Tinted Glass Block

[Jim Murphy]

Hello & Happy Memorial Day to all !

I've got some Pittsburgh Corning glass blocks I wish to tint, separately, using the seven R-O-Y-G-B-I-V (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) colors.

Any recommendations for either a commercial tinted window glaze product, or better yet, a recipe for a suitable transparent window glaze I could tint with Mason Stains so I can apply by spray or brush prior to firing ?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

Jim Murphy

[Don Burt]

Hello & Happy Memorial Day to all !

I've got some Pittsburgh Corning glass blocks I wish to tint, separately, using the seven R-O-Y-G-B-I-V (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) colors.

Any recommendations for either a commercial tinted window glaze product, or better yet, a recipe for a suitable transparent window glaze I could tint with Mason Stains so I can apply by spray or brush prior to firing ?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

Jim Murphy

Hi Jim. Couple questions:
Is your goal to have brilliant vivid transparent colors as if the blocks were made of colored glass? Have you ever achieved transparent results of any form using mason stains as a pigment? I'm skeptical that you could do it, but heck, maybe you have before.
What are your requirements for durability of the pigment on the glass? (will it be indoors?). Depending on what you're after, someone may be able to tell you about some bake-on pigments that are pretty transparent in primary colors. But they aren't outdoor-durable.

You can kiln-fire glass blocks? Interesting.

Don Burt

[Jim Murphy]

Hi again,

Yes, my goal is "to have brilliant vivid transparent colors as if the blocks were made of colored glass". I plan to use backlighting shining thru the tinted glass blocks.

The plan is for indoor-use only though durability of the tinted coating is a "must" for quality work.

Refiring glass block shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't exceed its slumping temperature (~1200 F).

I'm very familiar with developing colored transparent glazes for Cone 8-10 porcelain, however, with glazed porcelain, the goal is to get the ceramic body and glaze to mature together in the kiln.

Wait a second then - in ceramic terms, I guess perhaps I should be asking which "over-glazes" might work best on glass block - since the glass block is already fully vitrified/matured.

I'm not sure which over-glazes or transparent glass paints for fusing are best for glass block though.

Any suggestions ?

TIA,

Jim Murphy

[Don Burt]

One of the board sponsors Fusion HQ, sells fusemaster enamels. I've never used them, but since they sponsor our board, they're wonderful.

There are other vendors whose products I've used: Reusche, Rynnes. They sell clear fluxes, but achieving transparency/brilliancy would be difficult trying to color your own with mason stains. The transparent enamels for glass fire at about 1050F, and the reds and violets are pricey.

Fusion HQ's Fusemasters fire a bit higher I see:
http://www.fusionheadquarters.com/Pages ... -Fus-22444

[Bert Weiss]

Hello & Happy Memorial Day to all !

I've got some Pittsburgh Corning glass blocks I wish to tint, separately, using the seven R-O-Y-G-B-I-V (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) colors.

Any recommendations for either a commercial tinted window glaze product, or better yet, a recipe for a suitable transparent window glaze I could tint with Mason Stains so I can apply by spray or brush prior to firing ?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

Jim Murphy

Ferro Organic bottle coatings are transparent, but not super glossy. They fire in at 400ºF. Many industrial companies are using these nowadays.
1-800-245-4951 ask for Wanda Mc Dowell.

[Jim Murphy]

Don and Bert,

Thanks for the info. I've got a better understanding now of what materials
I'll need.

Jim Murphy

[Barbara Cashman]

Jim, why don't you just use colored glass block (which we carry and make the end caps for)? It would probably be just as cost-effective. - Barbara
http://www.glastile.com