Dichroic Glass FAQs - Warm Glass UK

Question: WHAT IS DICHROIC GLASS?

Answer: Dichroic Glass is a multi-layer coating placed on glass by using a highly technical vacuum deposition process. Quartz Crystal and Metal Oxides are vaporized onto the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. Originally created for the Aerospace industry, Dichroic Glass is now made available to the artist community by Warm Glass UK in association with "Coatings by Sandberg" (CBS).

The main characteristic of Dichroic Glass is that it has a transmitted colour (where light passes through the glass) and a completely different reflective colour (where light reflects off the glass). Furthermore, these two colours shift depending on angle of view. With the play of light, together with its vibrant colour, Dichroic Glass is a prime tool used to add interest to any piece of work or project. With over 300 Dichroic products available from Warm Glass UK, artists have unlimited freedom of expression.

Question: WHAT CAN DICHROIC GLASS BE USED FOR?

Answer: Warm Glass UK supplies dichroic glass manufactured by Savoy Dichroic and Coatings by Sandberg (CBS). CBS Dichroic Coatings are specifically designed to be hot worked. e.g. Glass blowing, Flame working, Fusing, Slumping, Bead making, and any other technique that involves the manipulation of glass with extreme heat.

Question: ARE THERE DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF DICHROIC GLASS?

Answer: Some UK suppliers will say that there is no difference between the main dichroic producers. We say "try it for yourself", we supply free samples so that you can see the quality of CBS Dichroic Coatings, especially if you have been disappointed in the past with lower quality Dichroic Glass which foils, creeps and burns out.

Question: WHAT DO THE COLOUR NAMES MEAN?

Answer: Each colour has a Transmission colour (this is the colour you can actually see through the glass if the coating is on clear glass) and a Reflected colour (this is the colour you see when the light bounces off of the surface of the glass). For example "Blue/Gold" will be Blue in transmission and Gold in reflection. If a black/opaque sheet is Blue/Gold, you would only see its reflection of Gold (Yet, it is still called Blue/Gold). The reflected dichroic colours shift towards the cool end of the spectrum when they are fired. e.g. a Blue/Gold shifts to a lime green; the degree of shift depends on the kiln firing.

Question: HOW CAN I TELL WHICH IS THE COATED SIDE?

Answer: The coated side can be seen when you hold the glass at an angle to the light, if you see the colour run to the edge, then you are looking at the coated side, if you can see the depth of the glass with the coating below, you are looking at the non-coated side. Coatings should not normally be fused facing each other but interesting effects can be produced by using dichroic face up, covered, or stacked in multiple layers.

Question: WHAT ARE STANDARD AND PREMIUM COLOURS?

Answer: Standard and Premium colours refer to pricing only. Premium colours have twice as many layers than standard colours and thus, take more time to produce. Therefore, premium colours are a little more expensive.

Question: DO I NEED SPECIAL FUSING SCHEDULES?

Answer: Please refer to the manufacturer of the glass that you are using for recommended fusing schedules. The Dichroic Coating does not change the CoE or integrity of the glass in any way.

Question: IS THERE A SPECIAL WAY OF CUTTING DICHROIC GLASS?

Answer: The Dichroic Coating does not affect the integrity of the glass in any way. We only recommend that you cut/score the glass on the "uncoated" side of the glass substrate. This will produce a much smoother and cleaner break.

Question: WILL THE DICHROIC SCRATCH?

Answer: Raw dichroic can be scratched, as the coating is very thin. Fused dichroic is very strong and will not easily scratch.

Question: WHY ARE THE CBS SHEETS ROUND?

Answer: CBS Dichroic sheets are round to provide a constant uniform colour across the surface of the sheet. 1/4 sheets are 1/4 circles but have 8% more glass than a square 200mm x 200mm square.

To see our range of dichroic glass, visit the Dichroic Glass section of our website.