Old float glass

[GeoSpectrum]

I had a customer in today bring an old veneer frame in for a bit of a spruce up and a new slip frame. Its an old frame and I was asked if I can provide old glass ie the stuff made before modern float glass along with all the imperfections.

I'm guessing its not made anymore but is there anywhere that sells it other than in old frame at the local antique center?

[Kwik Picture Framing]

Ask solid glass, they may have some sheet glass

[prospero]

How big a bit? Are there any junk shops near you? Sorry, secondhand shops. You might drop on a knackered old frame with a good piece of old glass.

Agricultural sheet glass is another possibility. It's a bit wavier than float, but thicker than picture glass. But old glass has a certain sparkle when it's clean. There's really no substitute for the old glass.

[Dave]

I do some work for a guy who does period glass work, he can buy new "antique" glass in all colours, I'll ask him.

Dave

[Graysalchemy]

My dad restores antiques and makes barometers, I keep any old float glass that I get for him.

[markw]

Working in a town that has a lot of antique dealers I frequently get asked to replace glass in old pictures - and they really do like it to be old and rippled. I therefore keep every single bit that might just happen to come in with a picture thats being refurbished - as well as checking out second hand shops. The knackered old frame picture that is worth next to nothing can often contain a nice piece of old glass. It can be a bugger to clean and sometimes tricky to cut - but I charge a good premium for fitting so it gives me a good return. when looking out for it - just hold the frame at an angle and you will spot the rippled old glass easily.

[prospero]

Fine wire wool and some lighter fluid will bring it up a treat.

[JFeig]

My best source for old glass was home remodelers. When people upgrade their windows it can be recycled to us framers.

[Not your average framer]

I always keep any reasonable old fashioned frames and glass that comes my way. Not too tatty old frames usually get old prints, or a plain piece of mirror glass put in then and go to the autions to see what I can get for them.

Why pay waste disposal charges to have stuff taken away, when someone will pay you money for them?

[realhotglass]

It's actually called sheet glass, or sheet drawn glass.
Prior to that, they made cylinder glass and before that crown glass.

We actually replicate it in our kilns, just fire float onto nicely hammered sheet metal pieces.
The only thing we can't put in it are the 'seeds' or other such inclusion defects.

You can still buy 'sheet drawn' glass out of china, has the reasonably pronounced vertical draw lines at least, but has to be cut that way so the ripples run vertical and are easily noticed as walking by.
Even some of the later made Pilkington sheet drawn glass was so good that it was barely discernible.

[Kwik Picture Framing]

I'd go for second hand shops, antique shops, charity shops.. that's where you're most likely to get something affordable anyway!