Now that you have seen the many ways people use chicken wire glass, we thought it would be interesting to take a step back and look at the origins of this amazing product.
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First, we need to start with chicken wire itself, which was invented in by British ironmonger Charles Barnard. The son of a farmer, Barnard wanted to help his father by finding a way to keep wayward chickens from fleeing the coop.
Inspired by the cloth-weaving machines common in his home town of Norwich, Barnard developed a way to manufacture a mesh fence out of thin, flexible galvanized steel wire twisted into hexagonal patterns.
The idea took off and a company was born. Barnard, Bishop & Barnard later produced and sold chain-link and other types of wire fencing internationally.
Chicken wire is used today to build cages for small animals or to protect plants from hungry squirrels and chipmunks. Creative people have adopted this versatile material in dozens of other clever ways, including making sculptures, baskets, picture frames and even chandeliers.
As for embedding chicken wire in glass, we need to go back to . Coca Cola was sold in bottles for the first time and the Tower Bridge in London opened for traffic. What is the significance of these two facts to chicken wire glass? Glass-enclosed rooftops became trendy, raising concerns about breakage and safety.
But innovative glass manufacturers managed to come up with a solution. The Pilkington Group, headquartered in St. Helens, United Kingdom, was among the first to manufacture chicken wire glass that year.
The process consisted of sandwiching steel wire mesh between two separate ribbons of semi-molten glass and then passing &#;the sandwich&#; through a pair of metal rollers that squeezed the wire and glass together. The temperature at which the wire is embedded in the molten glass ensures cohesion between the metallic netting and the glass, and the two materials become as one.
This marriage creates a glass of extraordinary strength. A quarter-inch-thick piece is just as strong as a half-inch-thick piece of ordinary glass. It will not shatter like plate or skylight glass, thus it is often used for overhead work where falling shards would create danger.
In addition, chicken wire glass is a good fire retardant; the wire mesh keeps glass shards from falling, thereby preventing flames from spreading.
It is practically burglar-proof and missile proof, which is why you&#;ll see chicken wire glass used in schools, banks, museums, prisons, airports and jewelry shops. You can also find it in interior glass screens, partitions, balustrades, display windows and showcases.
Beyond its practical safety benefits, chicken wire glass is valued for its beauty. Chicken wire glass can be made with a maize-like design, ribbed, rough-rolled or as a clear polished plate. Dimensions vary. A piece can be 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2-inch thick, up to 40 inches wide, and up to 100 inches long. The wire is so thoroughly covered that rust or corrosion are highly unlikely.
Additionally, this type of glass intercepts 99 percent or more of incoming ultraviolet rays, protecting furniture near windows from discoloration caused by exposure to direct sunlight. If you don&#;t like shutters, this is the glass for you. It also provides good sound insulation.
If you feel like chicken&#;
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If you&#;re interested in incorporating chicken wire glass in your renovation or building project, check out our inventory here. And lots more info on our specialized glass site.
Red Brand&#;s founder, Peter Sommer, built and repaired plenty of wooden fencing in his time. It was hard, back-breaking work. As a result, he sought an easier, better way to make fencing. He needed something that would last longer while protecting his valuable livestock. So, in , Sommer invented the first fence weaving machine.
Charles Bernard&#;s story is similar. He, too, was motivated to solve a problem. In , the Englishman set out to make a fence to protect the chickens on his father&#;s farm. Charles was inspired by the cloth weaving machines that were plentiful in his small town. As a result, by using wire instead of cloth, he created a new new product that came to be known as chicken wire, or poultry netting.
The product quickly spread throughout the world. Its first intended use was to protect a flock of chickens. But over the years, poultry netting has become a very versatile material for a variety of applications.
With hundreds of different breeds, chickens are unique animals. Found across the American landscape, these birds are a staple in most agricultural communities. Their small size and strong attraction for predators makes fencing chickens a unique challenge. Red Brand Poultry Netting is built with both animal safety and easy installation in mind.
Our poultry netting is available in either one inch or two inch hexagonal spacing. If you&#;re fencing baby chicks or smaller chickens, one inch spacing is likely your best option. Roosters and hens, however, will be safely secured behind two inch spacing.
Every roll of Red Brand poultry netting is reinforced with a supplemental horizontal wire. This feature is designed to help keep the fence straight and upright. The additional wires increase strength to help keep your chickens in and predators out.
Ranging from one-foot to six-foot tall, our netting can be used for a variety of projects. Shorter rolls provide an excellent pest-resistant garden barrier. Taller rolls form garden panels to keep pets out of plants and flowers. The mesh can also be used to support vegetables or as a trellis for vining plants.
Since it&#;s light-weight and flexible, poultry netting is an effective material for making coop structures and roofs for chicken runs. It&#;s also suitable for raising other types of fowl and protecting small animals like rabbits.
Barnard might be surprised to learn that his simple solution for chickens has many other uses. The material is commonly used for non-agricultural applications like framing for parade floats and stucco walls. And in many areas of the country, our product is sought after for use in the manufacturing of crab pots.
When our poultry netting is woven, each twist in the wire is paired with a reverse twist. As a result, the finished product will unroll flat, making the installation process easier. The mesh is very pliable, conforming to all types of terrain. Each roll is galvanized with a coat of rust resisting zinc. This will increase the lifespan of your fence and decrease the need for future maintenance.
Red Brand understands that each project is unique, and there can be many solutions for your desired outcome. As you start to plan, be sure to ask your local Red Brand dealer for recommendations. They have the materials and tools you need to make your project a success.
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