PAINTING FOR STAINED GLASS
Part Three
[Editor’s Note: The following information is condensed from
the Painting chapter of the SGAA Reference & Technical
Manual, Second Edition. Part II of this series appeared in the
Winter 2013 issue of The Stained Glass Quarterly.]
deteriorate if exposed to pollutants. However, with the advent
of double glazing for numerous permanent installations and
free-form independent panels hung indoors, one of the major
concerns can be avoided. Their use in these cases offers many
unique opportunities.
Enamels are a vitreous material, which means they contain
ground glass that fuses to the base glass when fired. There are
Enamels
low-firing enamels that are available in either a transparent or
The use of transparent enamels on glass should not be conopaque form. They fire at temperatures between 1050˚F and
sidered as a substitute for colored glass but rather as an
1100˚F. A few are better if fired to 1200˚F or 1250˚F, but others
enhancement. The colors are not only less intense than most
will lose their color at these high temperatures. Gold-based colglass colors, but also enamels do not weather well. They will
ors will become more blue at high temperatures. Note: It is
important to remember that all glass enamels
contain lead. Therefore, normal lead safety
precautions should be used. Also these enamels should not be applied to any glass that will
be used as a container for food.
Enamels sold for surfaces other than glass
(a) Tracing Brush
(e.g., china, metal, etc.) should not be used,
since their coefficient of expansion is not
compatible with glass. In time, they can chip
or crack.
Enamels are available in a wide variety of
(b) Matting Brush
colors, although the selection is more extensive in opaques than transparents. A very basic
transparent palette might include Reusché &
Co.’s blue #27-3359, green #26-1676, yellow
#23-2255 and carmine #22-891.
The only transparent reds that are available contain gold and are called carmine,
ruby, or violet. They are all on the purplish
side. There is no bright-red transparent enamel, although sometimes a particular firing of
(c) Badger Blender
carmine will come close. A low range of firing
is suggested for these gold colors. The higher
they are fired, the more purplish they become.
As would be expected, the gold-based colors
are expensive.
If you are painting with any of the gold
(d) Square Stippler
colors on float glass (most modern commercial window glass), you need to test the glass
first with a short-wave Uv light to determine
which is the “float” side. The gold colors of
(e) Deerfoot Stippler
enamels can give unsatisfactory results if they
interact with tin present in the float glass. See
Silver Stains.
(f) Scrub
Some mixing of enamel colors is possible
Assorted Brushes for Glass Painting and will yield interesting results, but it is not
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The Stained Glass Quarterly