irridizing or fuming glass

Hi Cheryl,

DO not waste your time with trying to roll it. The metals are applied by spraying. You have to heat the glass to the point that is glowing just before it starts to move then spray it. Your best results will be on base colors of blue or red glass. Also remember that most iridizing was done on soft glass. Boro's high temps will burn out the color effects you desire.

Mix the chlorides down in distilled water. You can fashion a sprayer out of glass tubing. My dad would use about 8 mm tubing. You draw down one end of each to a point leaving an orifice of about 1 mm. weld the tubes together, one point over the other, at a 90 degree angle using a piece of rod as a brace. Have one point blowing over the top of the second point. The open end of the second point is put in your solution. Use compressed air attached to the open end of the top tube. This will create a ventury effect and draw the solution up the tube and atomize it.

Definitely use some good ventilation! My father spent years in the garage trying to re discover these lost techniques. Spraying is the only way to go.

My dad passed away last Oct. And my mom passed away last month. One of the reasons I have been absent from this list. It is in their memory that I am sharing this info that my father worked so hard to learn.

Please check out some of his and my uncles work.

So in the famous words of our govenator....." I'll be bach! "

good luck,

Randy Hansen SC Glass Tech San Diego, CA

In addition to other comments, note that this is a surface effect and that you have to apply a reducing flame to get the effect. In other words, you are spraying on a thin, thin coat of metal oxide or chlorides to the hot glass and and then using a gassy flame to pull the oxide or chloride off the metal compound, leaving a thin coating of metal that varies in thickness and thus gives varying color effects. Since it is an area effect, it may not be as effective on beads as dichroic.

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you desire.

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the garage

only way to go.

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memory that I am

R.H.:

Please have my sympathies. Good to see a friendly voice back.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

Randy - thanks for the comments! I plan to use on SOFT glass - not boro - so should not have the burn-out problem.

I will probably just use a small pump type sprayer. I don't really want a "perfect" coating effect (Or a dichro effect) - I'm looking for a splatter effect - so a small used hairspray bottle ought to do the job for me fine.... I bought this stuff as a solution ...

So sorry on loss of your parents... I still have mine and feel extremely grateful that I have them still.

Thanks aga> Hi Cheryl,

PS ----

"Please check out some of his and my uncles work.

" DANG! COOL I am familiar with the majority of those pieces -- (i.e the original manufacturers) -- did they bring them back up in a kiln and then spray them???? That must have been tricky! That Fenton Santa Fairy Light is a popular piece as are many of the others...

Cheryl