Creating glass
The materials used in the creation of glass are mixed : silica, soda and limestone, in big tank furnaces, at a temperature of about 1500°C. The melting paste then goes through heated conduits and then in molds, where it is blown in order to give it a shape. Based on the products added or not to the melting paste, the glass can be colored or transluscent.
Modern uses
Glass is nowadays used a lot in architecture : many structures offer at least one front made of glass, from century old buildings like the Grand Palais and the Galeries Lafayette to contemporary projects that sometimes seem to be made only of glass, such as “skyscrapers”. Glass is also still used for decorative purposes : stained glass and as a support for painting.
Stained glass is made thanks to a particular technique, and the glass-maker needs to respect a few rules : he first needs to make a model of his creation, to know what it will look like. Then, he must create a “carton” showing the position of every piece of lead. Finally, he must choose the colors used in his creation, to know what materials he will add to the melting paste.
