Dichroic Extract video

Our brand new online retail artist supply shop, Harrach Supply Store, will be carrying Dichroic Extract by Coatings by Sandburg Inc., soon! We found this YouTube video on their webpage, made by Glasscraft which shows the extract being applied to a piece of sandblasted glass.  The extract has no specific COE which allows glass artists the ability to use it on all types of glass.  Click here to view the video.

Video showing how to make simple fused glass pendants with Dichroic glass

If you are new to fusing glass and want to see how to create some great yet very simple Dichroic Glass pendants or earrings, click on the link below.  The video was made by Chewysmum and found on YouTube.

Click here to view video: Fused Dichroic Glass Pendant Video

What is Dichroic glass, short video

This is a nice YouTube video to watch if you are wondering what is Dichroic glass!  A lot of people see Dichroic glass jewelry and even fused glass items for sale online but don't know what it really is.

Click here to watch the video.

How to etch Dichroic glass

Chances are if you go to an art fair these days you will find at least one stall selling dichroic---or bicolored--- jewelry. This colorful, iridescent glass experienced a surge in popularity a few years ago, and the fad shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Part of the appeal of dichroic glass is that you can make it at home with a simple kit. But why not go one step further? With a few glass-etching tools, you can engrave your own dichroic glass for a unique look.

Photo courtesy of Harrach Stained Glass

Instructions:

Draw your engraving design on the dichroic glass with a sharp crayon. It is difficult to get a lot of detail if you're working on a small piece, though. In these cases, simply draw a vague outline of your design to help you establish the proportions.

Etch the glass lightly using hand-held, diamond-tipped etching tools. The point here is to etch a light impression of your design without going very deep. You are making a "sketch" of your design that you will flesh out later. 

To etch the glass, simply drag the diamond tip of your tool across its surface. The diamond particles will scratch the glass.

Wipe the wax crayon away with a cloth. The lightly etched design should remain.
Etch more deeply into your design. The deeper you go, the stronger your lines will be. Vary the line depth for a more dynamic look.

Wipe the ground glass from your etching away to reveal your design.

This wonderful article was written By Jennifer Meyer, eHow Contributor
click here to see the original article eHow, Engrave Dichroic Glass

How to fuse textured dichroic glass with a clear glass cap without loosing any texture, tutorial.

This tutorial is for artists who are wanting to fuse textured dichroic glass with a clear glass cap (ie piece of clear glass fused on top of the dichroic glass).

Artists new to fusing textured dichroic glass will sometimes get frustrated when trying to keep that textured look intact while fusing.  What typically happens is that when the textured glass is fused in the kiln, it flattens out and looses its textured appearance.  So the easiest fix for this little problem is quite simple; you will need to sprinkle some clear frit, with the same COE on top of the dichroic glass' textured crevices, then put the clear glass cap on top so that it lays flat.  If the clear frit seems to fall out of the edges of the piece you are planning to fire, use some thinned out Elmer's Glue or a bonding agent made specifically for glass fusing to hold the frit in place.  Just mix the Elmer's Glue with the frit and pack it on top of the dichroic glass.  It is easy to add other colored piece of glass (this includes dichroic glass too!),  frit, stringer and or noodles to this method by either placing them between the clear cap and the textured dichroic (and clear frit) glass to get a 3-D effect, or place those elements on top of the clear cap for a flat looking effect.

When fused, you will see that the dichroic glass now seems to have more depth and it's texture is intact!  Another different, yet fun effect, is to use the clear frit on top of textured dichroic glass with a black back on the bottom of the "sandwich" and instead of using a plain glass clear cap, use another pattern of clear dichroic glass (this time with a clear back) on top.  With the new fun patterns of dichroic glass available, you can create very exciting "scenes" using this method!

Types of glass used in stained glass art

This is an excellent article describing many types of glass used in creating art glass and their manufacturers,  found on the webpage Free Patterns for Stained Glass.


There are hundreds, probably thousands, of types of glass, with their different colors and textures, used in stained glass work. They all start out being one of the 2 basic types, cathedral or opalescent, then expand from there.

Cathedral glass is clear glass that you can see through. It comes in any color you could think of. It can have a texture on one side, or be smooth on both sides. It can be swirled or streaked with another color of cathedral glass.

Opalescent glass is glass that you can't see through. As with cathedral glass, opalescent glass comes in every color imaginable. It can have a texture on one side. It can be streaked or swirled with one or more colors of opalescent glass.

As you look through the examples below, you will see many variations of both cathedral and opalescent, some of them combining both types of glass in one single sheet of glass.

