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Bob Crager
Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 26 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do Auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can email Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com
Glass
2003-09-01 14:53:00
All about glass
: What are the main components of glass? In what ratio are the main components mixed? When was glass first invented?  How is it produced?  
ANSWER:   Glass is about 60 parts sand = 24%; about 180 parts potassium carbonate = 74%; and about 5 parts lime/chalk = 2%.  This formulation was handed down from Assyria (about 640 BC) and still used today.  Historically, glass production is known to have existed in ancient Egypt around 8000 BC, as well as in Mesopotamia and Mycenaea, China and Northern Tyrol.    Glass is produced by melting the components in vats with fireproof cladding, which are heated by oil, gas or electricity, and then a) drawn or rolled (flat glass); or b) pressed or blown (hollow glass).  Depending on the type of glass and on the glass batch composition, the melting temperature is between approximately 1000 °C and 1600 °C (1832 °F and 2912 °F). Following this process, a host of further processing can occur, such as: coating, imprinting, polishing, drilling, faceting, frosting and tempering.   Additives, metals and rare earths are used to obtain coloring and other properties.
 
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