Q: Greasy Glass

It sounds like the bowl was laminated - some artists use a coating over the glass - sort of like poly for car finishes. That is why it clouds up while drying and then becomes clear after drying. I am not sure how to remove it - nail polish remover maybe, but you could ruin your bowl.

Denise Glitzy Glass Studio

Is the hazy bloom like a sweat? Can you wipe it off? My mom has a glass paperweight that when it's confined in her curio cabinet it develops a hazy sweat, it doesn't run off like when you have a cold drink on a hot day but you can wipe it off and it has a vinegar smell to it. I have been looking on the internet to see why this happens but haven't found anything on it yet.

Laura

Your mother's paperweight is devitrifying -- this is a chemical breakdown of the glass...

Crizzl> Is the hazy bloom like a sweat? Can you wipe it off?

The bloom looks like the white stuff you get on chocolate if you leave it in the fridge too long, or on grapes. It wipes off, or washes off, but it's back just a short while after it's dried. It has no odor that I can detect. The bowl doesn't appear to be coated except for a rim of fired-on gold.

(I also have a "greasy" paperweight with a vinegary smell, but it otherwise has no "bloom" (except for the perpetual coating of dust) and it doesn't sweat)

I'll have a go at giving the bowl a vinegar bath, and get back to you. If it doesn't help, I'm just going to toss it. Life's too short to be monkeying around with funky-looking bowls.

Arondelle

That happens when I acid etch glass beads - a kind of chalky white residue. I wash the beads in soap and water with a little vinegar and use a toothbrush to scrub the residue. It works very well.

Tink Martin - Art Glass Check here for available work:

I'm sure you're right. Only thing is that the glass surface is not becoming damaged or scarred or dull in any way. You wipe off the sweat and the glass looks as good as new. It's just weird. Anyway, I think I won't tell her that her paperweight is "diseased" since I bought it for her... hehehe Thanks a bunch for your diagnosis!

Laura