WHAT IS GLASS?

A hard, brittle, translucent or transparent, substance which is made by fusing silicates with soda or potash, lime and other metallic oxides; it is then cooled rapidly to prevent crystallization.Most glasses are considered supercooled liquids The distinction between glass and liquid is on the basis of viscosity, or how much internal resistance the material offers to flow.

WHEN WAS GLASS DISCOVERED?

The history of the origin of glass can be categorized by periods according to the methods of the manufacturing process as follows:

1.The First Period: 1700 BC through 100 AD

Primitive method of making glass using molds.

2.The Second Period: 100 AD through 400-500 AD

Glassblowing technique discovered, and glass manufacture becomes a more practical process.

3.The Third Period: 4-500 AD ~ 1200 AD

Extension of the Second Period spanning into and through the Middle Ages. It is characterized by Byzantine glass.

4.The Fourth Period: 1200 AD ~ 1900 AD

Venetian glass influence spreads throughout Europe, all the way to Asia. The foundation for modern glass making is set.

5.The Fifth Period: 1900 AD ~ present

Glass objects used as everyday goods. It is manufactured on a large scale.

WHAT TEMPERATURE DOES GLASS MELT AT?

Glass doesn’t have one melting temperature. It gradually gets softer as it heats up until it finally is like thick honey then the hotter it gets the more fluid it becomes.