Glass edges rarely get a second thought. They’re the part of a pane, panel, or shelf that gets touched, glanced at, and then forgotten — as long as nothing goes wrong. But an edge is also where glass is most vulnerable. It’s the zone where cutting, grinding, and polishing leave their mark, and where the smallest processing decisions can determine whether a piece holds up for decades or fails under stress no one saw coming.

What follows is a walkthrough of that hidden process—from the first cut to the final inspection—and a look at why two edges that appear identical to the eye can be, in engineering terms, worlds apart.

1. The Edge You See Isn’t the Whole Story

Run your finger along two pieces of finished glass, and they might feel exactly the same. Hold them up to the light and they might look identical — smooth, even, free of obvious flaws. Yet under magnification, these two “identical” edges can tell completely different stories.

One edge might be structurally sound, ready to withstand years of thermal stress, impact, and handling. The other might already contain the seeds of future failure — a microscopic crack propagating quietly beneath a surface that looks perfect to the naked eye. The difference isn’t visible at a glance because human eyes simply aren’t equipped to catch flaws measured in microns. Understanding why requires looking at everything that happens to an edge before it ever reaches a showroom or a job site.

2. What Happens to Glass During Cutting?

Every edge begins with a cut, and that cut is far more violent, at a microscopic level, than it appears. Glass doesn’t cut the way wood or metal does — there’s no clean shearing of material. Instead, a scoring wheel or laser initiates a controlled fracture that propagates through the sheet.

This process defines the basic geometry of the edge, but it also does something less obvious: it can leave behind tiny surface flaws and subsurface cracks along the fracture line. These aren’t necessarily visible defects. They’re often submicroscopic disruptions in the glass structure, and they become the starting point — quite literally — for everything that follows in the finishing process.

3. Grinding Doesn’t Simply “Smooth” the Glass

It’s tempting to think of grinding as a straightforward cleanup step: take the rough-cut edge and smooth it into a clean profile. In reality, grinding is a more complicated exchange. Abrasive wheels remove material to reshape the edge, but the mechanical action of that removal creates its own surface characteristics.

Grinding doesn’t erase the history of the cut so much as overwrite it with a new set of patterns — directional marks, localized stress, and, depending on the wheel condition and parameters used, new micro-defects. In other words, grinding solves some problems while potentially introducing others.

4. The Microscopic Battle at the Edge

This is where the real complexity lives. A finished glass edge is the result of competing microscopic phenomena, all fighting for dominance across the same few millimeters of material:

• Grinding marks — fine linear striations left by abrasive wheels, whose depth and orientation depend on grit size and feed rate
• Micro-cracks — tiny fractures, sometimes originating from the initial cut, sometimes introduced during grinding
• Chipping — small material losses at the edge, often at corners or along the arris
• Conchoidal defects — shell-shaped fracture patterns characteristic of how glass breaks at a brittle level
• Chamfer defects — flaws specifically located on the angled bevel surfaces
• Transition-area defects — irregularities where one processed surface meets another, such as where the chamfer meets the flat edge face

What makes this section genuinely important is a finding that shows up repeatedly in edge-quality research: defects clustered around the chamfer and the transition areas are disproportionately likely to become fracture origins. In other words, it’s often not the flat face of the edge that fails first — it’s the geometrically complex zones where surfaces intersect, because that’s where stress concentrates most readily.

5. Why Polishing Is More Than Making Glass Look Shiny

Polishing is usually framed as an aesthetic step — the stage that turns a matte, ground edge into something glossy and refined. That framing undersells what’s actually happening. Polishing changes the physical characteristics of the surface: it removes the finest layer of grinding damage, alters surface roughness, and can meaningfully affect how the edge responds to stress.

Here’s the counterintuitive part: a polished edge is not automatically a stronger or higher-quality edge simply because it’s polished. If the polishing parameters, wheel condition, or processing sequence are poorly controlled, a shiny edge can still harbor real defects — sometimes ones that are harder to detect precisely because the reflective surface masks them visually. Polishing quality depends on process control, not just the presence of a polishing step.

6. CNC Changed the Conversation

It’s common to hear that “CNC is more precise” and leave it at that, but the real shift CNC brought to glass edge processing is about control, not just accuracy. CNC systems let manufacturers govern variables that were previously left to operator feel and machine wear:

• Tool paths across complex or irregular edge profiles
• Processing parameters like feed rate, pressure, and wheel speed at each stage
• Edge geometry, including consistent chamfer angles and transition curves
• Repeatability across thousands of parts, not just the first few
• Complex contours that would be impractical to produce by hand
• The sequencing of grinding and polishing stages, so each step is matched to what the previous one left behind

This is the real value of CNC: it turns edge processing from a series of semi-independent steps into a coordinated system where each stage is designed with the others in mind.

7. The Importance of the Chamfer

Most general glass content treats the chamfer as a minor cosmetic detail — the small angled surface that softens an otherwise sharp corner. That undersells its role considerably.

The chamfer is a geometric transition zone, and geometric transitions are where mechanical stress tends to concentrate. As noted above, chamfer and transition-area defects are frequently implicated as fracture origins. That means the chamfer isn’t just about how an edge looks or feels to the touch — its angle, uniformity, and surface condition can meaningfully influence how the whole edge performs under load, impact, or thermal stress. A well-executed chamfer is a quiet but significant contributor to edge integrity.

