Ben Caldwell Artist is the result of crushing glass with a mill. It is a versatile filler and can be used as a substitute for other materials like silica powders. Milled glass is normally sourced from recycled container, consumer or industrial waste and is commonly high in Na2O and CaO (soda lime glass).

During technical examination of paintings it has been discovered that many fifteenth- and sixteenth-century artists in northern Europe used colourless powdered glass to modify the working properties of oil paint. It appears in both painting and decorative glass, as well as in a number of historical documentary sources. This paper discusses the use of powdered glass in these works, including its effect on the drying time and properties of the paint, and compares it with other additives that have been reported.

Creating Unique Art with Powdered Glass, Copper, and Strategic Sculpting

Finely milled glass can be pulverized to a range of particle sizes from 2 microns to 20 microns. It is also possible to grind it down into very small granules for use in the electronic industry. In such applications, Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems recommends the Alpine Super-Orion ball mill in a circuit with an Air Classifier. For very fine applications, the Hosokawa Alpine Stratoplex and ATP classifiers are available with Aluminum Oxide classifier wheels.

Glass is one of the hardest materials to process, with its high Mohs hardness and sharp edges upon fracture. It requires durable, field-proven equipment and processes for successful grinding. Despite its difficult nature, powdered glass is a very useful material for a variety of applications.