Tools: Reactivity charting

I’ve mentioned this before: Before you go combining frits, it’s a good idea to understand what reacts with which.

The linked post explains it in more detail, but in general: When a warm glass meets up with a cool glass, be careful. Cool glasses often contain copper. Warm glasses frequently contain sulfur or lead. Wherever the two touch those chemicals will combine to form a third, which is frequently some shade of brown, grey or black.

Nothing wrong with that if it’s what you want, but if it’s not, check the reaction potential before you put it in your layup. Bullseye makes a reactivity chart for its glasses which you can stick on a studio wall. (Interestingly, they no longer mention selenium in their chart, which can also react with some glasses.)

I do quite a bit of testing for reactions, on and off, and keep track in the manufacturer’s glass catalog. In Bullseye’s case, I translate their table (along with my own notes about selenium and the intensity of the reaction) and put the info under the listing in the catalog. It stays by my worktable for easy reference and–at least for me–is easier to follow than theirs.

Of course, it does mean that I’m transferring notes every time a glassmaker comes out with a new catalog, but it’s worth it.

 

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