Glass up to my eye balls

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danny boy

danny boy

PFG, Picture Framing God
In Memorium
Rest In Peace

Gone but not forgotten
Joined
Dec 18, 2004
Posts
5,392
Loc
Oregon's Bay Area
OK. There comes a point when you need to do something about it. I have looked everywhere for a way to recycle it. We have even talked about it here on the 'Grumble. But its got to go...:help:

Some time ago I saw a tube or pipe you could drop glass in and smash it to little pieces before adding it to the trash can for pick up. Any ideas?:icon9:
 
in Canada as far as I know there is no place to recycle plate glass. I keep 2 small rubber maid containers by the glass cutter and break glass into them. when they get full I dump them into the large trash out back. I do cut almost all of my glass to standard sizes and wrap them up in packets of 10's, but I know there is only so much you can do with 100 peices of 5 x 7 glass. I use them for weights on drymounts after they come out of the press. One time a woman came in looking for off cuts of glass to practice cutting for stained glass, but she wouldn't take very much. Other than that, I just throw it out!!
 
Picture glass is not recyclable in the conventional sense. Here in the Southeast glass that is not able to be recycled is accepted at recycling centers and crushed to be mixed into blacktop for road construction.

You can also contact Tru Vue and General Glass to see what they suggest.
 
If I need to throw it that's fine. But I want to break it small, hopefully to prevent some one from cutting themselves. In the past I have filled a box and taped it shut, marked it as broken glass, and discarded it. Way to much work, I have orders to concentrate on. I worry about just throwing it in the can, lots of street people digging around here, I do not want to be liable.
 
Dump it.
You don't have a lock on your dumpster??

Besides keeping divers out, it also keeps people from adding their trash to it and you paying for it to be hauled away.

Trash removal companies can provide you with a keyed lock that they can open.
 
I hear you Danny. It's sad, but ours is one of the least "green" industries. Cutting down trees, lots of waste, etc. And very little of our waste is efficient to recycle. Of course, we recycle our aluminum, paper, and cardboard but I'm not sure about the good it does.

It would be nice if our suppliers were more proactive in helping us in this aspect but right now they've got their own problems.
 
There was a glass smasher on pictureframingequipment.com. It has sold. It didnt look very efficient. It looks like you have to smash the glass before you smash the glass. Mine goes to the dumpster. I havent even thought about the liability with a dumpster diver. What a litigious society we have become.
 
Every once in a while (usually when I'm at risk of cutting myself) I take the pieces out back, place them in a tall rubbermaid container, put on the safety glasses and gloves and whack the heck out of it with the hammer. It's a great stress release, and for those who have witnessed this, treat me with great respect (I suppose it has to do with a woman who knows how to use a hammer!)

I wish I could just drop larger pieces into the container so that the glass breaks into tiny pieces without my intervention.

I pour the broken pieces into smaller boxes, label them as garbage/broken glass and put them out with the rest of the garbage.
 
All our glass scraps go into a Rubbermaid Slim Jim garbage can for disposal. If they are too big I cut them down or smash them with a hammer down in the can. It's a great tesion reliever too.
:cool: Rick
11QNDNVQ8EL._SL160_.jpg
 
danny boy said:
If I need to throw it that's fine. But I want to break it small, hopefully to prevent some one from cutting themselves. In the past I have filled a box and taped it shut, marked it as broken glass, and discarded it. Way to much work, I have orders to concentrate on. I worry about just throwing it in the can, lots of street people digging around here, I do not want to be liable.
Click to expand...

Years ago, I had the same notion. I would pulverize the glass in a 30 gallon metal trash can with a heavy steel stand I use. Well, When the trash can was almost full, I decided to take it out to the dumpster. Oops.....the 30 gallons of crushed glass would not budge. It took four of us to get it off the dolly and up into the dumpster. Never let your trash can get more than 1/3 full with crushed glass.

Now, I just stick it in my locked dumpster, don't crush glass no more. Crushing glass can also put your eyes at risk, then there is the other problem of why you can not recycle the stuff. The lead content of this type of glass is way too high for recycling. When you are pulverizing this glass into a trash can, you are also breathing the invisible dust from it, lots of lead in your lungs, bad, not good.

If you do not have a lockable dumpster, you should be able to purchase a lockable trash can at one of those home remodeling monster warehouses.

Don't wast your time on this stuff, dumpster it and forget it.

John
 
danny boy said:
If I need to throw it that's fine. But I want to break it small, hopefully to prevent some one from cutting themselves. In the past I have filled a box and taped it shut, marked it as broken glass, and discarded it. Way to much work, I have orders to concentrate on. I worry about just throwing it in the can, lots of street people digging around here, I do not want to be liable.
Click to expand...

I have to box it up too, my building has a cleaning service that takes everything from my door to the curb for pick up. I box it because I am liable if one of the cleaning crew injured themselves.

I try and chop and box it as the waste is created....we all know how well that works, not.
 
I cut the glass into pieces that will fit in a cardboard box (like the boxes your samples come in), and then tape up the box really good and toss it in the trash. I don't like bashing up the glass because little pieces fly all over the place. Even if they don't hit you in the face, the little shards will be all over your store.
 
framah said:
Dump it.
You don't have a lock on your dumpster??

Besides keeping divers out, it also keeps people from adding their trash to it and you paying for it to be hauled away.

