Glass is a well known everyday object, having been around for centuries. However, developments in glass products and the production of glass is less widely understood. This has led to a few common myths and misconceptions about glass meaning it may be overlooked as a useful (as well as stunning) material.
Being a manufacturer of a glass product (specifically glass wipe boards), we thought we where perfectly located to throw some light on these misconceptions and elevate glass as the useful, sustainable, practical and safe material it is.
Glass is easy to break
This is only partially true. Unprocessed glass is the type of glass that is easy to break, however, most glass is either toughened or laminated making it extremely tough!
Our glass wipe boards are made of toughened glass. In modern glass manufacturing, toughened glass is made by placing the glass in a furnace at high temperatures and then cooling it rapidly. This process stimulates the molecules within the glass and results in the glass being able to withstand a lot of stress and pressure. Previously inconceivable glass stairways and walkways are also made of toughened glass. It is the toughening process which makes them durable and safe.
Toughened glass is the perfect choice for our glass wipe boards as it makes the board very difficult to scratch or dent and much less easy to break. Making it a beautiful, long lasting statement piece for any office.
Safety glass cant break
On the other hand, the myth that safety glass cant break is also a myth. It is certainly harder to break but not impossible.
What makes it a ‘safety’ glass is the way it breaks. Unprocessed glass breaks in the sharp shards you would expect. However, toughened glass breaks into smooth substantial pieces. Similarly laminated (layered) glass shatters but holds itself within one sheet. Making both types of safety glass less likely to cause injury if it does break.
Glass is difficult to clean
Glass is one of the easiest materials to clean and you don’t need any harsh chemicals to get it looking brand new! We recommend simply water, soap and a clean cloth: that is all that’s needed.
It does however smudge easily which is one of the reasons why we offer a an anti-microbial coating as an optional extra on our glass wipe boards. Anti-microbial coating is a non-hazardous, water-based seal that protects your glass board; reducing microbial properties by a massive 72.9%, reducing cleaning cycles and protects the glass against wear and tear, extending the life of surfaces.
Glass is always transparent
No, glass is not always transparent. Glass can be transparent but also can be opaque or even somewhere in between.
There are a number of ways to make glass less transparent or opaque. At Simply Glass Wipe boards we employ a few different techniques, that alters the translucency of our glass boards.
The first method is sandblasting, this is where particles of sand are blasted at the glass, creating a frosted pattern. This is what we use on our Frosted Glass Boards.
Secondly there is spray painting, where we paint the back of the glass panel in our specialist spray booth. This is the technique we utilize for our Colour and White Glass Wipe Boards.
At simply glass wipe boards we also provide tinted glass which is a specialist type of glass that is less translucent than clear glass but more so than frosted or colour glass.
Lastly, we have the ability to offer glass with a digital print, either designed by us or our customer to make a truly unique glass board.
Glass is heat resistant
This is temperature dependant. The toughened glass we use can usually withstand temperatures of around 150–200°C. We manufacture our craft boards using toughened glass for this reason: It enables our customers to carry out hot works with tools such as a craft heat gun or glue gun to be done safely and without damage to the craft board. However if you’re working with higher temperature tools we wouldn’t recommended toughened glass as it can shatter at higher temperatures.
Borosilicate glass is used for higher temperature applications like stove doors and oven fronts.
Glass isn't versatile
Glass is a solid and reliable material and as my previous answers show is incredibly versatile! There is an almost an insurmountable amount of applications that can be applied to glass. Whether its stunning digitally printed glass or sandblasted, in your home or office environment there is an option to suit everyone.