Hi All,
A friend is into B&W photography and we thought a B&W stained glass panel might look pretty cool. Like an Ansel Adams print done in glass - clear, grey scale colors. Has anybody tried this? Know of any links to examples we could check out. Maybe when I get a little better I'll give it a try.
Thanks, Scott Ecelberger
I don't expect that you'll be able to find the equivalent of 7 f/stops worth of range in glass colors like Ansel was able to capture on film.. Greys are not one of the more popular colors in stained glass, and mostly they aren't a true neutral gray, in that they tend to have a green or blue tinge. You'll probably want to make sure that you select glass from the same manufacturer to eliminate the noticability of the tinges of other colors.
"Smoke" and similar grey colours are usually made with a combination of light-absorbing species to get an approximately even absorption of light through the visible spectrum.
The classic method of decolorising bottle glass is to use a mixture of cobalt and selenium to counteract the green colour of the iron impurity. Sometimes you get pink, sometimes you get grey and sometimes you get green or blue predominating when you view the glass in the bottom of the bottle.
Balance and oxidation/reduction levels are critical to get a good colour, which can still vary from batch to batch in the same firm.
You can probably get 4-7 different grays using a combination of GNA and full antique. Then plate the back with translucent white.
Stained glass paint, kiln or oven fired, would certainly provide the greys you desire. Also sandblasting flashed glass can approximate halftones. Obviously these solutions require some equipment and skills that could be a deterrent. Lots of fun though.
You might have a larger choice of various shades if you think monochromatic rather than black and white.
Chunk
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