8. When a Beautiful Edge Isn’t a Perfect Edge

There’s a meaningful gap between how an edge looks and how an edge performs — visual quality versus engineering quality. Under normal lighting and ordinary handling, an edge can look flawless: even, glossy, free of visible chips. But visual inspection has real limits. It can’t see subsurface micro-cracks, and it can’t reliably catch the fine-grained defects clustered in chamfer and transition zones.

This is precisely why microscopic examination has been studied as a method for evaluating edge quality more rigorously than the eye alone allows. Magnified inspection reveals a layer of information that’s simply inaccessible at normal viewing distance — and it’s often the difference between an edge that’s cosmetically acceptable and one that’s structurally reliable.

9. How Modern Glass Fabricators Control Edge Quality

Given everything above, it’s clear that edge quality isn’t the result of any single step — it’s the outcome of a whole system working in concert. Leading fabricators manage that system through several interlocking practices:

• CNC processing for consistent, controlled tool paths and parameters
• Better-engineered grinding wheels matched to the glass type and desired finish
• Controlled, parameter-driven polishing rather than a generic finishing pass
• Regular machine calibration to keep tolerances tight over time
• Process monitoring that catches drift before it produces defective edges
• Inspection protocols that go beyond a visual check
• Careful handling after processing, since a well-made edge can still be damaged by rough transport or storage

None of these steps is sufficient on its own. It’s the combination — and the attention paid to how each step affects the next — that produces genuinely reliable edges.

10. The Future: From Edge Finishing to Edge Engineering

For a long time, edge work was treated as a finishing operation: something done at the end of the process to make glass safe to handle and pleasant to look at. That framing is shifting. As the science of edge defects becomes better understood — and as CNC systems make fine-grained control practical at scale — the industry is moving toward treating the edge as something to be engineered, not merely finished.

That means designing edge geometry, processing sequences, and inspection standards around an application’s specific mechanical demands, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all finish. The glass edge of the future won’t just look good under normal light. It will be built, deliberately and measurably, to perform.

The post The Hidden Science of a Glass Edge: Why Two Identical Edges Can Perform Differently appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

If you’ve ever scored and snapped a sheet of standard annealed glass, you might assume laminated glass works the same way. It doesn’t. Laminated glass is one of the most misunderstood materials in the glazing world when it comes to fabrication — and cutting it incorrectly doesn’t just ruin the piece, it can compromise the very safety features that make laminated glass valuable in the first place.

Here’s a practical look at how laminated glass is cut, and why it demands a different skill set than ordinary glass cutting.

What Makes Laminated Glass Different

Laminated glass is a sandwich: two (or more) layers of glass fused together with a tough polymer interlayer in between, usually polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). This interlayer is what gives laminated glass its signature safety property — when the glass breaks, the shards stay bonded to the plastic layer instead of scattering. It’s the same principle used in automotive windshields and is a core requirement for architectural safety glazing, security glass, and fire-rated assemblies.

That interlayer is also exactly what makes cutting laminated glass so much harder.

Why Cutting Laminated Glass Requires More Skill

1. You’re Cutting Two Materials, Not One

Standard glass cutting relies on a simple principle: score the surface with a hardened wheel to create a controlled fracture line, then apply pressure to snap the glass cleanly along that line. This works because glass is a single homogenous, brittle material that breaks predictably along a scored line.

Laminated glass breaks that principle because there are two glass layers, each of which needs to be scored and snapped independently — and between them sits a flexible plastic interlayer that doesn’t fracture at all. It stretches, resists, and has to be separated using an entirely different method.

2. The Interlayer Doesn’t “Snap”

PVB and EVA are tough, elastic polymers by design — that’s the whole point of them. They’re built to hold glass together, which means they actively resist being cut or torn apart. A glass cutter’s score-and-snap motion does nothing to a plastic interlayer. Fabricators have to use a separate cutting method just for this layer, typically involving heat, a specialized blade, or a chemical softening agent, adding an entirely extra stage to the process.

3. Fracture Lines Can Wander

With regular glass, once you’ve scored it correctly, the break tends to follow the score line cleanly. With laminated glass, if the two glass layers aren’t scored in precise alignment with each other, the top and bottom fracture lines can drift apart. This creates uneven edges, stress points, and a piece that doesn’t match the intended dimensions — a costly mistake, especially on large architectural panels.

4. Risk of Interlayer Damage and Delamination

Applying too much heat, using the wrong blade, or forcing a separation too aggressively can scorch, stretch, or tear the interlayer unevenly. This weakens the bond between the glass layers and can lead to delamination — cloudy patches or bubbling where the interlayer separates from the glass — which ruins both the appearance and the structural integrity of the panel.

5. Thickness and Layer Count Add Complexity

Laminated glass isn’t always just two panes and one interlayer. Security glass, bullet-resistant glazing, and fire-rated products like multi-ply laminated assemblies can involve several glass layers and interlayers stacked together. Each additional layer multiplies the precision required, since every glass ply needs a clean score-and-snap and every interlayer needs a controlled separation.

The General Process for Cutting Laminated Glass

While techniques vary by shop and equipment, the fabrication process generally follows these steps:

1. Score the top glass layer. Using a carbide or diamond-tipped glass cutter, score the top pane along the cut line with even pressure, just as you would with monolithic glass.

2. Snap the top layer. Apply controlled pressure to fracture the top glass cleanly along the score line, taking care not to disturb the interlayer beneath it.

