What is Slumped Glass?
Escape glass manufactures what is New Zealand's only toughened slumped glass product of its kind. The term slumped refers to glass that is patterned or textured.
The pieces are all handcrafted and are custom designed to meet the needs of each individual customer.
The inspiration for our pieces comes from the stunning scenery, nature, wildlife, birds and Kiwiana that New Zealand has to offer.
We make every piece to order; every project is unique, no two are the same.
We offer a wide selection of distinctive pattern glass that will enhance any interior and exterior design project with a touch of elegance. Unique patterns and textures are often used as a means of adding privacy or decorative elements to the design. Splashbacks, cabinet glass inserts, doors, door inserts, shower enclosures, balustrading, railings, partitions, glass furniture, privacy windows, accent windows, and more are some of the common applications. Various forms of safety glass can be fabricated from pattern slumped glass, such as insulated glass units, tempered glass, and laminated glass. Decorative pattern glass has become increasingly popular in homes. Our experienced glass reps can show you how to use slumped glass in your next design
The next step is to heat the glass and mold in a kiln or a specialized glass slumping furnace. The temperature and heating time depend on the thickness and type of glass being used. As the temperature rises, the glass begins to soften and becomes malleable. It reaches a point called the "slumping temperature" where it starts to sag under its own weight and conforms to the shape of the mold beneath it.
Gravity plays a crucial role in the slumping process. As the glass reaches its slumping temperature, it gradually begins to flow and slump down due to the force of gravity. The rate of slumping can be controlled by adjusting the temperature and the time the glass spends in the kiln. This allows artists to achieve different degrees of curvature and contour in their final pieces.
Slumped glass offers artists and designers a wide range of creative possibilities. The technique allows for the creation of functional objects with unique and organic shapes that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional glassblowing or other glassworking methods. It is commonly used in art glass, interior design, architecture, and even in commercial applications like lighting fixtures or decorative panels, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to various environments.
Simply put, slumping is a technique in which items are made in a kiln by shaping glass over molds at high temperatures. This means we can manipulate patterns and textures to customise glass for you!
WILL IT LOOK HANDMADE?
Due to the handmade nature of Escape slumped glass, patterns on a larger scale may vary slightly from the samples provided. Care should be taken when selecting textures as images and patterns may not overlap from panel to panel. The molding process may also cause random variations in background textures and expansion, contraction or toughening markings may be evident in the final product.
Slumped glass has two texturally different sides each with corresponding visual differences. For all splashbacks the smooth side is the side face out and the textured side will be adhered to the wall, for showers we would recommend the textured side face into the bathroom and the smooth side face the water for ease of cleaning. All Escape slumped glass is produced with fired edges so any additional edge work is not necessary.
WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU MAKE IN SLUMPED GLASS?
| Splashbacks Windows Doors Headstones Memorial Plaques Art Platters and Trays Mirrors |
Showers |
WHAT COLOUR CAN I HAVE?
Tinted glass is available in the following colors: green, blue, bronze and gray (subject to availability). I would like to point out that despite its tint, the glass is still transparent enough to be seen through.
Our Slumped glass can also be colour coated in opaque and metallic paint! We work with all Resene and Dulux colour ranges to apply almost any colour to the back of slumped glass. Great for matching walls, cabinetry, and being creative! Please note an element of metallic is added to each colour to allow for the 3D nature of our textured glass pattern to be visible. We also use clear glass where possible and our colours are matched to the swatch colour by neutralising the original colour to counteract the green of natural glass. We do not advise putting a piece of glass over a paint swatch to get an accurate idea of the finished product.
WHAT ARE THE SIZE SPECIFICATIONS?
Escape Glass is available in 6, 8, 10, 2, 15 and 19mm thick clear float glass.
Maximum panel size for 6 and 8mm is 3100x1250mm for 10 and 12mm it is 3100x1200mm.
CAN I ADD MY LOGO OR ANY IMAGES?
Of course you can, talk to us today on the various ways of making this happen and how it can be done. We can add shapes to any and all slumped glass.
WHAT PATTERNS ARE AVAILABLE?
We have over 35 slumped glass patterns
GLASS PATTERNS can be viewed here.
One of the most popular new patterns in the range is Subscape. It gives the appearance of subway tiles without the grouting. This pattern comes in a variety of sizes and colours from Resene or Dulux. Other popular choices include Natural Escape (Ferns), Conformity wavy lines and Schist Rock. 
CAN YOU MAKE MY GLASS ANY SHAPE? CAN IT HAVE CUT OUTS? HOW DO I MEASURE IT?
We offer standard and countersunk holes, plug cut-outs, radius's, corners, curves, and special cutouts. The diameter of the circular holes should not be less than the thickness of the glass, and their total area should not exceed 10% of the panel's overall area.
A flat glass border (generally 10 to 40mm wide) is provided where necessary to ensure ease of installation. This is perfect when glass is required for channel in a shower etc.
For all panels, Escape Glass requires finished/tight glass sizes. There is a tolerance of plus or minus 3mm from the quoted size on all panels, we will make all the required allowances ourselves.. For all custom shapes that are not standard, templates must be provided, clearly marked with hole diameters and cutouts. Regardless of the size of the job, we reserve the right to judge it on an individual basis.
HOW LONG WILL MY GLASS TAKE? AND WHAT IF THERE IS A FLAW OR MISTAKE?
In addition to excellence, Escape Glass strives for customer satisfaction and incredibly designed products. Orders are usually delivered within 4-6 weeks, but we strive to achieve our 95% on-time delivery target. If your order is incorrect, we'll send you a replacement panel within 3-4 weeks. Since our products are made in Southland, New Zealand, you will not have to wait 3-6 months for materials. There will be no defects, flaws, or white hazing on your glass products, which is often apparent on low-quality offshore glass.
Depending on the size and complexity of the project, this process may take weeks or even months. It is not uncommon for a single piece of glass to require tens if not hundreds of hours of work! So if it's a little late please keep this in mind.
Our customers demand perfection and this is not something that can be rushed. One chip or incorrect dimension can rarely be remedied (regardless of what stage in the process the glass is at) and mean that the manufacturing must be restarted.
75% of all slumped glass is toughened. Our toughening is done on Fridays in another part of the South Island (right at the other end), so all glass goes on a road trip! This unfortunately drags out the time frame a little. All slumped glass jobs are expected to be complete in up to 6 weeks. This does not always allow for the shipping as there can be natural disasters, crazy weather and things out of our control that hold this process up.