Crystal by Mystic Prism fuses Dichroic glass to the bottom of many of its prisms and incorporates it in its fused glass as
well. The results are stunning when the colour is reflected and refracted throughout the glass adding to the
uniqueness and beauty overall.
Dichroic glass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties.
The invention of dichroic glass is often erroneously attributed to NASA and its contractors who developed it for use in
dichroic filters.
Manufacture
Multiple ultra-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides (titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium,
magnesium) and silica are vaporised by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. The vapour then condenses on the
surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. This is sometimes followed by a protective layer of quartz crystal.
The finished glass can have as many as 30 to 50 layers of these materials yet the thickness of the total coating is
approximately 30 to 35 millionths of an inch (about 760 to 890 nm). The coating that is created is very similar to a
gemstone and, by careful control of thickness, different colours are obtained.
Uses
Dichroic glass is now available to artists through dichroic coating manufacturers. Glass artists often refer to dichroic
glass as "dichro". The main characteristic of dichroic glass is that it has a transmitted colour and a completely different
reflected colour, as certain wavelengths of light either pass through or are reflected. This causes an array of colour to
be displayed. The colors shift depending on the angle of view.
The total light that hits the dicro layer = wavelengths reflected + wavelengths passing through the dichro layer
A plate of dichroic glass can be fused with other glass in multiple firings. Due to variations in the firing process,
individual results can never be exactly predicted, so each piece of fused dichroic glass is unique. Over 45 colours of
dichroic coatings are available to be placed on any glass substrate.
Images can be formed by removing the dichroic coating from parts of the glass, creating everything from abstract
patterns to letters, animals, or faces. The standard method for precision removal of the coating involves a laser.
Dichroic glass is specifically designed to be hotworked but can also be used in its raw form. Sculpted glass elements
that have been shaped by extreme heat and then fused together may also be coated with dichroic afterwards to make
them reflect an array of colors.
well. The results are stunning when the colour is reflected and refracted throughout the glass adding to the
uniqueness and beauty overall.
Dichroic glass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties.
The invention of dichroic glass is often erroneously attributed to NASA and its contractors who developed it for use in
dichroic filters.
Manufacture
Multiple ultra-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides (titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium,
magnesium) and silica are vaporised by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. The vapour then condenses on the
surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. This is sometimes followed by a protective layer of quartz crystal.
The finished glass can have as many as 30 to 50 layers of these materials yet the thickness of the total coating is
approximately 30 to 35 millionths of an inch (about 760 to 890 nm). The coating that is created is very similar to a
gemstone and, by careful control of thickness, different colours are obtained.
Uses
Dichroic glass is now available to artists through dichroic coating manufacturers. Glass artists often refer to dichroic
glass as "dichro". The main characteristic of dichroic glass is that it has a transmitted colour and a completely different
reflected colour, as certain wavelengths of light either pass through or are reflected. This causes an array of colour to
be displayed. The colors shift depending on the angle of view.
The total light that hits the dicro layer = wavelengths reflected + wavelengths passing through the dichro layer
A plate of dichroic glass can be fused with other glass in multiple firings. Due to variations in the firing process,
individual results can never be exactly predicted, so each piece of fused dichroic glass is unique. Over 45 colours of
dichroic coatings are available to be placed on any glass substrate.
Images can be formed by removing the dichroic coating from parts of the glass, creating everything from abstract
patterns to letters, animals, or faces. The standard method for precision removal of the coating involves a laser.
Dichroic glass is specifically designed to be hotworked but can also be used in its raw form. Sculpted glass elements
that have been shaped by extreme heat and then fused together may also be coated with dichroic afterwards to make
them reflect an array of colors.
