Wavy glass source

[cjmst3k]

I have a customer who was moving an antique hutch, and is looking at having the old wavy glass that broke during the move replaced.

Does anyone know where I can point her? I recommended she contact a glass company who might have more sources, but I could not think of a source myself.

Are there companies that specialize in this that I can point her to directly?

 

[jim_p]

I don't know if anyone is making "new" wavy glass anymore, though you might be able to find a glassblower who can make you some "cylinder" glass. (Old technique for making sheet glass; blow a large glass cylinder, set it on a table, cut a slit down the side, open it up, and flatten it).

Your best bet would be to go to an architectural salvage company and see if they have any antique glass available.

 

[Rob Markoff]

Excellent suggestion re: architectural salvage places.

Stained glass suppliers might have an acceptable substitute as well.

 

[Framar]

Some framers (ahem) save old wavy glass. I do not have any huge pieces but I never throw any of this stuff away - I have seen it in architectural salvage places and it is wicked expensive.

Thrift shops, antique stores and yard sales would be another source.

 

[Larry Peterson]

Whatever source that the customer uses, they should be prepared to replace all the glass. It may be hard to find a piece that exactly matches their existing glass.

A stained glass store might be your most economical source. Head on down to JoMoCo Studio (http://www.jomocostudio.com/pages/view/1 ) or another local source and talk to their staff.

 

[wholesaleart]

Brin northwestern glass has a few different looks for glass on their website. If you open the gallery it has examples of their patterned glass. I think the spectrum-seedy glass may work for you.

http://www.bringlass.com/products_files/patterned_glass_page.html?current=two

 

[Bob Doyle]

Stained glass studios have wavy glass. You can get it with bubbles too. even crackled glass, which might be fun to put on some pieces

Reach out to stained glass shop.

 

[GUMBY GCF]

You could make your if you heat a sheet up to 1000-1700 degrees depending on the make up of the glass.

Reach out to a locally owned stained glass shop!~

 

[Framing:]

http://www.restorationglass.com/antique-window-glass.htm

http://www.glass-guru.com/id33.html

 

[cjmst3k]

Thanks all!

I'll forward them all of these suggestions and links. I think it'll boil down to how determined they are, as I'm guessing all of the options are not inexpensive.

 

[Prospero]

Check out a few junk shops for olde pictures. Although getting a large piece might be difficult. I've used saved wavy glass on samplers and such and it does have a whole different look to modern stuff. Shines up well with some fine steel wool and lighter fluid.

 

[Framar]

Aha - Peter - I have used steel wool and lighter fluid to clean old glass as well. Does clean up wonderfully - I save it for special customers and keep most for myself (because nearly everything on my walls is the same vintage as this kind of glass).

Of course my grandmother found a different solution when she broke the curved glass side lite on her china cabinet. She just kept the rest of the glass so clean no one noticed the missing piece for years! Even my grandfather was hoodwinked.

 

[Drop Bear]

You could get a normal piece of glass and slump it in a kiln that may give you the right effect, or as others have said go to a stained glass supplier and get some.

 

[Shayla]

If you ever do use a piece of old, hand-poured glass for a new project, be sure
when buying it that you check out whether it's flat. As you probably know, they
can warp to the shape of whatever frame they were in, and if they're put into
a flat frame, it can stress the glass.

 

[Prospero]

I once took apart an old frame and the glass must have been from the edge of sheet because it had very a thick edge. About 1/4" at least. It was also curved. So much so that the frame had over the years conformed to the shape of the glass. It was a thickish sold oak frame to boot.

 

[David Waldmann]

Aha - Peter - I have used steel wool and lighter fluid to clean old glass as well. Does clean up wonderfully.

Hmmm - would that work on cloudy window glass (not that old, maybe 30-40 years)?

 

[Framar]

Ought to work, David - just start in the least conspicuous spot....:smiley:

 

[David Waldmann]

Good idea... will give it a shot.

 

[Framar]

My theory has always been if you can use a razor blade to scrape gunk off of glass, a little steel wool won't hurt.

 

[FramerDave]

If you ever do use a piece of old, hand-poured glass for a new project, be sure
when buying it that you check out whether it's flat. As you probably know, they
can warp to the shape of whatever frame they were in, and if they're put into
a flat frame, it can stress the glass.

Glass warps? I've never known it to bend or warp, at least at temperatures under a couple thousand degrees or so. Is this a variation on the old wives' tale about glass being a liquid and flowing?

 

[Rob Markoff]

Is this a variation on the old wives' tale about glass being a liquid and flowing?

Wive's tail? That's why the glass was thicker at one end than the other.....over the years if flowed down due to gravity and got thicker at the bottom.......

 

[josephforthill]

I think they meant to say bend or flex (due to pressure from being forced into out-of-aligned frame).

Although perhaps it could be under some sort of tension/stress. I once broke a platter and wanted to glue it back together, but once the break alleviated the tension, the two pieces would not go back together evenly.

 

[Bob Doyle]

Wive's tail? That's why the glass was thicker at one end than the other.....over the years if flowed down due to gravity and got thicker at the bottom.......

Tee hee, he said.... wive's tail.... Thicker at the bottom over time....

I used to beleive glass got thicker over time too. Not so much as if that were true stained glass works would look like muffin tops bulging over the lead channels...

 

[realhotglass]

Some larger leadlight / stained glass shops may have restoration glass, but Benheim is probably your best bet.
They import it from Germany like most leadlight suppliers would get theirs from (or a country distributor).
Bendheim probably supply leadlight shops with this glass.

We make ths sort of glass in our kilns, by heating up perfectly good float glass to around 600oC (1150oF) on special hammered moulds, where it forms to the desired effect.

Another option you should try, is some general glass companies may have cheap Chinese glass which is sometimes still sheet drawn.
If cut the right way, with the draw lines vertical, the effect is quite visible when you move you head side to side, or walk past an item as the reflection catches it.
(If glazed with draw lines horizontal, it's hard to tell any difference to float glass ! So get cut the right way.)