Glassine is a very thin and smooth type of paper which is air and water resistant. It is generally translucent unless dyes are added to color the paper or make it opaque.
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Manufacture
Glassine is manufactured by a process called calendering; after pulping and drying, the sheets are pressed through rollers such that the paper fibres flatten out facing in the same direction. In order to maximize the smoothness and thinness of the paper, glassine must go through this process several times, and so is referred to as supercalendered.[citation needed]
Usage
Glassine has a number of practical uses. It is frequently employed as an interleaving paper in bookbinding, especially for illustrations; the paper can be manufactured with a neutral pH, and can prevent damage from spilling, exposure, or rubbing. Glassine adhesive tape has also been used in book repair. In chemistry, glassine is used as an inexpensive weighing paper. It is also used in foodservice as a barrier between strips of products (e.g., meat, baked goods); glassine is resistant to grease and facilitates separation of individual foodstuffs.[citation needed]
Philatelists use glassine envelopes to store stamps, and stamp hinges are sometimes made of glassine.[1]
Amateur insect collectors sometimes use glassine envelopes to store specimens temporarily in the field before they are mounted in a collection. Entomologists collecting for research purposes may likewise use glassine envelopes to store whole specimens in the field. However, if the research involves DNA or other tissue analysis the relevant parts of the body (e.g. abdomen or testes) will typically be placed immediately into a preservative such as ethanol. When this is done for Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) the wings will often be separated and stored indefinitely in glassine envelopes in case the wing patterning or venation is required later to confirm the identity of a specimen.
Glassine envelopes have also been employed for carrying drugs such as cocaine and heroin.[2][3]
In the mid-20th century, potato chips were sometimes packaged in glassine bags.[4]
Glassine is sometimes used in the packaging of firecrackers.[5]
It is also commonly used as an outer covering on cardboard tubes, particularly those used in model rocketry, for strength and water protection.
References
- ^ http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/mounts_20000320/refreshercourse.asp?uID=
- ^ "60,000 Glassine Bags of Heroin Seized in Westchester". DEA. 2006-11-28. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/nyc112806a.html. "Law enforcement officers arrested Thevenin at that location and recovered two boxes containing approximately 60,000 individually packaged glassines of heroin."
- ^ "DEA 'Brand' Used to Market Heroin". DEA. 2008-08-04. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2008/nwk080408.html. Retrieved 2008-09-01. "the DEA raided NUNEZ’s residence in the early hours of July 31, where heroin glassine bags (used to package heroin) were found that contained the official DEA Agency emblem."
- ^ Burhans, Dirk E. (2008). Crunch: A History of the Great American Potato Chip, p.33. Terrace Books, Madison Wi. ISBN 9780299227708.
- ^ http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/208280733/Glassine_Paper.html
External links
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