Texaco Just Ain't the Same

The local Texaco (pronounced hereabouts with the 'a' as you do with the first 'a' in 'Animal and with the emphasis on the 'a') has gone through some changes. It's back to just being a gas station. You can't get your welding or burglar bars made, nor can you get your glass and screen needs taken care of there.

I'm not sure where the welding shop moved to, but I did find the glass shop. They're now located directly across from Northern Tire Co. on 7th Avenue here in Corozal.

It's known as the Corozal Glass Shop, and do they ever have a full-service shop. I had gone there to see about getting a couple panes of Plexiglass (Perspex to the Brits) to replace our doggie doors that were beginning to fail. In fact, one of them had failed entirely, the other not far behind.

Cutting My Plexiglass

This is a large shop and when the owner found out that I knew a bit about stained and leaded glass, well, that was that. He had to show me the whole shop.

While my Plexiglass was being cut, I got the grand tour. This place has just about everything you could want in a glass shop.

Beveling and Cutting

The machine above is a high-end water-cooled beveling and cutting machine with magnetically attached grit grinders for beveling and diamond blades to cut smaller pieces of glass. It also can do polishing and a few other things as well.

Floor Mounted Grinding/Polishing Machine

The large machine above is a floor mounted grinder that can handle up to 1/2" thick glass. This is something none of the glass shops in Belize City (and maybe anywhere else in Belize) have. It takes two people to operate it.

Half-Inch Thick Round of Glass Partially Smoothed

What started the whole conversation, was when I went in, my eye was immediately attracted to the large racks of multi-colored glass. I asked if he carried lead 'came' or copper foil for leaded glass work. That excited the owner.

Some of the Racks of Glass

The Corozal Glass Shop has virtually everything you need for sliding glass doors, and, in short just about everything you need for any glass project (except the lead came - but that might be coming if there's enough interest).

Lots of Glass, Fittings and Glass Tools

 Large Sheets of Glass

One interesting thing that he's working on is acquiring a glass tempering furnace. The first one he found, they wanted about $500,000 BZD for it, but he said it required at least 30 feet of space and he only had 20 feet available. He is pursuing some other furnaces. Then, this truly will be a 'full-service' glass shop.

Stop by and see what the Corozal Glass Shop has to offer. You'll be surprised.