WLA brooklynmuseum Westward Ho frosted glass

Frosted glass is produced by the

sandblasting Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove su ...

or acid

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

of clear sheet

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass

translucent In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through the material without appreciable light scattering by particles, scattering of light. On a macroscopic scale ...

scattering In physics, scattering is a wide range of physical processes where moving particles or radiation of some form, such as light or sound, are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by localized non-uniformities (including particles and radiat ...

the light which passes through, thus blurring images while still transmitting light. It has 10–20%

opacity Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shie ...

. General applications include: * To achieve

visual privacy Visual privacy is the relationship between collection and dissemination of visual information, the expectation of privacy, and the legal issues surrounding them. These days digital cameras are ubiquitous. They are one of the most common sensors f ...

while still allowing light to pass through. * To create decorative patterns on plain glass by using

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give lo ...

or other inhibitors to retain transparent areas. * To distribute light uniformly in a photographic contact printer. * To create an airtight seal in tubes. * Decorative, aesthetic, or artistic intent. The frosted glass effect can also be achieved by the application of

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

film, used as a sort of

stencil Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object. The holes allow the pigment to reach only some parts of the surface creatin ...

on the glass surface. "Photo-resist", or photo-resistant film is also available, which can be produced to mask off the area surrounding a decorative design, or logo on the glass surface. A similar effect may also be accomplished with the use of canned frosted glass sprays.

Recycling issue

As a rule, frosted glass is not suitable for

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

through glass bins. This is because the

etchant Etching is a printmaking technique in art. Etching may also refer to: * Etching (microfabrication), a process in producing microelectronics * Glass etching, a glass decoration technique * Chemical milling, or industrial etching * Photochemical ma ...

s used to produce some frosted glass can leave chemical residue, which can interfere with the recycling process and spoil a whole batch. Frosted glass that was not acid-etched but rather produced by sandblasting is recyclable in principle, however, since it can be hard to tell how a given piece of frosted glass was manufactured, most recyclers will reject frosted glass absent a contract with specific assurances.

References

Glass coating and surface modification Glass types {{glass-material-stub

Recycling issue

See also

References