3. Score and snap the bottom layer. Flip the piece and repeat the process on the reverse side, aligning the score as precisely as possible with the first cut so both fracture lines meet.

4. Separate the interlayer. This is the step with no equivalent in standard glass cutting. Common methods include:

• Heat cutting: A hot wire or heated blade is run along the cut line to soften the PVB or EVA, allowing it to be pulled or cut apart cleanly.
• Mechanical cutting: A sharp utility or interlayer-specific blade is used to slice through the softened plastic.
• Chemical softening: In some cases, a solvent is applied to soften the interlayer before cutting, though this requires careful control to avoid affecting the glass edge.

5. Clean and finish the edge. Once separated, the cut edge is cleaned of any interlayer residue, and the glass edge is typically seamed or ground to remove sharp points and ensure a safe, finished edge.

Tools of the Trade

Fabricators cutting laminated glass typically rely on:

• A quality glass cutter with a carbide or diamond wheel for scoring
• A heat gun, hot knife, or dedicated interlayer cutting tool
• A straightedge or cutting guide for precision alignment
• Edge-seaming or grinding equipment for finishing
• Safety equipment — cut-resistant gloves and eye protection are non-negotiable given the combination of sharp glass edges and cutting tools

Why This Matters for Buyers and Specifiers

If you’re sourcing laminated glass for a project — whether it’s a fire-rated storefront, a security barrier, or a decorative architectural feature — the skill of the fabricator cutting your glass directly affects the finished product’s strength, clarity, and safety performance. Poorly separated interlayers, misaligned fracture lines, or scorched edges aren’t just cosmetic issues; they can undermine the very properties you’re paying for when you choose laminated over standard glass.

This is why experienced glass fabrication shops treat laminated glass cutting as a distinct skill, not a variation on standard glass cutting. It takes practice to consistently align two fracture lines, control an interlayer separation cleanly, and finish an edge that’s both structurally sound and visually clean.

The Bottom Line

Cutting laminated glass isn’t simply “cutting glass twice.” It’s a multi-stage process that combines traditional glass scoring with an entirely separate skill: controlling and separating a tough polymer interlayer without damaging either glass layer or the bond between them. That added complexity is exactly why laminated glass fabrication is best left to shops with the right tools, training, and experience — and why the extra care pays off in a safer, more durable final product.

The post How to Cut Laminated Glass (And Why It’s Not Like Cutting Regular Glass at All) appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Glass, in its raw form, is unforgiving. The moment a sheet is cut, it bears a razor-sharp edge capable of causing serious injury on contact. But in the hands of a skilled glazier, that same edge transforms into a feature — a precise, beautiful, and structurally sound boundary that defines the character of the finished piece.

Glass edgework is the collective term for all the processes that treat, refine, and shape the cut edge of a glass or mirror panel. It is one of the most technically demanding steps in glass fabrication — and one of the most consequential. Choose the wrong profile, skip the polish, or rush the grind, and an otherwise perfect piece of glass becomes unsafe, unattractive, or prone to chipping.

At Bear Glass Inc., a prominent glazier operation with facilities in Queens Village, NYC and Tinton Falls, NJ, glass edgework is not an afterthought. It is a craft. With over four decades of experience and a full suite of electrical and hand tools operated by expert glaziers, Bear Glass produces every edge profile — from the simplest seamed edge to the most elaborate ogee bevel — with exacting precision.

This guide walks through everything you need to know about glass edgework: what it is, why it matters, the full range of profiles available, where each is used, and how Bear Glass delivers it at scale across the United States.

Three core reasons every glass edge needs treatment:

Personal Safety

Unpolished edges cause lacerations during handling, transport, and installation. Seaming or polishing removes the arris and eliminates dangerous sharpness, protecting workers and end-users alike.

Structural Longevity

Grinding removes the stress-fracture zone along the cut. A properly edgeworked panel resists chipping under vibration and thermal movement, lasting significantly longer in service than an untreated equivalent.

Dimensional Tolerance

Edgework is also a precision sizing process. Grinding can correct minor dimensional inaccuracies from cutting, ensuring the glass fits its frame, channel, or installation point exactly — critical for commercial glazing projects.

When glass is cut using a scoring wheel or waterjet, the resulting edge is structurally compromised. The cut creates microscopic fractures along the glass surface, and the arris — the sharp corner where the flat face of the glass meets the cut edge — is literally blade-like. Touching it without protection can slice skin instantly.

Beyond the immediate injury risk, an untreated edge is a liability in installation. Vibration, temperature cycling, and mechanical stress all focus energy at the edge of a glass panel. Micro-fractures propagate from the arris, leading to chipping, cracking, and in worst cases, spontaneous breakage. This is especially critical for tempered glass, where any post-tempering edge damage can compromise the entire panel’s integrity.

Every Edge Bear Glass Can Deliver

The right edge profile depends on the application, the thickness of the glass, the desired aesthetic, and the visibility of the edge in the finished installation. Bear Glass offers the full spectrum — from purely functional to architecturally decorative.

Applications Across Residential & Commercial Projects

Edgework decisions ripple through every part of a project — from design intent to installation ease to long-term safety. Here are the most common contexts where Bear Glass edgework makes the difference.

How Bear Glass Executes Edgework

Glass edgework at Bear Glass is a multi-stage process combining CNC-controlled grinding machinery with the hands-on expertise of glaziers who have honed their craft over decades. Each profile requires a different grinding wheel, a different pass sequence, and a different polishing medium.