Each one of the types of glass you see below comes in a variety of colors, so don't think your only choice is the color shown.

At the end of this list I will give you the web site for each glass company so you can see all of the different types of glass each company makes.


Antique glass comes in several variations:

Full Mouth Blown Antique applies to art glass produced by the historical mouth-blown cylinder method and relies on the craftsmanship of a master glassblower. The glass is blown into a cylinder shape which is annealed and cooled. The cylinder is then scored lengthwise, separated, re-heated and folded out into a flat sheet. Characteristics include attractive linear striations, and small round, sometime oval bubbles or seeds. These small bubbles (known as seeds) are one of the most important characteristics. Antique glass can be used in any piece you make. It makes beautiful flowers, nice backgrounds, entire panels. The only drawback is the price. It's expensive!





Drawn Antique, also called semi-antique, machine antique or new antique, is a simulated full-antique. The textural striations are mechanically applied in these types of glass. Quality is excellent and cost is less than full antique. GNA (German New Antique) is a common example. Drawn Antique makes nice backgrounds and borders. Actually, it can be used anywhere in a panel. Make sure you cut it with the striations all going in the same direction.











3.Scribed Antique is simulated full antique introduced by Spectrum Glass in 1996 under the trade name Artíque®. The linear striations are scribed into the hot glass surface. Quality is excellent and cost is considerably less than full antique. Artique is used the same way as Drawn Antique.









Baroque™

Baroque is an exclusive glass made by Spectrum. It is a machine made "reamy" glass, created by combining glasses of mis-matched compositions. The different glasses "oppose" each other when they are stirred together, creating artistic 3-D swirls. Baroque glass works well in almost all designs. It makes wonderful skies, water, flowers, just about anything you can think of. The clear baroque makes a beautiful background. You do have to work with the swirls when you cut the pieces, so that adjoining pieces of glass have the swirls connected at the right place. Otherwise, the panel look jumbled. Baroque is one of the types of glass that I love to use for backgrounds, especially where I need "movement".





Bevels


Bevels are usually clear, thick plate glass with edges that have been ground and polished to an angle other than 90 degrees. Transmitted light is refracted and a prism-like effect results. They come in many sizes and shapes as well as clusters or sets. The clusters or sets make up a design entirely of bevels that can be incorporated in a stained glass panel. Single bevels make beautiful exterior and internal borders.












Cathedral Glass



Cathedral Glass is transparent single color sheet glass, with smooth or textured surfaces. Cathedral is one of the types of glass that beginners find easy to cut.















Catspaw




Catspaw is a surface texture resulting from the chilling of hot glass on a cool table. The appearance is likened to the paw prints of a cat. Catspaw can be used as a feature in a panel. You wouldn't want to make the entire panel out of Catspaw, but it might work well for flowers, animals, grass...depending on the color mix you get.











Crackle

Crackle glass is made like antique glass. The hot cylinder of glass is dipped in liquid, causing radical, random fissures in the glass. The cylinder is then reheated and further blown to heal the surface fissures. Resulting surface resembles the texture of alligator skin. Crackle Glass makes a nice background glass and it works well for borders. It is expensive compared to machine made stained glass.












Dichroic

Dichroic is a glass that has been coated with one or more ultra-thin crystalline layers of transparent metal oxides. The oxides enhance reflections at specific wavelengths of light resulting in striking effects with a brilliant change of color as you move your head while you're looking at it. It's very expensive and is usually sold by the square inch instead of the standard square foot. Dichroic Glass is mainly used in jewelry making and fusing (in a kiln), but it also works well in contemporary patterns with just a little bit used throughout the panel to catch the viewers eye.







Drapery Glass

Glass sheets with multiple dramatic folds, looking similar to folds in hanging drapes. Drapery Glass is a specialty glass, not used very often by the hobbyist, but I just wanted you to know about it. It's difficult to cut due to the huge variation in thickness. I've seen it used in contemporary designs giving a wonderful effect, and, of course, it can be used for flowing robes as seen in many church windows.












English Muffle


English Muffle is one of the types of glass produced by the Wissmach Glass Company. Originally popular in Victorian windows, English Muffle glass is being reintroduced in both restoration and contemporary stained glass work. English Muffle glass is known for its traditional muted colors, its highly refractive texture and crystalline quality. The texture appears as a non-directional ripple, allowing for minimal waste. English Muffle is one of my favorite glasses to work with. It's perfect for traditional and Victorian panels.








