Basic prism question

Dec 28, 2005 9 Replies

I have no backgroung in glasswork, but was entranced by a glass cube (3 inch cube) that I belive was made of small prisms. A white light was shone from underneath and presumably split within the cube by the many prisms and them shone out. Each visible face of the small prisms on the outside face of the cube displayed a differant color - very defined and individual colors. The overall view was of a glass cube that was lit from within and shone about 20 different colors out from its faces. Blues next to reds next to greens etc. with each maybe half inch prism face a differant color. I saw this in an art shop but have been unable to locate anything like it again. I would love to make one myself (I make jewelry and metalcrafts so I feel I could probably manage it with the right imformation) I wonder if anyone could guess how the light would come to be split into individual colors so well and directed to the individual faces on the outside. I guessed prisms but I could be wrong - someone with more knowledge on the refraction of light could have a better idea.



What kind of shapes of glass were used? What kind of glass/plastic would do? What glue to use?



I appreciate I'm not giving much information and am asking a lot - but I have done some web surfing and am none the wiser so I thought I would give this group a shot.



Thanks



It sounds like a cube made with Austrian Crystal or perhaps cubic zerconium...maybe even a plastic resin. The light could be either a halogen or LED. Without seeing a pic of this it's pretty hard to tell you what it is or how it was made.

Andy

Check this out, go to the photo galleries.

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not what you saw but if it is they cost in the $thousands.

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read the studio tour, it explains how they are made.

Different faces had different colors.

My guess would be laminated dicroic (spelling?) to clear cristal, glued, cut and polished.

Different faces had different colors.

My guess would be laminated dicroic (spelling?) to clear cristal, glued, cut and polished.

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Probably not what you saw but if it is they cost in the $thousands.I don't see the peice here - but this is the closest work I have seento it. I did ask the art shop owner when it I saw it (about a year ago)and he said it would cost about $2500 - so maybe this is THE guy,unless there are other people producing this sort of work?The peice I saw had no 'icluded objects' like most of the work in thephoto gallery - it was just glass or crystals.Assuming it was the laminated dicroic crystals - are these expensive. Iwould still like to have a go at this sort of work in the future butwould be hampered by a low budget.Anyway - thanks for the guesses and link - if nothing else it has piqedmy interest.

check out

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They sell the type of equipment needed for this type of work

Use an incandescent bulb for illuminating any sort of prism or diffraction grating. Fluorescents and LEDs have line emissions rather than full-spectrum emissions and so the "rainbow" they produce is just a series of 3 or 4 coloured spots, not a continuous band.

Thanks Vic - this guy actually has a peice on his gallery which is really close to what I saw too - Dichroics seem to be the key. Thanks for the advice.

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