Glo-Glass

[Eben Horton]

has anyone here used this stuff?

Im going to try some of the color bars and am wondering if I shouldnt gather over it and just solid work it. My question is if anyone here has used it, how did it work out for you?

[Donald Feser]

haven't tried yet- but it looks very interesting. do you have to have that special light to activate it still?

[Eben Horton]

A special light only available from David Wilson?? no.

You need a UV light. I believe the glass is clear when not under a UV light.

[John Teeter]

I worked a bit of it...or at least have played with some glow in dark glass. I got some of the 96 coe frit stuff off ebay 2-3 years ago. It was really bubbly/tons of fines. It absolutely glowed in the dark if you "charged" it in direct light before you turned out the light. I made some ornaments with it. Granted it was a little weak, but it definitely did glow. I actually haven't looked at it under black light but I fully expect it would glow brightly.

When I was in Penland last summer, one of the other guys got some glo-glass rod from Spruce Pine and it was clean of bubbles (no fines). We overlayed it and gathered over and it all worked out ok. It was STIFF glass though. Like gaffer enamel white or maybe even stiffer. I don't think I ever saw that piece under black light either...

john

[Eben Horton]

John, I dont think that the bars glow in the dark.. instead, they react to UV lights.

[David Patchen]

I've not played with the glo glass, but Gaffer Uranium is amazing under ultraviolet.

[Scott Dunahee]

I've played with the bars of glow glass from SPB. They are pretty hard to work with. They won't fluoresce when they're hot so you're working with clear seeming glass. You can see a SLIGHT shadow of some of the colors that appear to be a different clear floating in your mass of furnace clear as you're working, but it can be hard to keep track of. Also, it thins out pretty fast and I don't think it would hold any power in blown work, unless blown from a chunk of pure glow glass.

In the end, I still have 2 kilos of the stuff spread through 5 colors and haven't done more than try it out because I couldn't keep track of where it was in the piece. Maybe laying in lines of white as registration markings would help.

The green is the strongest color. The blue is nice but pale. The orange and pinks are subtle, but okay.

I also found it hard to sell weights that needed blacklight to pop. It's a small crowd that has those lights already.

Cheers.

BSD

[Sky Campbell]

I have some of the uv reactive glass from SP but haven't played with it enough to say. The glow glass (real glow in the dark) I think is strontium based and comes in a powder. It needs to be mixed with clear small frit almost clear powder then carefully encased. Glows like no tomorrow but really besides kids who would buys the stuff. Remember painting the walls with laundry detergent in college. Extremely black light reflective or maybe some of you had the black light posters. HaHa.


I have several barrels of the uv glass that Fenton used. I think Gabbert still sells it but unfortunately it is a phosphate glass and has always struck white for me before I could use it. Anyone have any tips for melting the stuff please let me know. I know most of the phosphate glasses melt hot and then bring it back to striking but this uranium glass just never goes clear even at high temps. I'm on the last legs of the elements in our furnace now so I will be melting some phosphate glasses maybe I'll try it again.

[Eben Horton]

I've not played with the glo glass, but Gaffer Uranium is amazing under ultraviolet.


Gaffer Uranium? do you mean Flouro green?? I had no idea gaffer made a Uv reactive glass... hmmm.

[Glenn Randle]

I think David Wilson offers two different types of glowing glass. I am certain he makes one which is clear until placed under a black light, but I think he also offers one which is "charged" by a black light and will continue glowing in the dark.

[Paul Hayworth]

Try www.thompsonenamel.com for GLOW GLASS

User friendly Glow glass

[Eben Horton]

Thanks for all the feedback guys- I just ordered some, and David, thanks for suggesting gaffer- I thought that it was called uranium 'just because'..

[Ed Schmid]

The Glo Glass from Spruce Pine is designed to glow under U/V light.
This is different from the glow in the dark phosphors that are now available from Frantz Art Glass.
I just got some of the later and am in the process of trying out their whole sample pack, (e.g. the purple hand I made the other day-
looked really creepy last night as it was sitting on my window shelf!).

These phosphors are REALLY hard to incorporate into your glass (I am using Sprectrum nuggets at the moment, and take some of the finings from the bottom of the bags to mix the phosphors into that and use it like frit/powder). It kinda looks snotty, and requires a good mixing in period, but man there isn't ANYTHING like it.

Let it glow! (kinda like the Dead song!).

I tell ya...it's the greatest thing for glass since Dicro! and be careful, 'cause soon everyone will want to use it!
Cheers!

[Sandy Dukeshire]

we just sampled the green and amber w/ nuggetts. fun for my high school group. they made marble pendants and juice glasses, swirling additional colors with it. the more its blown the more you'll use.
it was pretty funny that night leaving the studio. i shut off the lights then took a last glance over my shoulder and there it was in front of the glory and around the marv - little sprinkles glowing the floor.

[Rich Samuel]

Try www.thompsonenamel.com for GLOW GLASS

User friendly Glow glass

Uh oh. Discontinued (http://www.thompsonenamel.com/products/supplements/glowglass.htm). :sad:

[Pringle Teetor]

I used the glow glass to pull cane then fused it into a block.....

[Eben Horton]

hey thats neat Pringle.

If I end up playing with this stuff, I will be sure to crank some Jimmi hendrix and wear a tye-dye t-shirt.. and in honor of Glenn Randall, I will take my first gather at exactly 4:20 :D

[Pringle Teetor]

thanks - I made these really cool blocks with the twisty cane but never could figure out a good way to display them in the gallery where I have my work. And that was when I was having so much trouble doing the coldworking on the blocks....I gave up - turns out I need joint replacements in both hands....doing cortisone for now. But I LOVE the glo glass. Planning on trying again with it.

[Antiny Genet]

A buddy of Ray Ansin make this glass that Glows in the dark,just turn out the light and the colour stays on i emailed him to tell about this thread and he sent back this reply I have take out how he make the glass as it not my proptery to give away if you want to contact Ray his web site is glassbeads.co.nz I have a 2inch peice of cane that realy Glows I have never used it as it is cool enough as is.
Ray's email
Re glow glass .for as far as I can tell no one has before actually produced solid blocks of phosphorescent glass which are totally flame freindly and workable like normal glass.
The glow glass can then be used like normal colour glass in the lamp flame or glory hole.
No bubbling is encountered unlike when you use raw phosphors in a glass .
After exposure to strong light, when the glass is taken into the dark, glows a bright sky blue.
With larger pieces of colour bar the amount of glow is bright enough to easily read a newspaper by.
It slowly fades but is still visably glowing twelve hours later.
I have melted three batches of 96 coe glow glass and one batch of 105 coe.
with most of the production being made into cane colour bar and coarse chip which has been distyrubted to glass lamp workers in New Zealand Japan and Australia.
Most all are truely amazed by it...

[Pringle Teetor]

I also use glow in the dark glass in my paperweight series I call "Dauphin Island Sea Pods" that glow in the dark..... and use it in cast jewelry...still have a lot so haven't bought in a while......have to find the name of the supplier....don't have a good pic on this computer thought -

[Brody Shaw]

i've used stuff from here...

http://www.geosoul.com/

with pretty good results

[Pete VanderLaan]

I saw Dave at the Elements Gallery yesterday and he said he has both the rod which reacts to black light as well as the stuff that simply glows in the dark. He did say the stuff was hard to get to stick to the piece.