[ATM] Plate glass, Pyrex, and Flats....

["Russell Jocoy" <russjocoy@hotmail.com>]

  To all on the list,

         Plate glass is really friendly to those who respect it's 
properties. It is not made for boiling
macaroni, it does not like strike's from hard objects, and it will suck up 
temperatures (hot or
cold) very quickly.
     Ahh.,, Pyrex, the magic glass,.. It is very frendly even if you don"t 
respect it's properties,
mainly because It is harder than plate glass. I have hit a piece of 1-5/8" 
thick Pyrex glass with a
hammer to make a break on a score (possibly to avoid cutting it).. my hammer 
bounced off like
I was hitting concrete. I am not saying that Pyrex is indestructable, but at 
thicker levels it's
pretty tough. I have tossed pieces onto the ground as if they were chunks of 
concrete, with
no major damage, ( ground, meaning grass lawn, not a rock laydened 
brickyard).
    Both of these glass substrates are very friendly to ATM"ers. I feel as 
(Jean-Guy) that plate
glass gets a bad reputation. Maybe it take's longer to settle down, but most 
plate glass is thin,....
    thus it does settle down, eventually...  Pyrex is much more calm , like 
plate glass on "decaff"
Pyrex is a great glass substrate (sp?) and everone should have some... 
BUT... For the ATM with
a small budget the Pyrex is sometimes out of the ball park. I know that some 
say it is worth the
cost , but the plate glass will still produce good mirrors... Many are 
spoiled with the other
option, but we all must remember that the magic can be made on the "green 
glass" too.., although
it may not re-act in the most perfect conditions, it still provides some 
very impressive reflections..
  For the Newbie, or the experienced ATM plate glass has always been around, 
and always will be
as a "last" resort, and the last resort comment always goes out the window 
after the final result.
   So many mirrors are of plate glass, with so little complaints..until you 
get too big, or too thin.,,
hell,.. when was the last time you heard of plate glass thicker than 1 
inch.. and if so it probably
isn't being made today, (someone tell me I am wrong, I would love to see a 
2" thick slab).
    To end I would like to tell any new ATM'ers that plate glass is not 
"taboo" just a little fickle,
and that Pyrex is prefered by the  majoritiy, and the other substrates are 
used by advanced ATMe'rs
and professionals... On this list there is a thin line sometimes,... that is 
between those who are           advanced and those who think they are,     
you know who you are...
   I just sit back and watch...
  One more comment, to James Mulherin,  If you have an optical flat of 16 
inch diameter with a
1/10th wave surface, find out who made it and tell him, or her to make some 
more...size does
matter.....       Russ Jocoy
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