Specification Review

Every order begins with a thorough review of the edge specification against the glass type, thickness, and end use. A 1/2″ flat polish on 3/8″ tempered glass has very different tolerances than a decorative ogee bevel on 3/4″ annealed glass.

Rough Grinding

Diamond grinding wheels remove the raw arris and shape the basic profile. This stage determines the dimensional accuracy of the final edge and removes all micro-fractures from the cut.

Fine Grinding & Shaping

Progressively finer abrasive wheels refine the profile and remove scratches from the rough grind. For complex profiles like ogee or waterfall, skilled hand work ensures the curve is smooth and consistent across the full run.

Polishing

Cerium oxide polishing compounds on felt or cork wheels bring the ground surface to optical clarity. This is what separates a flat grind from a flat polish — and the difference is visible from across the room.

Quality Inspection

Every edgeworked panel is inspected against the specification before dispatch. Edge consistency, surface clarity, dimensional accuracy, and the absence of chips or scratches are all verified before the order ships.

Decision Guide: Choosing the Right Edge Profile

The optimal edge profile depends on answering four questions clearly before fabrication begins. Bear Glass representatives can advise on each — but here is a working framework.

Is the edge visible in the finished installation?

If yes, the edge is a design element. Polished profiles — flat polish, pencil polish, bevel — are the minimum standard. Decorative profiles like ogee and waterfall are strong options. If no, a seamed edge provides safety without the additional cost of a full polish.

Will people touch the edge regularly?

Table tops, shelves, railings, and shower enclosures are all touched constantly. These always warrant a fully polished edge. A pencil or flat polish removes any residual texture and feels completely smooth under the fingertip.

What is the glass thickness?

Thicker glass (1/2″ and 3/4″) supports the widest range of decorative profiles. Many decorative options — waterfall, ogee bevel — require minimum thicknesses to provide enough material for the grind. Bear Glass‘s specifications list exactly which profiles are available at each thickness.

What is the overall design language of the space?

Contemporary and minimalist interiors typically favor flat polish or pencil polish — clean, invisible lines that let the glass speak for itself. Traditional or luxury residential projects often call for bevel or ogee profiles that add visual weight and classical character.

“For products where the edge of the glass is showing, you need edgework. From glass table tops to glass display cases, all need proper edgework. Different types of edgework are applicable on different types of products.”

Bear Glass is not a sheet-metal shop that happens to cut glass. It is a full-service glass fabrication house — one of the largest stocking distributors of glass and mirror sheets in the United States — with specialized expertise built over more than four decades and passed down through three generations of glaziers.

The company operates facilities in Queens Village, NYC and Tinton Falls, NJ, with a fleet of dedicated glass delivery trucks running seven days a week. Whether the order is a single custom tabletop for a Brooklyn apartment or eighty pieces of wire glass for a commercial construction project, Bear Glass delivers with speed, accuracy, and craftsmanship.

Bear Glass handles edgework on glass, for residential and commercial applications, and ships nationwide. The available profiles cover every application from the purely functional seam to the most elaborate decorative ogee bevel — with experts on hand to advise on the right specification for every project.

For contractors, installers, interior designers, and architects working across the Northeast and beyond, Bear Glass offers something rare: the stock, the capability, and the expertise to turn around complex edgework orders at competitive prices without compromising with quality. To know more, write to sales@bearglass.com

The post The Art & Science of Glass Edgework appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Glass may look calm and smooth, but behind every perfect glass panel is a very serious cutting process. For architects and contractors, even a few millimeters off can turn a great design into an on-site headache. This is where precision glass cutting using CNC glass cutting technology becomes a real hero of modern construction.

CNC glass cutting uses computer-controlled machines to cut glass exactly as designed—no guessing, no uneven edges, and no last-minute fixes at the site. The machine follows digital drawings with extreme accuracy, which means the glass you design on screen is the glass that arrives on the project. For architects and contractors, that kind of reliability is not just nice to have; it is essential.

One of the biggest reasons professionals trust CNC glass cutting is consistency. When a project requires multiple glass panels, every piece must match perfectly. CNC precision glass cutting ensures that each panel has the same dimensions, smooth edges, and clean corners. This makes installation faster and keeps alignment issues from turning into long discussions on the job site.

Design freedom is another major advantage. Modern architecture often demands complex shapes, cutouts, holes, and detailed patterns in glass. With CNC technology, these designs can be executed accurately without stressing or damaging the glass. From architectural glass façades to interior partitions and decorative panels, precision glass cutting allows creative ideas to stay creative all the way through fabrication.

CNC glass cutting also helps contractors save time and money, even if it does not always look like it at first glance. Precise cuts mean fewer errors, less material waste, and fewer replacements. When glass fits correctly the first time, installation moves faster and schedules stay on track. Less rework means fewer delays, and everyone enjoys that.

Safety is another quiet benefit of CNC precision glass cutting. Clean, accurate cuts reduce sharp edges and weak points in the glass. This makes the glass easier to handle during transport and installation and improves the overall durability of the finished product. Stronger, properly cut glass performs better once installed, which is always good news for long-term projects.

For architects, CNC glass cutting ensures design intent is respected. For contractors, it means smoother installation and fewer surprises. When glass panels need to fit into frames, systems, or tight tolerances, precision is non-negotiable. CNC cutting delivers that precision again and again.

