Kiln Pointer from Paragon: Dichroic Glass

Dichroic glass has a bright, reflective surface that can add a dazzling touch to a fused glass piece.

However, I have found that too much dichroic can overpower the basic design. Sometimes a tiny sliver of dichroic glass can add more drama than large pieces, especially in jewelry.

Dichroic is so expensive that artists use every scrap. I've even used the smallest bits of dichroic left over from cutting. I used them in a jewelry piece. Cut dichroic on a surface where you can collect the smallest shards afterward.

You should use a good oil reservoir glasscutter for dichroic glass. I learned this the hard way. We were cutting dichroic sheets at Paragon for the first time, and the pieces kept breaking. Then I brought an expensive oil reservoir cutter from home, which sliced the dichroic effortlessly.

Dichroic shows up well against a dark glass background.

Do not use glue with dichroic. Lay the pieces in place without the glue, loading carefully into the kiln to avoid jarring.

When the glass side of dichroic is up, the bright reflective coating looks richer. The glass acts as a coating that enhances the dichroic. You may prefer to have the coated side up. Just be aware that having the coated side up or down produces two different effects.

Copyright 2002, by Paragon Industries, Inc.