Glass Chemistry & Silver Stain

It was interesting to note that some glasses, like GNA were difficult to stain whereas the tin side of float glass and Bullseye’s “Reactive Ice” were extremely sensitive to the stain. The notes in one text I studied suggested that clear glasses with a blue or green cast would stain better than those with a yellow cast. Another mentioned that clarifying agents added to make glass optically clearer can inhibit the stain. This may explain why historic glasses, which were less “pure”, took the stain better. Of the 3 mouth blown glasses I tested, the glass coming from Poland achieved the best color range. Bullseye’s “Reactive Ice”, mentioned above, is a glass used by fusers that has been formulated to react with other glasses containing silver or copper. It takes stain extremely well, if you can overlook its double-rolled texture.

BULLSEYE Clear fusible

BULLSEYE "Reactive Ice"

Float Glass (non-tin side)

Float Glass (tin-side)

Desag/Schott GNA

KRASNOW 

LAMBERTS

ST. JUST

SPECTRUM "System 96"

SPECTRUM "Waterglass"