Clear, Starphire, Satin Glass,
Rain, Barok and Glue Chip.
Use the Boxes at left to find photos of various glass types
NOT all Glass Types are available from all Tempering Plants.
They are available in SF Bay area.
See also the Ultra Glass Page
and Kentucky Art Glass
This page is duplicate of GlassTypes from WilsonGlass.com

Many photos are links

1/2" Clear Glass
Note the slight green tint.
Sometimes the tint is more evident that others.
See Shower number 1048

1/2" Starphire or Crystal Clear Glass
Starphire is so clear that I bet you didn't notice in the photo, that the door is open. Sometimes the Starphire really looks fantastic. I haven't figured out the rule yet.
Click on the photo for a few more details.

 

 

Oh no, that's not right.

3/8" Starphire
So clear, it looks like Sugar Glass.
Sugar glass is made in Hollywood for the stuntmen to jump through. You can't get cut, apparently. I never actually jumped through it. I know you probably thought I was a movie star. In older movies you see sugar glass a lot. Now days they mostly use tempered glass - much as the shower door you are thinking of buying. If the stuntman ran at full speed into even 1/4" thick tempered glass he would most likely bounce off. See the Strength of Glass Page. They use a little solenoid with a punch on it to break the glass just before the stuntman gets to the window. Sometimes you can see the glass break before he gets there, but usually they cut the film so that you can't tell.
I have tried to make sugar glass but to get it perfectly clear, you need some incredible candy making skills. There are no shower doors made of sugar glass because the kids would eat them.

Starphire is expensive and not available everywhere (But we can ship it easy enough.)

Satin Glass (or click photo)
Dan refused to take his clothes off for this shot.

Satin Glass looks like sandblasted but it is Acid Etched. It shows finger prints less than real sandblasted. If you get Clear Shield or Diamond Fusion, finger prints are even less)
Under the right lighting conditions, it's fairly transparent. If the light is shining on the door instead of the person then it is much less transparent.
This closet door is 42" wide. The pivots are for commercial doors and are not waterproof enough for showers. The widest we can go with a shower is 36". Maybe 40" with three Zurich Hinges.

Glue Chip Glass 3/8" thick only
Very nice pattern. It used to be made by pouring glue onto the glass and then pulling the glue off, thereby pulling off the top layer of the glass. The result was a random floral pattern. Today the 3/8" Glue Chip is rolled and there is really no reason for it to cost more than Rain Glass but it does. The old glue chip glass had some sharp areas here and there, this doesn't.


On the left is the Clear Glue Chip. On the right is the Frosted Glue Chip. There is only one place we know of that has these two patterns in 3/8" tempered.


Rain Glass in 3/8"
Supposed to look like rain drops running down the glass. I think this too, was different in the old days. But it is an obscure glass available in 3/8" thick for heavy glass shower doors and that is remarkable. On the East Coast Rain Glass is sometimes called Niagra. If the drops accidentally get oriented horizontally then we call it Tornado Glass
I think the Rain glass is slightly more obscure than the Glue Chip Glass. On the other hand, you can see a little bit better through the Glue Chip glass than you can the Rain glass. It all depends on what kind of camera you have installed in the shower area.
Picture of a Rain Glass Shower. We installed this for Chris Tong with BGGC Contractors in Berkeley.

Baroque Glass is rare but it's a nice pattern. Your guests might even think it is Ultra Glass. But you'll know that you spent only a fraction (sizable fraction) of the cost of Custom Slumped Art Glass.
3/8" Bronze or Grey glass
(Use boxes at left)
John and Jennifer's Shower (1078) at Right. The glass is dark enough to make you wonder what is inside. Is it forbidden? Once you are in, you are protected and nurtured by the dark. You receive super powers. You can see out but no one can see in until you turn the light on.