Of course, technology alone is not enough. Working with an experienced glass fabricator that understands CNC glass cutting, quality control, and construction requirements makes all the difference. When expertise and technology come together, the result is glass that looks right, fits right, and performs right. In this regard, all thanks can certainly be accredited to the professionals associated with Bear Glass. We use the most advanced measurements in our NY and NJ facilities to ensure safety, precision, and satisfaction for our clients and customers through them. We understand, not making a compromise can always help us produce and deliver better items every time.

In today’s construction and architectural world, precision glass cutting is no longer optional. CNC glass cutting has become the standard for projects that demand accuracy, efficiency, and professional results. When the glass is correctly cut or precisely shaped, everything else falls into place—and that is something both architects and contractors can appreciate. We are always ready to serve you with our best capabilities. For more, feel free to visit us today.

The post Precision Glass Cutting with CNC Technology: Why Architects and Contractors Rely on It appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Bear Glass Is A Premier Walker Distributor. We are better able to serve our customers with 2 facilities located in both Brooklyn NY and Tinton Falls NJ. Our Motto is ” We Do Everything In Glass And Mirror” so we are able to service any and all your glass and mirror needs.

Bear Glass NJ Acid Etched Glass is becoming trendy in design and construction.  The consistency and durability of the finish can reduce glare and reflection, add privacy, increase light transmission, and provide texture.  It is important to select the right acid-etched glass for an application, and avoid making issues during storage and fabrication.  Although the glass-etching process is generally consistent, variations in chemistry and other parameters create different surfaces with distinct visual and performance characteristics.  Glass is etched with an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid, which attacks the silica and roughens the glass surface.  Generally, the more ‘white’ or opaque the finish, the more rough and porous the surface is.  When choosing distinctive and unique types of glass, architects and designers often have specific objectives in mind.  With acid-etched glass, these goals can relate to light diffusion, light transmission, privacy, visual appearance, integration with surrounding objects, and energy efficiency through increased day lighting.  An etched surface with rugged peaks and deep valleys absorbs and diffuses light, rather than transmitting or reflecting it- the result is a rich, white, opaque appearance.  In contrast, an etched surface with smooth, rounded bumps enhances light transmission and creates a more transparent glass, characterized by reduced reflective glare and a soft translucent appearance.

Acid-etched Surface Finish

Acid-etched finished vary by manufacturer.  The type selected for a glass substrate renders a different level of opacity and smoothness and creates varied visual effects.  It also impacts performance ratios such as gloss, visible light transmission (VLT), visible light reflectance, shading coefficient, solar direct transmission, solar direct reflectance, and U-value.  The visual effect of the acid-etch finish on mirror varies depending on the extent of etching performed.  A lighter-etched mirror has more reflection whereas a deeper etch creates a matte finish and more depth in the glass.

Glass Substrate

The substrate also influences the color appearance, level of opacity, and performance ratios of acid-etched glass.  Many falsely believe pieces of ultra-clear glass look the same, irrespective of their origin; similarly, glass with a blue tint from manufacturer ABC is often incorrectly perceived to match the one produced by manufacturer XYZ.  Generally, the glass business markets different shades of glass in ultra-clear, green, blue, or black.  In addition, some glass floaters can make varying shades of one color.  For example, acid-etched products manufactured from low-iron glass have a translucent satin appearance without the ‘greening effect’ of ordinary clear glass.  Similarly, a piece of acid-etched glass made with a dark blue hue from one supplier creates a different visual effect than one made with light blue from the same manufacturer.  Consequently, the shade of the acid-etched glass or mirror likely varies among manufacturers, depending on the substrate used.  It is important to remember the acid-etched finish itself creates a different color appearance, with different tints having varying performance ratios.

Etching on both sides

Etching glass on both sides can enhance its characteristics.  This approach is suitable for applications requiring a higher level of opacity or a similar finish and visual effect on both sides of the glass panel (e.g. partitions).  Most glass is produced by the float process.  The raw materials- mainly silica sand, soda ash, and limestone- are melted in a furnace and then flowed onto a bath of molten tin.  The glass then takes form and gradually cools as it moves from the tin bath to a controlled cooling chamber.  Float glass is best etched on the ‘air’ or ‘atmosphere’ side of the sheet, due to the greater likelihood of impurities and surface imperfections on the ‘tin’ side.  Production of acid-etched mirrors and two-sided etched glass requires etching of the tin side, posing an increased risk of defects in the surface if inappropriately done.   When considering double-sided acid-etched glass or acid-etched mirror, the type of finish specified impacts quality.  The manufacturer of the acid-etched product can recommend the finish (if any) suitable for the application.

Exterior applications

Bear Glass New Jersey Acid Etched Glass may be appropriate for exterior applications, such as insulated glazing (IG) units, skylights, and balustrades.  As acid-etching is not a coating, its resistance properties in outside conditions are essentially equivalent to non-etched glass.  However, it is important to note an etched surface with rugged peaks and deep valleys could lead to higher maintenance costs because dirt particles may be harder to remove.  Therefore, the use on an etched surface with a lighter finish (i.e. smooth, rounded bumps) is recommended in exterior applications.  In these situations, the level and type of maintenance required is similar to that of non-etched glass.

Storage and Fabrication

If proper care is taken during storage and fabrication, acid-etched glass or mirror can be kept clean as easily as non-etched products.  Whether the glass is tempered, laminated, insulated, painted, or even bent, fabricators can preserve the quality of the final product.  However, the general suggestions for keeping acid-etched glass or mirror stain-free during storage and fabrication may not be suitable in all situations.  Fabricators should follow guidelines issued by the manufacturer of a particular product to prevent or fix any marks or stains that occur.

