Last time we looked at glass and the way it impacts our lives. There is little doubt that without glass, the world would be a darker place, at least the in the interiors of our homes. The invention of glass and the development of glass related products, namely aluminum windows, vinyl windows, and patio doors, has allowed the distinct and dear ability for our homes to be at once sealed and open. We can see beyond the walls of our homes thanks to the windows and doors whose glass makes it possible to maintain a sealed home environment and improve energy efficiency. So, lets look at how the magic happens.

Glass is made naturally when lightening strikes sand. The extreme heat of the bolt melts the sand and forms exotically shaped pieces of glass called fulgurite. Now, this glass is quite different from the refined glass used to make our aluminum windows vinyl windows and patio doors, but, it is glass all the same. Volcanoes also can create glass-like rock by melting existing rock with the extreme heat of the lava (molten rock). Glass is naturally made by melting sand. The industrialized process of making glass follows that basic recipe; silica, soda ash and lime are the primary ingredients. Extreme heat is used to melt the mixture. Depending on what the glass will be used for, (glass in an energy efficienct window is different than glass in a substandard alumimum windows) different chemicals can be added to the mix to bring out different qualities and colors.

The steps taken to create the kind of glass used in vinyl windows and aluminum windows are slightly different that other forms of glass making. To achieve the perfectly flat surface of a pane of glass, the molten glass is poured over molten tin. The glass floats on the surface of the tin, which has an incredibly smooth surface, and cools enough to hold its shape. The glass is then cooled slowly to strengthen it (annealing) and then is reheated and cooled rapidly to further strengthen it (tempering). The result is the perfectly smooth glass that goes into every quality Croft window, storm doors, and patio door.