Recycling...

Heyas all.

This is probably the most foolish question ever...but is there quite a
bit of recycling going on in the glass-related crafts?

I'm a budding recycler, and know of an old junk pile that has some old,
colored glass fragments. I know there were some blues, and shards from
old china, etc. I love those places...could look there for a long
time...

Anyway...is there a market? I haven't gotten into the craft of glass as
of yet, but it would seem like the glass could be reused.

Someone please let me know? Also...if it is useful, how could I learn
about what types of glass I'm looking at and about what the market rates
are? Just looking for FAIR trade.

Cheers,
K-

Recycling in the sense of melting the glass from the conditions you
describe is almost nil. When a fuser or melter can get a reliable supply of
recognizable glass so compatibility becomes a known factor, then recycling
is possible, if not easy. The saving in recycling is the energy, but the
saving can be quickly lost in shipping.
On the other hand, physically using the colored glass to make mosaics does
not need compatibility, but then mosaics are way down the list of popularity
and most are probably using color sources (scrap stained glass for example)
that give a wider range of colors. Those who arn't probably arn't because
they have their own source of stuff you want to sell.
Therefore, not much market.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"Kringle" wrote in message
...
Heyas all.

This is probably the most foolish question ever...but is there quite a
bit of recycling going on in the glass-related crafts?

I'm a budding recycler, and know of an old junk pile that has some old,
colored glass fragments. I know there were some blues, and shards from
old china, etc. I love those places...could look there for a long
time...

Anyway...is there a market? I haven't gotten into the craft of glass as
of yet, but it would seem like the glass could be reused.

Someone please let me know? Also...if it is useful, how could I learn
about what types of glass I'm looking at and about what the market rates
are? Just looking for FAIR trade.

Cheers,
K-

Cool...so if I were to get into glass work...

I totally understand the business logistics...but my artwork is just budding,
and I find myself in writing, illustration, woodwork, stonework, and gardening.
I have a pottery kiln that I bought used, but have not put it to use as of
yet...and I would like to get into glasswork...especially if I understand the
process. I have an engineering background...so bear with me...

Is the largest issue with color consistency? If I were to purchase a kiln and
get into glasswork, would it make sense to recycle these little gems of pretty
glass? I would think they could be crushed to the consistency of sand and
melted again...couldn't they? The only thing I really know about glasswork is
what I've seen on TV...and they were blowing glass...not making panes or
anything else.

Cheers,
K-

Mike Firth wrote:

Recycling in the sense of melting the glass from the conditions you
describe is almost nil. When a fuser or melter can get a reliable supply of
recognizable glass so compatibility becomes a known factor, then recycling
is possible, if not easy. The saving in recycling is the energy, but the
saving can be quickly lost in shipping.
On the other hand, physically using the colored glass to make mosaics does
not need compatibility, but then mosaics are way down the list of popularity
and most are probably using color sources (scrap stained glass for example)
that give a wider range of colors. Those who arn't probably arn't because
they have their own source of stuff you want to sell.
Therefore, not much market.

--
Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit46.htm Latest notes

"Kringle" wrote in message
...
Heyas all.

This is probably the most foolish question ever...but is there quite a
bit of recycling going on in the glass-related crafts?

I'm a budding recycler, and know of an old junk pile that has some old,
colored glass fragments. I know there were some blues, and shards from
old china, etc. I love those places...could look there for a long
time...

Anyway...is there a market? I haven't gotten into the craft of glass as
of yet, but it would seem like the glass could be reused.

Someone please let me know? Also...if it is useful, how could I learn
about what types of glass I'm looking at and about what the market rates
are? Just looking for FAIR trade.

Cheers,
K-

Color consistency is not an issue. What matters most are coefficients of
thermal expansion. Different glasses can vary greatly. If you fuse glasses
with that have different coefficients you have an unstable mess that will crack
spontaneously. If you want to slump recycled glass that has some thickness
such as bottle glass you will need a kiln with a programmable controller so
that you can anneal the glass slow enough that it doesn't crack.

John Bassett