Stained Glass question - what's happened here?

Zeldazog · March 16, 2008, 12:06:40 PM

seahorse

I've just posted the above in Anything else creative - a stained glass panel I made a few years ago.

Its been sitting inside a box pretty much since I made it, so nothing could have got to it- however you can see something on the surface - first of all I thought it was just mucky, but I have been trying for about half an hour to clean it off, with a microfibre cloth, then with a paste, and nothing seems to be shifting it.

It feels as though its almost etched on.

If you cannot tell from the pic, it was copperfoiled, then I patinated the soldering to a sort of black colour. Could this have etched into the glass if I didn't clean it properly?

I don't remember it being like this at the time I made it.

Thanks for help.

Stacy · March 16, 2008, 03:24:42 PM

Hi Dawn,

Is it all over the piece or just in patches? If it is patchy is it mainly next to the foils and patina?

Zeldazog · March 16, 2008, 03:33:43 PM

Hi Stacy

I'd say it was patchy, and in some parts it radiates from the foil/patina, but in others, its right in the middle of the glass.

It appears mainly on the two blues, cant' really tell if its in the green, and doesn't look to affect the pink/white, but then again, that is opaque and textured, so is hard to tell anyway.

I don't know if you can tell from the pic where it is (The word seehorse is actually a link to it)

I honestly thought it was scummy muck and just needed cleaning, but it won't come off.

Zeldazog · March 18, 2008, 09:52:55 PM

Hi Stacy

Do you think it might have the been patina chemicals or something?

The patterning looks just like water marks, as though I hadn't cleaned the glass properly - maybe when I cleaned it at the time, there was some trace of the chemicals left on parts of the glass, and over time, its eaten away at it? I can't remember anything about the patina chemicals, could they do this?

greenbeadenvy · March 18, 2008, 10:41:10 PM

I'm thinking it could just be left over flux from not washing the piece enough before adding the final ppatina.
hmmm have you tried the metal polish...the stuff in a tin.....the wadding one? Or failing that glass cleaner and wire wool, avoid the black patina as it will rub off if rubbed too hard.
Em xx

Zeldazog · March 18, 2008, 10:42:44 PM

Oh, thanks for that Em, I will give that a try

Dennis Brady · March 18, 2008, 11:57:04 PM

If it looks a bit like an oil slick or like very minor iridescence, it's from not rinsing off the patina quickly enough. Black patina should be applied as quickly as possible, then rinsed off as quickly as possible. Some glass (notably red transparent and white opal) is especially susceptible and as little as 1 minute can cause permanent staining.

greenbeadenvy · March 19, 2008, 09:59:11 AM

Wire wool and glass cleaner is your best bet hun, it may not work but I can't think of anything else.
You can be quite brutal with it. Just avoid the black patina.

Zeldazog · March 19, 2008, 11:30:40 AM

Quote from: Dennis Brady on March 18, 2008, 11:57:04 PM
If it looks a bit like an oil slick or like very minor iridescence, it's from not rinsing off the patina quickly enough. Black patina should be applied as quickly as possible, then rinsed off as quickly as possible. Some glass (notably red transparent and white opal) is especially susceptible and as little as 1 minute can cause permanent staining.

No, its actually very dull, more like its been etched.....

I am sure I followed the recommendations at the time, but it was a long while ago, and has been in storage.

Em, I will get the wire wool out!

♥♥Tan♥♥ · March 19, 2008, 01:56:26 PM

Dawn keep us posted on this, that is such a beautiful inspiring panel I would love to know the outcome

Zeldazog · March 19, 2008, 05:46:34 PM

Quote from: tanok on March 19, 2008, 01:56:26 PM
Dawn keep us posted on this, that is such a beautiful inspiring panel I would love to know the outcome

Aw, thanks, Tan!

Zeldazog · July 20, 2010, 05:47:41 PM

I've just been browsing through old topics and came back across this one...

Feel a bit daft really... after spending ages trying to work out what had happened to the seahorse panel and why it had the dull bits... I asked my friend who did the stained glass course with me, although hasn't done anything since...

Hmm, it seems I etched it, at the time, to make it look like bubbles under the ocean... so they were there from the beginning....

Is there a blushing smiley?

Flyingcheesetoastie · July 20, 2010, 06:41:29 PM

ha ha, numpty! the mystery is solved though!

Stacy · July 20, 2010, 06:44:38 PM

hahahahaha.... thats wonderful!!! Made my night!!!

Zeldazog · July 20, 2010, 06:52:45 PM

Alright, alright... it was about ten years ago that I did that ya know!