Storage

Proper storage practices can help avoid marking on acid-etched glass and mirror.  Storage spaces must be dry and adequately ventilated.  Sheets should not be stored in areas of high humidity or heat (e.g. places near steam or water pipes).  Spaces exposed to chemical fumes should also be avoided.  All these conditions promote staining.  Conversely, sheets should not be stored outdoors or in unheated areas.

Fabrication

Due to the particular characteristics of more rugged glass surfaces, extra care should be taken during their fabrication to minimize the likelihood of embedding grease or dirt into the surface.  Gloves must always be used when working with sheets.  When handling sheets using equipment with suction cups, the clean and dust-free cups should be applied to the flat, untreated side.  If this is impossible, care should be taken to ensure proper vacuum is achieved (i.e. testing must be done to be certain the cups ‘stick’ to the glass to handle to weight).  When edging glass, these practices should be followed:

1. The edging machine conveyors should be clean and free of grease and buildup of glass grindings or cerium oxide.
2. The conveyor must be regularly opened and the machine interior washed (particularly the brushes) using soapy water.
3. The front and back conveyor pads should be routinely brushed, until all traces of cerium oxide and glass grindings are removed.
4. The front and back conveyors must be synchronized at identical speeds.
5. Only coolants specifically recommended for glass grinding and that adhere closely to the manufacturer’s recommended dilution ration should be used.
6. Manufacturer guidelines for concentration levels must be followed when using cerium oxide, with care taken to never add more than the minimal amount necessary for good polishing.
7. Glass should be washed immediately after polishing.  Washer brushers with .36-mm (0.014-in) diameter nylon bristles offer the best results.  The glass washer should be equipped with one pair of upper and lower brushes for every 0.6m (2ft) per minute of travel- for example, a machine operating as a speed of 1.8m (6ft) per minute should have three pairs of brushes.  (This guideline is only applicable to regular float glass and not to coated products such as low-emissivity [low-e] glass).
8. As an extra precaution, wetting the glass surface immediately before polishing greatly reduces the risk of marking.

Writing the Right Specifications

Architects and designers constantly look to Bear Glass for new ways to use glass in exterior and interior applications.  Writing proper specifications, especially when distinctive and unique types of glass are chosen, is critical to ensure the desired design is achieved.  Acid-etched glass is no exception.  If care is not taken, the glass ordered and installed on the jobsite may be nothing like the product selected based on samples submitted.  To ensure the acid-etched glass products selected are actually used by the general contractor, glass fabricator, and glazier, the following information should be included in the specifications: name of manufacturer, product brand name, glass thickness, substrate (glass or mirror), tint (e.g. clear, ultra-clear, blue, green, black, bronze, grey), type of finish (name), and whether to etch on one or two glass faces.  Warranties and standards are often overlooked when writing specifications.  Inherent in the float glass process are small gaseous inclusions and minor abrasions.  Consequently, occasional, small ‘bubbles’ and hairlines are normal and acceptable under recognized standards; from a normal viewing distance, they are barely noticeable.  To ensure acid-etched products are made from float glass that conforms to industry standards, the manufacturer should be consulted.  In Canada, glass should comply with Canadian General Standards Board (CAN/CSBG) 12.3-M91, Flat, Clear Float Glass (Quality: Glazing).  In the United States, ASTM International C 1036-01, Standard Specification for Flat Glass (Quality: Q3-Stock Sheet) should be followed.  The manufacturer’s product warranty should refer to these standards.  Clearly, it is important to be specific about the nature of the acid-etched glass product required.  Communicating specifications in detail to a glass professional can help ensure the chosen product meets desired goals and objectives.

The post Bear Glass New Jersey Acid Etched Glass appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

At Bear Glass we pride ourselves on staying up to date and keeping up with latest cutting edge technology. That being said, Bear Glass is excited to introduce our new water jet technology! From i ntricate glass shapes to mirrors, glass ornaments, and more, there’s almost no glass cutting application that a water jet glass cutting system can’t tackle. Both thin and thick glass materials can be cut and detailed with a precise cutting stream. And because water jet cutting does not vibrate the glass, produce heat-affected zones, or leave behind rough edges, almost no secondary finishing is required. In addition, water jet cutting’s ability to generate exact, clean cuts with speed make it an efficient cutting process for the majority of glass cutting applications.

Why Water Jet Cutting?

Bear Glass uses a Pure Water Jet Cutting Machine manufactured by Perfect Technology Center. The Water jet system is an ideal machine for the cutting of various materials and is extremely versatile compared to alternative machinery such as lasers and plasmas. Water jet cutting is performed with “pure water” for the cutting of – foam, package products, gaskets, gibson board, carpet, food, rubber, and many other soft materials.  The power of this pure water jet is so strong it has the ability to cut  – steel, copper, aluminum, granite, marble, and even laminated glass. The Waterjet cutting process does not generate heat; eliminating the warping of materials like copper and aluminum. Based on the media to be cut, Bear Glass is proud to say that we offer PTC water jets that offer cutting systems with cut speeds that will exceed 4000 inches per minute. This speed is triple other water jet manufacturers capability due to the PTC state of the art Linear Drive motion system.

