Uroboros System 96 Glass Products

System 96 is a family of fusible glass products designed and produced to work together both technically and artistically in every facet of the hot glass arts. They are produced jointly by Uroboros Glass in Portland, Oregon, and Spectrum Glass of Woodinville, Washington. We are dedicated to making the glass arts affordable, accessible and friendly for everyone.

System 96 users are passionate about the brand. The glass is soft and forgiving to cut. Surfaces are largely smooth and uniform. Compatibility is assured, “devit” is practically non-existent, and the blended price of the Uroboros and Spectrum products will save you money. And System 96 is the perfect expansion point glass for artists and schools who demand the most versatile glass available. Since most clear blowing glass in studios and schools worldwide is formulated around 95 or 96 COE, System 96 products are the right choice for work utilizing and combining fusing, casting, torchworking, and blowing techniques. 

For more info on System 96 from Uroboros and Spectrum Glass, please visit www.System96.com. 

Uroboros products in the System 96 group include: 

• Over 150 sheet products
• More than 1500 frit products
• More than 125 rod products
• Many Noodle and Stringer products
• Specially formulated Casting Billets and Rocks for thick cast work
• Glass blowing colors
• And, many textures of our clear and black are available with dichroic coatings from suppliers worldwide. 

The Uroboros Compatibility Testing Program

We are serious about consistent quality in our tested compatible products! Our tested compatible glasses undergo the most rigorous testing in the industry. During production, every square foot of every sheet of our tested compatible glass is examined in polarized light to insure that it is free of stress or contamination, even if it’s invisible to the naked eye. 

After this visual test, every tenth sheet in each production run, as well as frit, stringer, noodle, and billet post production samples, are fuse tested against our Master Standard test glass. Strain in fuse tests is measured on a calibrated polariscope, as shown below. Using this system we can measure not only the precise quantity of strain, but whether the strain is in tension or compression. Only products that test within plus/minus 45 nm/cm of stress birefringence in polarized light are graded as ‘tested compatible’. This is equivalent to a maximum of plus or minus 250psi of internal stress at any glass to glass contact point, or approximately plus or minus less than ½ COE point.

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How do we perform our fuse tests? We use and recommend the Reynolds Interface Compatibility Test (RICT). This edge-to-edge seal test provides the most accurate test results in the industry, and is a close match to the International Standards Organization’s method for measuring stress in glass to glass seals: ISO 4790.  It is also described in detail in Gil Reynolds' The Fused Glass Handbook. Gil's highly useful book is available from most suppliers or from his website.