In daily life, ordinary glass is smooth and transparent, but there are also many patterned glasses, which are often used to decorate doors and windows, interior partitions, bathrooms and toilets. However, how are the patterns on glass created? Originally, due to the hardness and fragility of glass at room temperature, the patterns on glass cannot be carved with metal tools in a "head-on confrontation", but are completed using methods such as rolling, polishing, and chemical etching.
The most common patterned glass in daily life is mainly used for interior decoration. It can transmit light but is not completely transparent, and the light passing through it appears softer. This patterned glass is usually made by the rolling method. The so-called rolling method is to first heat the glass raw materials in the furnace to a molten state, and then pour the molten glass liquid onto the rolling machine platform. On the platform, there is a set of rollers made of steel, whose function is equivalent to the rolling pin used for kneading dough at home. The high-temperature glass is very soft, so it is easily pressed into a flat state. The surface of the rear rollers is embossed with patterns. After the rollers roll on the glass surface, various patterned patterns are left on the glass like stamping. When the glass cools, the patterned glass is produced! Therefore, this kind of glass is also called knurled glass.
In daily life, we will also encounter some frosted glass, which is opaque or semi-transparent, and the surface feels a bit rough when touched. This kind of glass is produced by another process - the polishing method. It is polished with high-hardness materials such as diamond abrasives. For example, by high-pressure spraying diamond abrasives with a sandblasting gun, fine concave and convex patterns can be created on the glass surface, resulting in a rough surface. Therefore, this kind of glass is called "frosted glass". Of course, craftsmen can also polish various patterned glass crafts on the glass surface with diamond abrasives or grinding wheels.
In chemical laboratories, there is a solution that can "corrode" glass. Once glass products come into contact with it, they may either lose a layer of skin or be completely "eaten away". This "monster" that can "eat" glass is called hydrofluoric acid, an extremely corrosive inorganic acid. As long as hydrofluoric acid is applied to the shiny glass surface with a brush, after a moment, the glass surface will be corroded into a rough state. By taking advantage of the "softness over hardness" characteristic of hydrofluoric acid, various characters and patterns can be etched on the hard glass.