Lexan has a much much lower melting point than glass. As far as glass goes, what do you think the lights themselves are made from?
Glass + Heat
- Thread starter jflng
- Start date
No plastic - just regular window glass is fine. Melting point has nothing to do w/ it. It's all about stress, expansion, contraction...
A single 96W PC bulb is quite enough to crack a glass top if left too close. If you put 2-3" between glass & lights, you should be OK.
One more consideration - if you have a black plastic center brace, lay a layer or two of white plastic (like grocery bag) between it & your lid. This will prevent overheating of the center portion of your lid.
A single 96W PC bulb is quite enough to crack a glass top if left too close. If you put 2-3" between glass & lights, you should be OK.
One more consideration - if you have a black plastic center brace, lay a layer or two of white plastic (like grocery bag) between it & your lid. This will prevent overheating of the center portion of your lid.
That is probably true about lexan. I'm sure a lamp's glass has a higher temperature rating than other types of glass however.
I wasn't worried about melting, just cracking. My lamps will be placed 2-3 inches above the glass.
I'm not sure I follow about the white plastic. Do you mean a black plastic hinge in the glass? As of yet, I don't even have glass. I'm still deciding how I want it cut. How will the white plastic prevent overheating?
Window glass is looking like the best way to go. I can just keep an eye on it. Hopefully I will notice cracks before they get too bad.