For more information on Bear Glass and our new PTC water jet technology  please contact Bear Glass at:

FACTORY/ OFFICE

Address:

Bear Glass Inc.

399 20th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Phone: 718-832-3604

Fax: 718-832-0786

E-mail: bearglass@yahoo.com

If you are in New Jersey:

Bear Glass New Jersey

359 Essex Road

Tinton Falls New Jersey  07753

P: 732 901 2626

F: 732 901 2266

E: Sales@BearGlassNJ.com

The post Bear Glass Does Water Jet Glass Cutting appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Resin Stained Glass is one of the new processes by Bear Glass when you can lay down just any design you want on the glass in variety of colors. The resin is applied to the outer layer of glass, using a stained resin machine. Bear Glass applies the resin also to mirrored glass. Traditional handcrafted Resin Stained Glass by Bear Glass has long been recognized for its beauty and dazzling visual impact.

Bear Glass does not use any lead strips in the process of making the Resin Stained Glass but instead uses UV stable, colorfast acrylic resins. The acrylic resin is extremely durable and one can easily compare it with a toughened glass.

Bear Glass can do a whole range of standard Resin Stained Glass designs, still we believe on the visions of our customers. Resin Stained Glass by Bear Glass can really transform a dull back door piece of glass or be used to make a big centerpiece in a landing or hallway. Bear Glass creates beautiful Resin Stained Glass for door panels, windows, fanlights, mirrors etc. The choice of design, color and texture is extensive.

Bear Glass can make faceted glass windows with Resin Stained Glass. Bear Glass artisans use one inch (2.5 cm) thick slabs of glass, cut into the desired shapes then selectively faceted on the interior edges to enhance the refraction of light. Then an epoxy resin is poured between each piece to create the structural matrix. Finally, the resin is covered with a layer of colored granules.

Bear Glass combines the resin stain with silk screening and glass grooving to create even more texture and depth in your design. For came colors you aren’t limited as you are with traditional leaded beveled glass designs.  With Resin Stained glass by Bear Glass you can have red, white, taupe, gun metal, just about any color you want.

One thing to note here is that Resin Stained Glass isn’t a good choice if one just needs a handful of pieces. But for doing multiple pieces this is a beautiful solution for unlimited design capabilities.

One big difference between the Resin Stained Glass and traditional decorative leaded beveled glass is, you can make dual IG units out of them as the Resin stain is applied to tempered glass also.

The advantages of Resin Stained Glass by Bear Glass are:

• Unlimited Design Possibilities: Any design that can be drawn on paper can be reproduced as a stained glass pattern.
• Cost effective: One-half to two-thirds the cost of traditional stained glass, even for one-off designs.
• Energy efficiency: The stained glass pattern can be put directly on modern double or triple paned glass, even on glass that is in a manufactured window sash.
• Cost effective custom work: Computer design and modern manufacturing techniques keep the cost on custom work to about one half the cost of traditional stained glass.
• High volume production runs feasible: The robotic CNC resin dispensing table enables high volume runs with excellent accuracy and reproducibility for every piece.

Bear Glass ships their Resin Stained Glass products worldwide. We do everything on glass.

For more information or to order your Resin Stained Glass from Bear Glass, please contact with Bear Glass at:

Factory / Office

Address :

Bear Glass Inc.

399 20^th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Phone: 718-832-3604

Fax: 718-832-0786

E-mail: bearglass@yahoo.com

The post Resin Stained Glass by Bear Glass In Brooklyn New York appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Bear Glass Is The Premier Walker Glass Distributor

Bear Glass stocks all Walker’s Products in our 25000 SQFT facility located in Brooklyn New York and we would like to help our customers better understand the different patterned glass that we offer through Walker.

Walker Textures Nuance Stock Patterned Acid-Etched Glass and Mirror

Walker Textures Nuance Stock has been created to answer the growing demand for unique and environmentally friendly material for decorative and architectural applications. Patterned acid-etched glass and mirror will not only provide a great visual effect but a textural effect as well, due to the depth variation of the design.

The stock product line of acid-etched patterns is available in five distinctive designs with the 100 and 300 series. The 100 series is an acid-etched finish which combines Velour and Satin creating a true sense of privacy while maintaining a design element to the glass. The 300 series is our Satin finish on clear glass giving greater visibility to the decor through the glass. Both of these series feature a relief effect which adds character to the glass surface.

Patterned Acid-Etched Glass and Mirror Advantages

• Consistent finish and appearance
• Maintenance free
• More mar-resistant than sandblasted glass
• Does not peel or discolor like films
• Does not scratch off like coatings

Glass – Velour on Satin

Glass – Satin on Clear

Patterned Acid-etched Glass and Mirror Specifications

Substrates : Glass and mirror

• Colors: Clear, bronze, grey, black, green, blue or ultra-clear *
• Glass thicknesses: 3 mm to 19 mm **
• Mirror thicknesses: 3 mm to 6 mm **
• Sizes available: Standard 96″ x 130″, on request 84” x 130” **
• Finishes:

Series 100 Velour on Satin
Series 300 Satin on Clear

• Selected skus available in less than 4, 000 pound quantities

Walker Textures Nuance Custom Acid-etched Glass and Mirror

A world of countless creative patterns opens up to you with Walker Textures Nuance Custom. Now you can let your imagination run wild and create virtually any design. Thanks to our continuous research and development we are achieving high-quality registration and an unmatched level of detail.