Fracture and Streamer

This is one of the many unique types of glass manufactured by the Bullseye Glass Company. Thin glass chips or shards (fractures) and/or glass string (streamers) are arranged on the casting table before the glass is poured, and thus pressed into the glass sheet as it is formed. Fracture and Streamer glass makes a beautiful background for a floral theme panel, or if the panel is a scene, it works well to emulate flowers in the distance. It's also nice for a beautiful box.









Gluechip

Gluechip is texture created on the surface of cold glass by applying hot animal glue and allowing it to dry under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. As the glue dries and contracts, it chips the glass surface in a natural and attractive pattern, likened to frost on a window pane. Glue chip glass makes nice borders, and the lighter colors make good background glass.












Iridescent

Iridescent is a surface treatment in which a layer of metallic oxide is bonded to the hot glass surface just after sheet-forming, resulting in a colorful, shimmering effect. Many different glasses are available with an iridescent surface. Clear, textured iridescent glass is perfect for angel wings. Many iridized glasses work well for borders and accent pieces in a panel, and also make beautiful boxes and kaleidoscopes.












Jewels



A piece of glass that has been cut and faceted or press-molded into a geometric shape like a jewel. Jewels are often incorporated into stained glass projects.





Nuggets


Nuggets are also called glass gems or globs. They are a small, irregularly shaped "glob" of glass, flat on the bottom, rounded across the top. Nuggets are made by literally dropping a small amount of molten glass onto a flat surface. Like the jewels above, they are often incorporated into stained glass projects.








Opal or Opalescent

Any glass which is opaque (you can't see through it). There are degrees of opacity, with some types of glass being a mix of cathedral and opaque, giving you a semi opaque. For instance, you could have an opaque white and a cathedral blue swirled together giving you a semi opaque streaky glass. Opalescent glass comes in one solid color or multi colored with a two, three and four color mix. If it is multi colored, no two pieces of glass will ever look exactly alike due to the way the colors are mixed after they come out of the furnace. Opalescent Glass glass can be used any way you can imagine. It's extremely versatile...trees, flowers, leaves, grass, sky, borders, lampshades, boxes, you name it.





Ring Mottle



Ring Mottle Glass is an opalescent glass in which rates of crystal growth have been controlled to create ring-shaped areas of opacity. The effect is a visual surface mottling. Ring Mottle is a glass that won't be used often, but you will occasionally see a place for it. It does makes nice flowers and leaves, and is beautiful in lampshades.











Seedy




Seedy Glass is glass in which air bubbles are entrapped. Air or gas is injected into the molten glass prior to forming the sheet. Seedy glass makes a good background and border glass. This is one of the types of glass that takes some getting used to when you cut it.










Streaky Glass




Streaky Glass is two or more cathedral glasses mixed together to create a multi-colored glass sheet. Some use this term also to describe Mixed Opalescent glass as described above. Streaky Glass can be used the same way opalescent glass is used (above).











Textured Glass

Textured Glass is made by rolling and embossed roller over the hot glass after it's been poured on the table. One of the forming rolls is embossed with a texture that is imprinted on the glass as the sheet is formed. This produces glass smooth on one side and textured on the other. Some of these types of glass are "hammered," "granite," and "muffle." Textured glasses make great backgrounds, borders, geometric shapes such as diamonds. One of my designs has 5 trees in it, and I used textured glass, in large pieces, to give the appearance of leaves on the trees.

Waterglass




Waterglass is made by Spectrum Glass exclusively. The surface texture is created by stretching the hot glass sheet while it is still in a malleable state. The result is gentle, rolling waves that resemble the surface of a lake, stream, sky or grass. The pale colors make beautiful background glass.








Wispy




Wispy Glass is a Spectrum Glass innovation. Mixed opalescent glass with only thin wisps of white, like lazy cloud trails. Wispy glass works well for flowers, leaves, clothing such as a fairy's dress, boxes...the more you work with it, the more uses you'll find for it.



















Manufacturers of Glass Showing The Kinds of Glass They Make


The following links will take you to various glass manufacturer's web sites. Each one will open to their glass sample page so you can see the types of glass they make. You'll also find links to virtual tours of some of their factories giving you the opportunity to see how glass is actually made.


Armstrong Glass Company

Bullseye Glass Co.

Profusion Glass (Dichroic Glass)

Lambert Antique Glass This site is from Germany and is written in German. Click on "Produkte", then "Mundgeblasene Flachglaser", then click on each one of the drop down boxes, to the right, to see the types of glass they make. If you have the time and feel inclined to watch, here's a 9 minute video from Lamberts that goes into detail about making antique glass.Making Antique Glass


Kokomo Opalescent Glass and Take a Tour of the Factory

Spectrum Glass Company and here you can take a Virtual Tour of how they make their glass.

