I wanted to test a variety of clear glasses to learn how the silver stain would react with their different chemistries. 1” x 4” samples were cut from different types of clear glass. Included in the group were mouth-blown glass from Lamberts (GERMANY), St. Just (FRANCE), and Krasnow (POLAND), and machine made GNA by Schott/Desag (GERMANY). The American lineup consisted of samples from Spectrum “Waterglass” and “System 96”, Bullseye fusible “Clear” & “Reactive Ice”, generic float glass tested on the tin & non-tin sides and a old sheet of non-float window glass (presumably manufactured prior to 1950) donated by Cliff Oster.
Ken- First of all you are insane for doing all this...and I mean that in a good way.
ReplyDeleteWas there a reason you left out Kokomo? Also, does it make a difference when staining flash glass if you stain the etched side or the smooth side of the glass?
Tim
Thanks Tim,
ReplyDeleteGood questions. I meant no slight to Kokomo but I used the glass I had in my racks. I primarily work with mouth blown antique and GNA. What really hurt was not having any Fremont or Blenko in the mix but when I finally rolled up my sleeves and started the samples - there wasn't a scrap in my studio. I did add the Bulleye "Reactive Ice" which intrigued me since it's formulated to react with silver & copper bearing glasses. And after the study, I tried staining a rondel spun out from Spruce Pine batch which they use in the Wheaton factory but the results were nothing stellar. Now that I've set the bar, I'm hoping others will enrich the knowledge base.
As to the flashed glass question. The stain will take differently on each side because of the different chemistries of the colors. The clear side of Lamberts flash will stain like the Lamberts in my study samples. Checked with the factory and the formula of their clear sheet is the same used to make the flashed glass. I would expect the same story with St. Just but I did not have a contact with that factory.
Great Blog Ken way to go
ReplyDeleteBarbara