The custom product line features three different acid-etch combinations allowing you to obtain your desired result. The 100 series combines two of our finishes Velour on Satin. The 200 series is our Velour on clear glass and the 300 series is our Satin on clear glass. All of these combinations create a nice textural effect on the glass surface.

Custom Acid-etched Glass and Mirror Advantages

• Consistent finish and appearance
• Maintenance free
• More mar-resistant than sandblasted glass
• Does not peel or discolor like films
• Does not scratch off like coatings

Custom Acid-etched Glass and Mirror Specifications

• Substrates : Glass and mirror
• Colors: Clear, bronze, grey, black, green, blue or ultra-clear *
• Glass thicknesses: 3 mm to 19 mm **
• Mirror thicknesses: 3 mm to 6 mm **
• Sizes available: Standard 96″ x 130″, on request 84” x 130” **
• Finishes:

Series 100 Velour on Satin
Series 200 Velour on Clear
Series 300 Satin on Clear

• Minimum Quantity: 4, 000 pounds

* Tempering of ultra-clear glass is recommended to correct slight color variances caused by the Walker Textures Nuance manufacturing process.

** Subject to glass availability.

Bear Glass can help you choose your patterned acid etched glass product needs to best fit for your project and by the way, we ship patterned acid etched glass worldwide.

For more information or to order your patterned acid etched glass products, please contact  Bear Glass at:

Factory / Office

Address:

Bear Glass Inc.

399 20^th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Phone: 718-832-3604

Fax: 718-832-0786

E-mail: bearglass@yahoo.com

The post Patterned Acid-Etched Glass and Mirrors By Bear Glass in Brooklyn NY appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

Handling glass for edging and beveling has been a challenge to manufacturers and fabricators for so long. Glass Beveling is a process where the edges of a piece of glass are angled from some point on the surface to the edge.

Beveled glass is usually made with one quarter inch thick clear glass and creating one quarter inch bevel on one side around the entire periphery. It acts as prisms in sunlight creating color diffraction which helps to highlight the glasswork and also provides a spectrum of colors that we hardly can find in a clear float glass.

Beveled glass can also be obtained as clusters to create a specific design. These ideas of beveled glass design can vary from one to another. From simple two or three pieces to complex designs those are suitable with the windows or large panels of doors or side screens, everything can be given a perfect finishing touch with beveled glasses.

In the case of hand beveling, which is quiet pain-staking process and time consuming too, needs a good hand from roughing out the pieces on diamond wheel to proceed through several steps to a high-quality finishing with high polish, worth all the difficulties when it is finished. A hand-beveled glass can make you feel an antique charm of the glass-work that would surely add some special value there.

Beveled glass has various usages and it is growing in the present time. For home-interiors beveled glass windows or beveled glass exterior doors can change the whole view of home. The same thing can be told for a fancy office-building designing.

Beveled glass entry doors, beveled glass table tops or customized beveled glass mirrors have a high craze in the present time. Beveled glasses give you a scenic beauty with strength; beveled edges can also be applied to tempered glass so you can have stronger glass furniture with a fancy look.

Bear Glass is a fourth-generation company in the glass industry. Bear Glass has expertise in all kind of glass work. Be it your office or your home, Bear Glass promises to please you with its new and unique idea of glass design every time.

Beveled glass by Bear Glass can change your idea of interior designing. Bear Glass produced beveled glass table tops, mainly custom beveled glass table tops can add the touch of elegance for your interior. Not only that, beveled glass cabinet doors by Bear Glass can change the old view of your old kitchen cabinet, or Bear Glass produced a beveled glass mirror can show a new reflection of beauty of your household overall.

Bear Glass can help you design and choose your beveled glass needs best fit for your project and overall. We ship beveled glass worldwide.

For more information or order your beveled glass product, please contact Bear Glass at:

FACTORY/ OFFICE:

Address:

Bear Glass Inc.

399 20^th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Phone: 718-832-3604

Fax: 718-832-0786

E-mail: bearglass@yahoo.com

The post Glass and Mirror Beveling appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.

BEAR GLASS IS A FULL GLASS FABRICATOR IN BROOKLYN, NY.  WE ARE THIRD
GENERATION GLAZIERS.  WE ARE AT OUR CURRENT LOCATION FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
HERE WE UTILIZE OVER 25, 000 SQ FT TO ITS MAXIMUM . WE DELIVER TO THE
TRI-STATE AREA 5 DAYS A WEEK, WITH 5 TRUCKS ON THE ROAD DAILY.  ALSO, WE
SHIP NATIONWIDE.  WE USE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO SERVICE OUR
CUSTOMERS, AND WE HAVE THE LARGEST INVENTORY FOR STOCK SHEETS.  EVEN
THOSE HARD TO FIND TYPES.  WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO BE
MORE PRODUCTIVE.  WHETHER IT’S PURCHASING NEW MACHINERY TO PROVIDE NEW
SERVICES OR BRINGING IN DIFFERENT LINES OF GLASS, WE DO IT.  WE STRIVE TO
KEEP OUR CUSTOMERS SATISFIED, AND ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO MAKE NEW ONES.
WE ENJOY WORKING ONE ON ONE WITH PEOPLE  IN THEIR PROJECTS.  IF YOU WOULD
LIKE PLEASE GIVE US A CALL OR DROP US AN EMAIL.

The post WE ARE BEAR GLASS INC…WE DO EVERYTHING IN GLASS!!! appeared first on Bear Glass Blog.