Safety Glasses

Safety glasses, in our opinion, should always be worn while lampworking glass. Safety glasses protect the eyes from two possible dangers. Airborne splinters of glass from a breaking rod that has been heated too rapidly could potentially end up in the eye if safety glasses are not worn. High levels of IR and UV light, as well as visible light can damage the eyes if safety glasses are not worn.

We carry safety glass from the american manufacturer Phillips Safety. The ACE (Amethyst Contrast Enhancer) glasses that we carry, are especially designed for hot glass working. Not only do they filter 100% of the UV and IR light, they filter the sodium flare wavelength found within the visible light spectrum.

The ACE safety glasses that we offer are intended for use while working with soft glass (COE 104). If you are working with hard glass, also known as borosilicate glass (COE 33), you will want to wear a darker shade to protect your eyes against the higher light intensity. For that purpose we sell the welding line of "Clip-on-Flip-ups" from Phillips. They come in different shades. We carry shades 2, 3, 4, and 5. Shade 5 being the darkest that we carry and shade 2 being the lightest. Shade 2 is roughly comparable to the typical shade of sunglasses. Please be aware that the "Clip-on-Flip-ups" do not offer the ACE filter.