc. Any location with
light is suitable. |
| Restoration |
Clear
glass that is manufactured to resemble glass made in the 18th
and 19th centuries. This glass has some slight variation in
thickness that causes some distortion. |
| Ripple |
Glass
with a ripple texture rolled into
it while still molten. Various
widths exist from fine (spaghetti
ripple) to wide. |
| Roundel |
Glass that is rotated as
it is blown, thereby creating a
disk shape with a thicker center
and a cut-off from the punti (iron
glass-working rod). |
| Safety |
Glass
with reduced hazard of cutting
when it breaks, and therefore
specified by building codes for
hazardous areas. The two main
types are Tempered and Laminated.
(see definitions). |
| Seedy |
Glass
that contains small bubbles or “seeds”. |
| Slab |
Glass
poured into a mold to make small
slabs of glass. See "Dalle de
verre." |
| Smalti |
Small
slices of opalescent glass that are used for assembling mosaics.
|
| Stained |
Colored
glass assembled into designs. The
color comes from the addition of metallic oxides
during the process of melting the glass ingredients. The name comes from
the silver nitrate that was used in the Middle Ages to "stain"
clear glass yellow or orange when fired.
|
| Tempered |
Glass
that has been heat treated to make
it very hard and brittle.
When the surface is broken
anywhere, the entire piece of
glass shatters into tiny
pieces without sharp edges. Tempered
glass cannot be cut , drilled or
etched because of this
property. Any glass
processing must be done before the
glass is tempered as a final step.
The rear windows of automobiles
are made of tempered glass.
|
| Tessera |
The
individual small square (or nearly
square) piece of glass (or stone)
used as to assemble a mosaic.
|
| Tiffany |
Used
to describe either:
|
| Transparent |
Glass
through which light passes freely.
Glass through which objects on the
other side of the glass can be
seen.
|
| Vaseline |
Glass
that is the color of petroleum
jelly, emits slight radioactivity,
and glows neon green under
ultraviolet light.
|
| Vision-obscuring |
See
Obscure. Opposite of transparent.
|
