Dichroic Glass
Dichroic
Glass was invented in the mid 1970s for the Aerospace industry.
Over the past 30 years the uses for dichroic glass has expanded to
include: motion picture equipment (the bulb used in IMAX),
lighting, infrared lasers, sun glasses, fiber optics and for
artistic representation. Its unique opal like appearance has
captured the imagination of glass artists in the last two decades.
So
what is dichroic? Dichroic is a film that adheres to the surface
of glass in a crystal like form. The film is made from a mixture
of metal oxides and crystal quartz that have been vaporized in a
vacuum chamber. The glass is suspended from the roof of the
chamber and rotates to ensure an even layer of the vapors adhere
to the glass. The different colours are created using the same
ingredients but with varying quantities and thickness (number of
layers). The average number of layers differs between
manufacturers. CBS purport to have as many as 30 layers, but its
still only 35 millionths of an inch in thickness. An
excellent illustration of the production chamber is on page 12,
Figure 3 of Jackie Paciello-Truty’s new book, “Dichroics –
Art glass all dressed up”.
The dichroic-coated glass is used widely in glass art applications such as fusing, lampworking, stained glass, glass blowing and casting. Suggestions and tips for the use of dichroic:
- Create
your own unique patterns by sandblasting or etching designs on
the film.
- Always
cut the dichroic glass with the dichroic film on the other
side of where you are cutting. This prevents chipping of the
dichroic.
- A
suggested temporary storage idea is to cover the dichroic side
with contact paper.
- Never
soak your glass in water for prolonged periods of time, as the
minute levels of acid in the water will destroy the coating.
- If
using for hot applications, never put the film directly in the
flame as it will destroy or burn the dichroic off. Heat the
underside or pre-fuse the dichroic with clear on top to
protect the dichroic film.
References:
Paciello-
Truty, J., “Dichroics – Art glass all dressed up”, Glass
Press 2002
May 2004
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