Youghiogheny Glass and a Tour of their glass making facility.

The Paul Wissmach Glass Mfgs

Chicago Art Glass

Uroboros Glass

I hope you have enjoy learning about the different types of glass used in stained glass work. This isn't a complete list, but it covers the majority of glass used most frequently. As you will notice when you look at the manufacturer's web site, each company has some of their own unique glass types that aren't made by any other company. You'll also see textures that I didn't mention above. There are so many different textures, it would take an entire page to list them all.








Buying Glass


Use the manufacturer's web sites to choose colors when you're ready to work on a project. Then when you want to buy the glass, you'll have a good idea of the colors you want. You might not find the exact brand and color code, but you will be able to find something similar. Every stained glass shop does not carry all of the brands and their respective colors. That would be an enormous inventory for any business.

Whenever possible, shop for your glass locally. It's much easier to pick it out by looking at the exact piece rather than ordering online where you might get a piece with a color mix you don't like, or the streaks going in many directions when you wanted them going one way only.

I'm definitely not against ordering stained glass supplies online ...I do it frequently. However, whenever possible, I buy my glass locally, or go to my wholesaler and look at the glass, so I can choose the types of glass that are exactly what I want. If I need to order glass I don't order it online. I actually call the business and talk to them about what I need. I've had great service from Delphi Glass, with them sometimes actually going to the warehouse to describe swirls, streaks, etc to make sure I get exactly what I need.

Lastly, when you buy glass, be sure to ask for the manufacturer's name and the color code for the glass. Write it down and keep it in a safe place. You never know when you might want another piece, and just describing the glass to the lady in the stained glass shop might draw a blank stare!

Making fused glass jewelry by Aanraku Glass Studios

Today we decided to share a link to an older thirteen page tutorial written by Aanraku Glass Studios in 2004.  It teaches glass artists how to make fused glass pieces for jewelry, such as pendants or earrings in a kiln.  The page is full of great information for anyone new to fusing, and even for artists that are experienced, but looking for a different fusing technique.

We noticed that Aanraku used a large piece of dichroic glass for this tutorial.  We advise newbies to use a MUCH SMALLER piece to practice with!  As we all know, dichroic glass is quite expensive.

Click here to read the tutorial, Aanraku Stained Glass Fusing Tutorial 

wine stoppers by Harrach Glass

wine stoppers 1, a photo by harrachglass on Flickr.

Don't forget about using fused glass on wine stoppers. Wine lovers love these eye catching beauties. They also make great gifts for all occasions.

Glass fusing in a microwave oven!

by Glass Fusing Made Easy
http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com




After doing some research about the subject of glass fusing in microwave, this is all the information that I have gleaned. There is not much information on the internet about these kilns, but they seem to be gaining in popularity lately.

These are very small kilns; actually a small ceramic piece that you can just put in your microwave oven and the concentrated heat inside will melt the glass.

They can be seen for sale on eBay for about $100. Sounds like a nice inexpensive way to get into fusing, but it has very limited space, and you will still need to anneal the glass in a kiln. Besides the limited space, the glass can heat unevenly and be hard to control. For the amount of money you are spending on this tiny kiln, you could purchase a used kiln. I would recommend putting your money towards a small tabletop kiln. These glass fusing in microwave kilns can give you only a tiny taste of what it is like to fuse glass in a kiln. 

The suppliers for these kilns are in Switzerland and Japan. The microwave kilns are about 4” in Diameter. These kilns are designed for making small jewelry pieces. The internal temperature goes up to 850 C degrees. So you can melt glass or fuse it. It has been suggested that if you preheat the small kiln with the glass inside on defrost for about five minutes before you do a full fuse, you will enable you to have more control.

Simply line the small chamber with some thin fire paper to prevent sticking. Cut tiny pieces of glass and place them in the kiln. You will need to play around with the surface tension and the size of the piece to get the shape you desire. It takes about 3-4 minutes to melt the glass. Glass Fusing in microwave takes a lot of attention, as you don’t have control and the glass could melt into a glob in no time at all. Allow to cool completely before opening the chamber.

Some people feel that it is not wise to fire dichroic or iridescent glass in this kiln, while others say that that is just a myth. If you purchase a Microwave kiln, please be sure to read all the instructions and ask questions.