Proper Glass Manufacturing Requires Some Amount of Experience
Author: carolmoore440 | Posted: 05.12.2011Glass is actually one of the most purposeful materials known and is used for so many items such as glass jars, drinking glasses, windows, eyeglasses, test tubes while optical glass is used for microscopes and telescopes. Although it is known when glass was first made by man, it is believed that it was first made in the form of a glaze on ceramic vessels in and around 3000 B.C. In the early days, glass making was tiresome and it would take a long time for it to be properly formed. Besides, it was also expensive as man did not have the necessary equipment and expertise to manufacture top-quality glass.
The optical glass is generally used for making lenses and such form of glass has proved extremely beneficial in the field of science as it is with the use of such type of glass that microscopes and telescopes are made. The glass manufacturing is actually quite an interesting process. It is just that most of us use glass without wondering about the kind of skill, effort or time put in to manufacture glass.
Glass polishing is also important as without it, glass can be crude and will have rough and sharp edges. If you are looking to polish rough glass edges, keep in mind that the most important thing is to keep the glass wet to prevent it from cracking or breaking. Glass polishing is usually performed using tools such as a grinding wheel along with water and silicon carbide abrasive.
First, mix 100-grit silicon carbide abrasive with water to make a paste so that the rough surface is smoothened out. The grinding wheel should then be inserted into the grinder before wetting the wheel and applying the abrasive mixture to the surface.
The glass should then be held to the wheel so that it is ground and polished. Thereafter, increase the number of grits to 140 and later, 300. Remember that the wheel should be cleaned during changes of grit mixture. The edges should then be ground until it turns smooth and white in color.
Then, a diamond disc is to be inserted into the grinder and the glass edges should be polished with the disc. For the final touch, you could use pumice and water with a cork grinding surface. You could practice the procedure properly before you decide to make anything fancy. Read articles about glass manufacturing so that you get a clearer idea of the process.
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