Glass;  beautiful, versatile, and fragile material:  Part I

        Hard to believe glass can be made by simply melting sand and adding the correct amounts of lime and soda.  The rich, glowing colors we all love are made by adding cobalt, iron, metallic oxides like tin oxide for milk glass, selenium for Amber, magnesium for Amethyst, and so on when added to the basic ingredients.

        Glass making is over 3500 years old invented by the Egyptians, & has sated mans need for luxury items, beauty, everyday items, and scientific equipment.  As fragile as it is, when handle with care glass has great durability, some glass items from 3500 years ago exist in PROOF ( perfect, unblemished) condition today!

        Standard glass formulas are well known today, but in the past were well guarded secrets & were not known until we had the ability to scientificaly analyse them.  Still today there are many refinements and trade secrets kept by many glass makers worldwide!

        The most common glass type today is lime-soda glass, (sounds like a cocktail) with a melting point of 1500 degrees Celsius.   Lead-crystal glass (aka) Flint Glass, is a brilliant, resonant glass containing up to 1/3 lead oxide in its basic ingredients, & was perfected in England in 1676!....& has been used ever since for high quality table ware, decorative objects, collectors pieces, and minor Fairy Tales! (got ya!)  The melting point is 1400 degrees Celcius!

        Borosilicate Glass contains about 12% boron oxide, (hence the name) to lower the coeffecient <(*_*)> of expansion & make a heat-resistant glass for scientific uses & Baking Ware!! ;o)

        Glass making fuels and tools have changed through the centuries, as have glass blowing and making rooms, and processes. We will go into that in PART II...

.......The wonderful world of Glass Making Stuff!  Coming to a Theater Near You!   LOL!! ;o)