About Our Product

ABOUT DICHROIC GLASS

Dichroic Glass is made using a vapor deposition process which puts a combination of precious and semiprecious metals in layers onto sheets of glass. This is a time consuming, high tech, process which turns plain glass into WOW glass.

The colors in Dichroic glass are determined by the length of light waves passing through, or reflecting from, the glass. Wave lengths, and the resulting colors, change depending on the coating formula used, number of layers needed for each color, temperature during coating and other technical requirements. Standard colors are made by adding 15 to 20 layers of metallic compound to glass. Premium colors have 30 to 35 layers.

The first color listed when describing Dichroic Glass is the Transmitted color. The second color name is the Reflected color. Transmitted color is seen when the glass is viewed “straight on”. Reflected is seen when the glass is held at approximately a 45 degree angle. Reflected color indicates the direction the color will change or “shift” after firing.

Textures and colored glass change how the light passes through or is reflected by the dichroic layer. An example is the way colors display on a heavy Ripple or other textured glass. Combining clear Dichroic coated glass with colored glass produces interesting (and sometimes unexpected) results because the colored glass changes how the light travels through the finished piece.

ABOUT DICRO SLIDE

GlassHopper Patterns is proud to bring you Dicro Slide Dichroic Coated Paper! This new application for dichroic coating was developed through the creative thinking and technical expertise of Howard Speelman, (GlassHopper Patterns) and Dan Crow, (Spirit of Glass). Dicro Slide combines a quality dichroic coating with special paper, which results in a layer of dichroic strong enough to be transferred to glass or ceramics.

Dicro Slide has no COE so it works well with most glass. It can be cut with scissors, paper punches or craft knives, is simple to use and fires easily to 1500°.

The versatility of Dicro Slide makes design possibilities unlimited. It offers something new and exciting to art glass. Dicro Slide comes in 5 solid colors and Rainbow. We offer several sheet sizes and assortment packages.

USING DICRO SLIDE SUPPLY LIST:

• Cut & cleaned pieces of same COE, glass in black, clear &/or assorted colors of various sizes. • A shallow water container (try a plastic plate).
• Clean water and paper towels. Distilled water is recommended! (Tap water can contain trace metals which may change Dicro Slide results.)
• Scissors and paper punches in a variety of shapes.
• Wooden skewers for positioning Dicro Slide on glass. Small, fine texture sponge to smooth out air bubbles. A small makeup sponge is also helpful.
• Long handled tweezers, if desired. Use these carefully, they may mark the dichroic!


1. Cut or punch Dicro Slide into various shapes & sizes.
2. Soak the Dicro Slide pieces in 1/4 to 1/2 distilled water for 1 to 2 minutes. Larger pieces need more time than small ones.
3. Remove Dicro Slide from water, gently blot excess water on paper towel.
4. Carefully slide and position Dicro Slide on glass, (it is stronger than it looks). If Dicro Slide does not release easily, return to water and soak a little longer. Use dampened end of skewer to move or uncurl Dicro Slide shapes.
5. Try layering glass & Dicro Slide. (When layering Dicro Slide on itself, be sure to cover with clear glass!) Experiment, use your imagination, and have fun!
6. Fuse using your preferred firing schedule.

NOTE:
If fusing large pieces of Dicro Slide hold at 950° up to 60 minutes, depending on size of Dicro Slide pieces, for venting before increasing to fuse temperature.

NOTE:

1. Dicro Slide is compatible with most COE glass, and has been used successfully on ceramics and porcelain.
2. Dicro Slide works well uncapped, but like all genuine Dichroic, does not fuse to itself or against other metals. It can be fused against Dichroic glass, Iridized glass or other glass with a metallic layer if capped.
3. Store Dicro Slide so coated side of dichroic paper is away from other coated dichroic paper surfaces.

ABOUT ETCHING


Etched Glass

Our etched glass is available in every dichroic coating that we supply on top of clear base or black base glass (90COE, 96COE 104COE or even Boro). It also comes in three different sizes: 4”x4”, 8”x8” or 16”x16”. When purchasing an 8”x8” or 16”x16” you have the option to choose four different etchings to fit your one sheet of glass (all of the etchings will be in the same dichroic coating). Most of our etchings come in positive and negative and there are multiple sizes for each (see “Etching Sizes” for further information). With over 2500 etchings to choose from we are sure that there is something for everyone, but if none of these etchings are exactly what you were looking for then create your own! (see “Custom Etching” to learn more)

Positive and Negative

As previously stated, most of our etchings come in positive and negative. “Positive” means that the surrounding dichroic is etched away and the image stays dichroic, “Negative” refers to when the image is etched away and the surrounding dichroic is left standing. When looking at the pictures of our etchings the black will represent the absence of dichroic where as the white will show where the dichroic is left on the glass. If an etching that you like doesn’t have both a positive and negative image, give us a call at (503) 835-1153 to see if we can make it for you! Etching Sizes The most common sizes for the etchings on the glass are Pendant (about 1”x1”) and Earring (1/2” x1/2”) these two sizes can both be on a single piece of glass with half of the etching being Pendant sizes, and the other half being Earring sized. We can also provide custom sizing, larger or smaller than these sizes.

Custom Etching

If you have looked through all of our etchings but couldn’t find what you were looking for you can make your own custom etching! Something important to keep in mind when creating an etching; the image you send in must be black and white so that the etching comes out clear, if there are grey areas in your image they will not show up clearly on the glass. Other than this one constraint the possibilities are endless, you can send us a name, word, picture, symbol, anything you dream of and we will etch it! If you have any questions about whether your desired etching will work, feel free to call us at (503) 835-1153 or email us at info@glasshopperpatterns.com .

HOW TO

Here you will find all of the video tutorials that we have created. If you have any suggestions for new videos, please contact us at info@glasshopperpatterns.com . Enjoy!

 

Viking Knit Draw Plate Video Tutorial

Dicro Slide Video Tutorial