Wire as inclusion

[Hugo Gavarini]

I have bought a cheap ashtray with the only purpose of making a "scientific" dissection.

I guess it is made using two float 1/8 sheets and a sheet of window screen laminated in the middle.

We have put the piece in the polariscope and no stresses are evident. The like-window screen inclusion is well fused into the piece, without bubbles and showing an irregular yellow tint in some parts close to the wire.

We are going to destroy the ashtray to study the wire composition and possibly the wire coating that makes the yellow color.

At first we guess it's a galvanized window screen but would it be so?. Float COE is around 82 +/- 3. What wire has a COE which is similar?.

And, what metal (possibly a sort of coating) is giving a yellow color?

Do not think silver, as the ashtray is around 4"x 4" and the price was U$ 3 (three US dollars) being the piece imported.-

As a general question, what wire is float glass compatible enough to be used as a hanging recourse?.

We are designing some simple Christmas ornaments and such wire inclusions would be of great use to hang and combine pieces.

Thank you,

[Brad Walker]

Cheap silver alloys often yellow, but there are lots of metal screens that would fuse fine between two pieces of glass, including copper and aluminum. (Yes, aluminum melts at 1200F, but an aluminum screen will usually stay intact when fused in between two layers.) I wouldn't use galvanized steel, as the zinc coating is toxic when it burns off, but most cheap metals would work fine.

As for wires that work well for hanging, nichrome is probably the best choice. COE isn't really an issue for any of these if the metal is thin enough.