subject: Important Advice About Use Of Glass Light Shades For Indoor Decorating [print this page] Glass-workers belong to an old tradition and discipline. Their handiwork has evolved into the glass lamp shades found as objects of indoor decoration in many houses today. The infiltration of these objects accelerated in the times of the Industrial Revolution, precisely when gas-fired and electric illumination was embedded into city grids. One towering figure was Louis Comfort Tiffany, famed for almost single-handedly fashioning the industry of glass lamp shades.
Those interested in glass shades would be pleased to know that there are a number of designs from which to choose. Although lone artisans labored hard to make a few per week, factories can churn out specific designs by the dozens. The hand-made items can still be found but for a much higher price.
One reason why one can find so many designs is that glass is quite easily shaped at the right temperature. The craft of manipulating glass goes back thousands of years in the Western world. While most glass products came in the form of vases, cups and lanterns, the modern equivalent was only possible when light bulbs were invented. The even output of the light bulb meant that the designs of the glass shades were more evident to observers.
The molecular structure of glass is a blend of silicon and oxygen. In contrast to other materials, glass has no regularity in its crystal lattice. In fact, it's molecular structure is completely disordered, giving rise to a new class of substances which are, unsurprisingly, named "glasses". Some people point out that it's perpetually a liquid because of evidence that it continues to flow, seen in old church windows that are thicker at the bottom than the top. However, this is likely to be an incorrect interpretation of observations as the flowing probably occurred most when the window was initially cast.
A craftsman of glass uses its soft, fluid-like properties at high temperatures to bend it to new shapes. He uses a hollow rod made of metal, called a blow pipe, to pick up the molten mass. By rolling it at once, and blowing into the mass, he can create a symmetrical, cylindrical shape that slowly becomes a glass lamp shade.
Such work can be improved by addition of small artistic details, for example curling of the lip for a flare effect. The artist Louis Comfort Tiffany incorporated iron rods into his works to depict intricate scenes of nature that were lit up with the stained glass panes. The staining process is aided by addition of pieces (also known as "frits") of iron oxide impurities that give glass its various colors.
