Cemetery Rules, Regulations and the Cast Glass Memorial Glass is a non-porous, non-stainable and non-corrosive material. It is the reason laboratories use glass beakers and vials for scientific and medical research; the reason modern nuclear waste facilities store hazardous, radioactive material in glass-lined containers. Despite common myth, glass is not a liquid- it does not droop or melt over time. Archeologists have discovered primitive glass vases dating back over 4,000 years old, and modern skyscrapers break through the clouds skinned in glass walls. Architectural cast glass has quickly become the exciting alternative to granite, for use as countertops, doors, floors, water fountains and exterior sculpture. It is a rugged, proven material designed to last thousands of years. Silica is the most prevalent element on Earth. It is the sand on our beach and the foundation of our computer chips. Granite is considered a super-saturated silica stone, with a silica content ranging from 70-85 percent. Glass contains a silica content of 95-98 percent and holds many of the same properties as granite. The same tools and processes are used to cut, polish and carve glass, as that are employed with granite. Lundgren Monuments realizes that most cemeteries created specific rules and regulations to insure the aesthetic and structural longevity of the memorials on their grounds. With the deterioration of porous stones such as limestone, sandstone and marble, and the degeneration of ironwork, strict limits had to be set in order to insure the long-term aesthetic and upkeep of the cemetery. It is very common to see rules for monument materials reserved exclusively for granite and bronze. The majority of text outlining cemetery rules and regulations was drafted during a time of modest technical advance, a time where bronze and granite were the only durable, weather resistant options available. As time passed, technological advances have changed the properties and applications of glass as a sculptural medium. Only in the last 30 years has it been possible to cast thick slabs of architectural glass. A four-inch thick Lundgren Monument requires a carefully monitored cooling over a two-week period. This annealing process happens in a computer-controlled kiln, often cooling the glass one degree an hour for days on end. We are confident that upon close review and research, cemeteries around the world will recognize the structural similarities of glass and granite, and in many cases the superiority of glass as a memorial medium.
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