Chemistry of Glass Pigments

 Watch the following video.

So, what do you think adds color to all the wonderful glass pieces you saw in the video?  Lets find out.  Our first stop will be looking at the substances used to color glass.  Below you will find a chart with the chemicals used in the productions of colored glass called pigments.

 Glass Pigments

Compounds	Colors
iron oxides	greens, browns
manganese oxides	deep amber, amethyst, decolorizer
cobalt oxide	deep blue
gold chloride	ruby red
selenium compounds	reds
carbon oxides	amber/brown
mix of mangnese, cobalt, iron	black
antimony oxides	white
uranium oxides	yellow green (glows!)
sulfur compounds	amber/brown
copper compounds	light blue, red
tin compounds	white
lead with antimony	yellow

So, how does this work?  Go to this next site to read how this process takes place and why the elements work to create the colors.  One thing you will notice is that the process of making colored glass is not as simple as it looks.  There are many parts to the process, like temperature for example, and if that is not exact, you may not get the color you expect.  Use the worksheet your teacher has provided to help guide you in your travels through the web page.  Come back to this page when you are finished.  Click here to get there.

The video below will show you how the "recipe" for making glass is put together.  It will also discuss the different elements that are added to create the color.  While watching the video, answer the following questions.

1.  What three main ingredients are used to make glass?
2.  Explain how the recipe is put together.  How is it measured?  How do they know what to add?
3.  How do they assure that the "batch" is mixed thoroughly?
4.  Once the batch is mixed, what do they do with it and how?
5.  How long does it take for a batch to melt in the oven?




In the next video you will see how they are adding color to the glass but it is not a pigment.  What do you think is different about the video below compared to the video on making a "batch" of colored glass?

 

The Chemistry in Making Glass

Watch the following video.  Pay close attention to the process of making glass.  In class, Mrs. Wood will give you a flow chart to complete to check your comprehension of the process of making glass.  Make sure you watch it a few times before you come back to class!! 

 

Simulate Glass Blowing in Class

Using sugar and corn syrup, you can also simulate the art of glass blowing in class.  Of course, this post is for teachers that may have the opportunity to have a higher heat capacity in their classrooms to melt the sugar.  Be mindful of the dangers of heat with students.  Or you could possibly do it as a demonstration if you cannot get a field trip to an actual glass blowing facility. 

This video shows the process and then below are links to a site that shows you the recipe to use as well as links to other pages that show how to pull and shape the sugar glass and one on how to blow it.



If you do this and it works, please let me know!  I'm dying to try it myself!!

Click here to go to the page.

Making a Glass Christmas Ornament

From the link below, you will watch a series of videos showing how different types of glass ornaments are made and the different process that can be taken to "decorate" and finish the ornament.  Click on the link and watch the series of videos.   When you are finished, ask Mrs. Wood for your worksheet that will have a chart on it to complete.  On the back of your worksheet, you are to write an essay about what you learned about making glass ornaments and compare it to the Blenko video you watched of the making of the candy dish.  Describe the differences in the process and the difficulties in making smaller items compared to larger ones.

Click here to watch the videos. 

Blenko Festival of Glass

This weekend Blenko is having their Glass Festival.

For more info, click here.

Mrs. Hill and I went to share the awesome experience of making glass with our families.
Here is a video of my son making the small version of the water bottle I made on my first trip to Blenko in June.



while there, I had an opportunity to watch them make Christmas ornaments and was able to compare the process to what we did in Pittsburg.  I found that although each glass blower has their own refining techniques, the basics of the process were the same.  They used crystal glass as the base, rolled the glass in their preferred color(s) and then added another layer of crystal.  The process of blowing it into a ball was the same for all but the way they "broke" the ornament away from the blowing rod was different.

I was able to have my sons blow glass and used this as an opportunity to try out some of my teaching ideas on them as they went through the process.  I even had a few other "students" in the group listen to what I was teaching as well.

We got to talk with A. Blenko and shared our blog address with him and told him about our interest in working with Blenko and the students at our school to try and instill a sense of appreciation for an art that is a big part of the history of our state and our town.