The glass paints and silver stains you need
Glass paints e.g. Reusche Tracing Black (DE401) don’t work in the same way as silver stain:
- Glass paints use a different firing schedule
- Glass paints fuse to the surface of the glass, silver stains “sink in” and change the very structure of the glass
You need a separate set of brushes for paint and stain.
This is because – even with the recipe and techniques that we propose for silver stain – stain is very sensitive to contamination.
Glass paint
Glass paint mainly comes in dark colours e.g. black, brown and red.
You use it to trace and shade.
Mixed with a medium like water or oil, it can be applied so thickly as to completely block transmitted light or so thinly as to be barely noticeable. In this respect (unlike silver stain and enamels), glass paint does not change the native colour of the glass.
At Williams & Byrne, we mainly use glass paints made by Reusche. (“Mainly” but not always because, when we’re doing restoration and conservation, we must use whoever’s glass paint comes the closest.)
Why do we use Reusche’s glass paint? – The reason is, it allows itself to be mixed into a lump like this:
Reusche’s glass paint (unlike other brands) mixes to a perfect lump that retains its shape
Why do we always make a lump of paint? – The reason is, we can just cut off a slice or two as we need it, then work that paint to the consistency and strength we need. This is an efficient way of working.
What’s the problem with other brands? – When you try to mix a lump with other brands, many of them don’t hold their water or oil: they just run and spill all over the palette. This means they’re uncontrollable for the kind of painting we want to do.
To paint with a lump, it follows you need more than a teaspoonful to start with.
This confuses some people because many books advise you to mix up just a teaspoonful of paint.
And many stockists sell tiny quantities of paint.
What can we say? Well, we’re confident most books would advise otherwise if their authors simply tried the approach we recommend, namely, painting with a lump of paint (not a teaspoonful).
Secondly, most stockists don’t paint for a living, so their experience doesn’t count.
Fortunately, one stockist does paint for a living. PELI Glass. Which is why they can supply you with sensible quantities of Reusche glass paint.
The “Classic Glass Paints” collection – excellent paints, sensible quantities
As well as 150 g. of Reusche’s tracing black, you also get 50 g. each of bistre brown, violet of iron and red for flesh. Plus a bottle of liquid gum Arabic (which is much, much easier to use than the powdered form that other stockists push).
PELI Glass can send you what you want, pretty much wherever you are in the world.
In fairness, if you’re in or near the US, also check out Reusche. Reusche themselves sell bulk quantities (225 g. / 8 ounces minimum line order) and they have US suppliers who sell smaller quantities.
Here’s the PELI Glass catalogue; and here’s Reusche’s (for suppliers, see page 14).
If you want to learn more about the techniques themselves, see here.