Hi all - I've been fusing for a few years but have not used dichroic glass. I have a project where I will use dichro. My question is whether I should cap the dichro with thin clear? What happens if it is not capped vs when capped. I am planning on using CBS thin black dichro. Another question re black vs clear dichro - pros and cons?
Feel silly having to ask these questions but I have 0 experience with this glass and don't have a lot of time to experiment.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
candy
old fuser new to dichro has question
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Candy Kahn
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2003 9:24 pm
- Location: Southern Oregon
Dichro
This is coming from a newbie in general, but I have been playing around alot with CBS dichro, both clear and black. Here are some things I have noticed: With Black based, you will get the most reflected light from the dichro making it stand out alot more-the clear will allow whats underneath to show through (and change its color--my preference in most cases). If you do not put a clear cap on top, then it can get pretty nasty as a surface, cracking up and that sort of thing...just my personal experience. Now, with the single surface coated kind, you can fire with that side down and it will have that clear capped appearance. Oh and one other thing I've noticed...if you dont totally cover the dichro with a clear, some of it may brake off and float away, leaving unexpected shards here and there. I know there are probably great ways to control it, but this is my initial observations from using it for about a month (I got a few mixed sample packs to start with.)
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Mimi Rivera Vellek
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Try doing some test pieces even if you don't have a lot of time. If you're planning to use dichro on black, try firing a small piece uncapped and a small piece of the same color with a clear cap (make the "cap" larger than the dichro to prevent the coating from rising to the surface). That will give you some idea of the difference. Different colors will hold up differently in the heat, and how high you take the temperature and/or hold will also affect the look of the final piece. The surface texture of uncapped dichro will also be affected. Sorry, there's no "one" answer!
Mimi
Mimi
my preference is for dichro on clear substrate, used with the coated side down, thus making a clear cap unnecessary, and the thickness of the final glass that much thinner. if you fire dichro on black, with the dichro side up, the black substrate melts, obviously, and creates a black aura around the dichro coating. sometimes thats ok, and sometimes it isn't that great looking. uncapped dichro, fired with the coated side up, gives you a matte finish. if you cap it, it's glossy, and also has depth.
i agree with what the previous people posted, and second the motion on doing tests. years ago when i first started using dichroic glass i made quite a number of test strips. i cut a piece of clear glass about the size of a 12" ruler, same length and width. i put pieces of dichro along it, coated side up, coated side down, on black, on cobalt, etc. write out a little "map" of what you've laid out, and fire a few of these test strips, and you will learn a lot about what produces brilliance. interestingly, black is not always the best one for certain colors. for example, the CBS color known as Magenta Green, which fires up to peacock blue, looks like teal when it's fired on black, but it is considerably more brilliant when it's fired on cobalt or any other dark blue. but in general, darker backgrounds produce more fire than clear backgrounds.
i agree with what the previous people posted, and second the motion on doing tests. years ago when i first started using dichroic glass i made quite a number of test strips. i cut a piece of clear glass about the size of a 12" ruler, same length and width. i put pieces of dichro along it, coated side up, coated side down, on black, on cobalt, etc. write out a little "map" of what you've laid out, and fire a few of these test strips, and you will learn a lot about what produces brilliance. interestingly, black is not always the best one for certain colors. for example, the CBS color known as Magenta Green, which fires up to peacock blue, looks like teal when it's fired on black, but it is considerably more brilliant when it's fired on cobalt or any other dark blue. but in general, darker backgrounds produce more fire than clear backgrounds.
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Paul Tarlow
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GlassOrchid
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old fuser new to dichro has question
Hello Candy:
I may repeat something someone else said, if so, forgive me but here goes:
Capping:
=======
WHEN I cap with clear I use 3mm because it gives a larger volumn of glass thus giving you more depth in the piece. It also encourages the piece to round up very nicely. The clear should be slightly larger than the base to cover and give the most depth.
I don't always cap with clear. The metallic/matte surface of the dichroic glass can be lovely and has it's uses in particular situations. I make bracelet stones and earrings with the metallic surface as well as a line of etched pendants that I do not cap. When etching a pattern in remains most pure when it is not capped.
CBS dichro does not give you an ugly surface when fired un-capped; some others, which will go un-named, do. If the dichro is piled up on top of other pieces so that it bends when it fires then you may get splitting and cracking of the dichroic surface as it stretches but if it is laying so that it fires flat and just gently rounds naturally you will rarely get this. When layering dichro this splitting and cracking of embedded layers is highly desirable.
Customers will have a particular preference for either the matte or the capped; some people prefer capped but many prefer matte.
Dichro on black or clear:
=================
I use dichro on black when I am going to embed fine silver wire into the piece so that the wire does not show as I feel it is ugly.
I use clear when I want the art glass beneath to show thru. If you use patterned dichro on clear you can get a different effect using the same dichro on several different base glass colors.
I also use clear when I am layering dichro so that each layer adds something to the final look. As the pieces move you can see the various colors beneath. You can look at my site for my Dragon's Tears(tm) and my Dragon Dreams(tm) pieces to see what I mean.
Sometimes I use black or clear interchangably if it makes no difference and that's the one I have. Clear is more versitile because you can always PUT it on black and it is less expensive but both have their uses.
~Nancy
Glass Orchids
http://www.GlassOrchids.com
I may repeat something someone else said, if so, forgive me but here goes:
Capping:
=======
WHEN I cap with clear I use 3mm because it gives a larger volumn of glass thus giving you more depth in the piece. It also encourages the piece to round up very nicely. The clear should be slightly larger than the base to cover and give the most depth.
I don't always cap with clear. The metallic/matte surface of the dichroic glass can be lovely and has it's uses in particular situations. I make bracelet stones and earrings with the metallic surface as well as a line of etched pendants that I do not cap. When etching a pattern in remains most pure when it is not capped.
CBS dichro does not give you an ugly surface when fired un-capped; some others, which will go un-named, do. If the dichro is piled up on top of other pieces so that it bends when it fires then you may get splitting and cracking of the dichroic surface as it stretches but if it is laying so that it fires flat and just gently rounds naturally you will rarely get this. When layering dichro this splitting and cracking of embedded layers is highly desirable.
Customers will have a particular preference for either the matte or the capped; some people prefer capped but many prefer matte.
Dichro on black or clear:
=================
I use dichro on black when I am going to embed fine silver wire into the piece so that the wire does not show as I feel it is ugly.
I use clear when I want the art glass beneath to show thru. If you use patterned dichro on clear you can get a different effect using the same dichro on several different base glass colors.
I also use clear when I am layering dichro so that each layer adds something to the final look. As the pieces move you can see the various colors beneath. You can look at my site for my Dragon's Tears(tm) and my Dragon Dreams(tm) pieces to see what I mean.
Sometimes I use black or clear interchangably if it makes no difference and that's the one I have. Clear is more versitile because you can always PUT it on black and it is less expensive but both have their uses.
~Nancy
Glass Orchids
http://www.GlassOrchids.com