exploding glass

pwd

A wine glass exploded inside the kitchen cupboard. We were in the bedroom (2 room flat). There was no heating on, nobody else in, no unusual or loud noises - no apparent cause at all. The stem of the glass was still standing on the shelf. The cup part of it had exploded everywhere - bits at the back and front of the cupboard and inside other glasses in the press.

Googling revealed the folowing:

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00506.htm

http://www2.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn-archive1/posts/topic20020.shtm

and so on. I've no idea how old the glass was - it as here when we move in -so it could have taken any number of knocks before that -though we moved in over 6 months ago.

I think it was down to a dodgy/damaged glass and some very minor change in its environment that caused an unusual effect. It seems common enough, if very weird, so I don't think there was a supernatural cause.
I'm interested what others might make of it though

stevenmu

I've no explanations for it, but I have seen it too. I opened a press one day to find the stem of a glass standing there and glass shards scattered all around the press. I also dropped a glass bottle one time and it just sat there for a fraction of a second, and just when I was feeling relieved that it hadn't smashed, it did.

I always suspected it was just down to different pressures and stresses in the glass building up over time and then some change in the enviroment causing it to let go. I've never really considered any paranormal explanations for it, but I'd love to hear some if anyone has any ?

sophiemarie

One summer when I was working in a pub a large, empty bottle of Gin just exploded. Nothing came into contact with it or knocked it or anything like that. I think it's because of a change of gases in the athmosphere that cause a chemical reaction, like when it's too hot or something.

beans

I used to work in a bar in Dublin City Centre, and have been privvy to exploding bottles myself. Bottle of Aftershock literally blew up one night after hours leaving red and glass everywhere. Put it down to atmospherics + a flaw in the glass myself.

Funny thing is, later while we were discussing it, there was an almighty bang from the main room of the club, akin to the joining door being slammed in it's frame. Rattled the walls. Thing is, the door was locked, and everyone in the building was sitting around one table talking. Freakiest thing I've ever experienced :eek:

Miss Fluff

It's weird but only a few weeks ago my Mum was discussing someone she really is not well disposed to (or them to my Mum), someone we rarely discuss and when she mentioned her name, the empty wine glass in front of her smashed into a million smithereens. Unnerving!

Owen

There's nothing paranormal about shattering glass. We were dissassembling a display cabinet at work, and had to remove a plate of glass, 1.5cms thick, 1.8 m x 1.8m, I had it held with a mate on 2 suction handles. As we removed the plate, the tiniest sliver of glass was scraped off the edge near the bottom. The sliver couldn't have been more than half a mil thick, and 8 mils long. We both noticed it and shrugged it off. Within seconds, the whole panel shattered into 5 mil pieces and we were left with two suction holders, and glass everywhere.

I was speaking to a Glazer later in the week who was buying something from me, and he mentioned just how easy it is to damage glass on the microscopic level and how constant heating and cooling (Diswashers, washing by hand) can adversely affect the glass' stuctural integrity. He said he's heard it all from glasses smashing by themselves, to what happened to us.

Oryx

Yeah Ive had this happen, wine glasses going pop. Lately I took a glass beer tankard out of the cupboard and the base fell off like you took it off with a lazer, lol. I blame the dishwasher, because the stuff gets so hot in there.

stevenmu wrote:

I also dropped a glass bottle one time and it just sat there for a fraction of a second, and just when I was feeling relieved that it hadn't smashed, it did.

And steve I broke a bottle of wine lately too. The darn thing hit the tiles, bounced and didnt break... till it hit the floor the second time. :rolleyes:

6th

Just to show what pressure can do to glass in ways you wont expect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV1cjdQC7gw