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I just pulled a large 16" by 32 inch piece from the kiln. I built the piece on 1/16 inch fiber paper with one layer of sheet glass and a very thin layer of transparent powders. It is a water scene with salmon swimming. When I pulled the piece from the kiln it still had the white fiber paper stuck to the back of it, so it was opaque. I cleaned off the fiber and now I don't like the piece as much, the white backing intensified the colors rather nicely.

I thought of cutting a sheet of white glass and fire polishing the edges and then glueing the two piece together...but because the top piece is transparent I fear I will not be able to hide the glue sandwiched between the two layers.

I would prefer NOT to refire this piece.

My question is: Can I use a non-firing paint on the back of the glass? And if so, what paint would be best used to do this? Has anyone ever used non-firing paint on glass art with success, does it really look OK? This piece is non-functional so I don't need to worry about toxicity.

...then I have the problem of attaching a hanging device to a painted back...maybe I could use something like mirror clips?

Thank you!

Shawn

Have another thought...if you plan to hang this piece on a wall, why not see how it looks with the wall paint showing thru? Or perhaps mount it in a shadow box for a similar opaque background effect....

Babette (Shawn) wrote:I just pulled a large 16" by 32 inch piece from the kiln. I built the piece on 1/16 inch fiber paper with one layer of sheet glass and a very thin layer of transparent powders. It is a water scene with salmon swimming. When I pulled the piece from the kiln it still had the white fiber paper stuck to the back of it, so it was opaque. I cleaned off the fiber and now I don't like the piece as much, the white backing intensified the colors rather nicely.

I thought of cutting a sheet of white glass and fire polishing the edges and then glueing the two piece together...but because the top piece is transparent I fear I will not be able to hide the glue sandwiched between the two layers.

I would prefer NOT to refire this piece.

My question is: Can I use a non-firing paint on the back of the glass? And if so, what paint would be best used to do this? Has anyone ever used non-firing paint on glass art with success, does it really look OK? This piece is non-functional so I don't need to worry about toxicity.

...then I have the problem of attaching a hanging device to a painted back...maybe I could use something like mirror clips?

Thank you!

Shawn

There are numerous alternatives. You can use Ferro Spectravue opaque white that can be sprayed on and is fired in at 400°F.

You can use a UV cure or epoxy white paint that is sprayed on.

Talk with the people at ICD coatings in Vancouver WA. They have a few different formulas of coatings.

The easiest solution is to mount it in front of a white wall.

You could resin laminate it with white tinted resin, but that is tricky and could well break your thin glass.

If the glass is really flat, you could VHB tape it (around the perimeter) on a white formica covered plywood or MDF. Give it a few days horizontal to develop full strength.

And lastly, you could just spraypaint it with a can of white spray paint.

Done deal, I did it. When it came down to it I could not put "cover up" paint on my glass. The piece is back in the kiln with white powder & frit on the back side, fired face up. I will flip & fire in the end. Nothing is simple. Thank you Bert!

Glad you came up with an Idea, I don't like paint on glass.
Bob

Your solution is sound, but takes 2 firings. You also could have used a white enamel called obscuring white. I forget if this is a 1250ºF or lower enamel. I would have mixed some white mica in and fired it once, white side down. This would yield a matte surface but otherwise work. The one downside here is that you really need to understand how this sort of vitreous color works to get it right the first time. Which is to say that your solution was a good one for you.

Thanks Bert, I think?

You might like the appearnce of sandblasting the back. You can test by putting a sheet of blasted window glass against the back.