Glass Techniques

Painting and firing –

This includes silver-staining which gives beautiful golds from pale yellow to rich amber.

Acid – etching –

The etching is done on hand-blown flashed glass (glass of one colour with a thin layer of another colour on top).

The etching is done using hydrofluoric acid.

The glass can be masked out and then put into the acid revealing the colour underneath.

The mask can be hand-cut vinyl or a laser-cut stencil can be used which leaves a hard edge.

The mask can be painted on using stopping out fluid or wax which gives a brush-stroke effect.

The glass can be feather etched which gives a beautiful soft gradated effect.

Acid-etching on float glass using white acid, this gives a satin finish which is resistant to dirt.

Vitreous enamels –

These are air-brushed, painted or silk-screened on to float glass and fired.

These can be transparent or opaque.

Sand-blasting –

The float glass is masked out with vinyl and then blasted with sand which can be of different grades to give different surfaces.

The glass can be blasted to different depths to achieve different effects.

The sand-blasted glass can be sealed to protect the glass from dirt.

Flashed glass can also be sand-blasted.

Laminating –

Hand-blown glass can be laminated to float glass to gain depth and interesting effects.

Digital Printing –

Designs can be digitally printed on to float glass.

Vitreous enamels can be used and fired into the glass.

Printing on to optically clear film and then laminating it between two pieces of float glass.

 Printing on to optically clear film which is applied to the float glass.