Trash removal companies can provide you with a keyed lock that they can open.
Click to expand...
Hey,dumpster diving is a hobby of mine....I`ve gotten some neat stuff that way....I actually have tools for digging! L.
 
I don't mind dumpster-divers (or skip-divers over this side). It's the charming people who sneak round after dark and chuck their own rubbish in.:fire: I use empty washing powder boxes for scrap glass. They are solid cardboard so sharp bits don't penetrate. Fortunately I have the luxury of a big shed so all the boxes get stored in there. Once a year on average I get a dumpster/skip and throw it all in, together with any other stuff that I have accumulated.;)

No one seems very keen on recycling picture glass over here either. At one time I made a special jig to cut scraps into small photoframe sizes. I still have stacks of cut pieces 10x8, 9x7 etc, that I did years ago. (Also in the big shed).
I even gave some to a fellow framer.....
 
If you know anyone who does "warm glass," they would probably love to have your scrap glass. Warm glass is glass fused and slumped in a kiln. Regular glass is called "float" glass and some quite lovely pieces can be made from our scraps.

You might check with any local arts groups or galleries.
 
we have a heavy duty horse feed grain bucket (Tractor Supply) at the glass cutter.. it is small enough to go under the cutter and easy to carry out when nera full...scraps go into it and get broken into small pieces with small hammer..then it goes to the dumpster and gets dumped into it as is.
 
"glass smasher "
go out & buy a 3-5 lb sledge(or splitter if you live in timber area)--loooong enough handle to reach down into your container & keeps your hands/eyes away from the shards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(use a small container --you make more trips BUT you dont carry so much!!!!!)

it IS a shame that there are not more areas that recycle glass into roads etc-----that idea/tech's been around for 30+ years but just doesnt seem to catch on in large scale.
 
As a glass fuser, the problem you will find with using our glass (beside it being only clear) is the COE.

Not every piece of glass expands and contracts at the same temperature. This change in the density is known as the Coefficient of Expansion (COE). All pieces you fuse together need to have the same coefficient of expansion (COE).

If you don’t use the same Glass Compatibility, the stress will cause it to crack or break. Since different COEs of glass expand and contract at different temperatures, they can not be fused in the same project.

Glass made specifically for fusing is tested for COE. It is possible to run tests yourself but is time/labor extensive. You can not assume that all picture glass, even from same manufacturer is the same COE. The only way to really be safe is to make a project only from pieces coming from the same full sheet.

And then only reg clear is even a real alternative as the films on CC and others will create problems. So some might be used in fusing, but not much. Sorry:icon45:

Dumpster still the best solution for the time being.
 
We have a plywood box on wheels that lives under the wall cutter. All scrap not of useful size goes into that. There are two handles, with a rope attached to one. A large metal stake, normally used for foundation framing (as in construction not art) lives standing up in the handle. We drop our scrap glass into the box, break it up into smaller pieces with the metal stake. When the box gets about half full, we drag it out to the dumpster and dump it in. Our dumpster is in a fenced/locked area and not accessible to divers...

We shelve a part of the waste to use in smaller projects, but as was mentioned how many 5x7 pieces of glass does a shop need to store. We have started stocking glass in a variety of sizes to help minimize wast, and by cutting from the closest size we have slowed the accumulation noticeably.
 
Lockable dumpster, yes yes. Then don't stress over it. Our industry can be very green. If you buy from Larson more trees get planted than are used. Roma uses completely renewable sources.

You mean those of you without lockable dumpters have never had someone bring in a dirty, cut up piece of matboard from your dumpster and ask you to cut an opening in "their" mat for nearly nothing since you aren't providing any materials? I love my lock. People still leave their trash sitting on the ground outside the dumpster but it's easier to locate some identifying info in it and phone the police (after checking customer records) who remind them that it's theft of service.
 
Picture framing glass or window glass can not be used for mulch. If you read the above article, you will have seen that they only use beverage containers to make their glass mulch.

The glass we use has a much too high of a lead content, that is why it can not be recycled. I reckon it will not be to long before it is outlawed in land fills. If by some chance that happens, we, as picture framers, will more than likely have to start paying a hefty price to get rid of it.

John
 
I am pretty sure the lead is what gives it it's flexibility and strength.

John
 
This is actually an informative and interesting thread.

FYI: TruVue does make the glass. Guardian is the largest glass maker in the world and most companies purchase from Guardian, and as I understand it, including TruVue. TruVue takes the base glass and adds the coatings needed to make it usable for our needs.

I had the opportunity to tour a Guardian plant a few years ago. If memory serves me correctly, this is information from that tour. It may also be combined info from a TruVue class.
 
I slump and fuse glass, too. Glassline paints and others items (inclusions of copper, etc.) can be used in float glass as they are not specific to any COE. I belong to some on-line groups where many members use float glass with paints, etc. to create some very nice work.
 
If I only knew

Just watched "Living With Ed" - show about Ed Begley, Jr. who is very big on doing things environmental. He put a new counter in his house that is made out of recycled glass. I don't know what they mix it with, but it actually looked really good. Now if we could just find out if those folks that make the counters could use some more.
RC
 
One of the ways I minimized the scrap glass, when I still had to worry about such things, was to carry every available size I could get my hands on.

'Course, if you're framing a 8"x32" panoramic photo of Lambeau Field, there's going to be some scrap.

I actually worried a lot more about scrap fome board. Talk about an eco-nightmare.
 
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