Topic: Opalescent/Vaseline Glass Recipe

[johnmoncrieff]

Hello, I am looking for the glass recipe for opalescent  and/or vaseline in order to start remelting. I wonder if anyone can help or point us in the right direction.  Many thanks

[chopin-liszt]

Hello and welcome! 

 

That's a tall order!
Opalescent glass, to my knowledge, contains either arsenic (or potash - I haven't managed to sort that one out yet), and "vaseline" glass (an expression that is mostly used in the states) contains Uranium.
Very few folk make their own colours these days - they're mostly "bought in".
I'm not sure I really approve - I prefer the colours made by artists. On the other hand, it's a dangerous business.)

You might have a little trouble getting hold of Arsenic and/or Uranium..... 

[Ohio]

Here is the chemical formula for a standard batch of Cambridge Glass Co. Light Emerald which is highly reactive & called "Vaseline" by some collectors even though its a man-made term: Sand 850 lbs, Soda 330 lbs, Feldspar 100 lbs, Lime 42 lbs, Nitrate 50 lbs, Lead 36 lbs, Arsenic 10 lbs, Copper Oxide 13 oz, Uranium 43 oz.

Ken

[Mosquito]

Hi John,

The formula for Jobling's opalescent glass is given in Baker & Crowe (1985). The basic formula is also shown here on the Glass Museum article about opalescent glass:
http://www.theglassmuseum.com/opalesc.htm (scroll down). This gives a blue-white opalescence in the thicker parts of the glass, much like that used by Lalique & Sabino, etc.

Note however, that the description given in the Glass Museum article is incorrect - the ranges refer not to the difference between Jobling's and French glass but rather the difference in composition between a thinner item such as an 8 inch bowl and a much thicker piece such as a statuette. Some of the numbers have also been transposed so I wouldn't advise following the given recipe, though it does tell you what constituents you will need...

I'll dig out my copy of Baker & Crowe & can send you a scan of the correct formula if it's of interest to you.

Steven

[chopin-liszt]

I only recognise one sort of opalescent glass - the kind with "fire" in it.
Milky white glass is opaline.
I do not agree with the article. (sorry, Angela!)

[Lustrousstone]

I think you'll find all those sorts of glass will give a fiery glow if the light will penetrate

[flying free]

Isn't the fiery glow  there in older pieces because they  contain bone ash?
m

[chopin-liszt]

I always thought it was arsenic. 
On the other hand, I don't know what "bone ash" contains, or what "potash" is. I do wish they'd stick to proper, chemical names.
Does Davidson pearline have "fire"? I've never seen it!

[johnmoncrieff]

Thank you all for your helpful replies, Steven, yes if you could send that through, it would be very helpful .. regards Scott GIlmore

[mrvaselineglass]

Scott:  Getting a recipe that was used by a factory is a lot of raw materials.  Is your desire to see if you can make it from the raw ingredients, or is it your desire to blow or press vaseline glass?  If it is the latter, why not just buy some cullet?  Or, buy a few cheap/damaged pieces of Fenton's TOPAZ OPALESCENT and break it up and use that as cullet?

In the back of BRITISH GLASS, 1800-1914 by Charles Hadjamach, there are 19 different glass recipes that Thomas Webb and Sons that are listed with ingredients and measurements, and those 19 contain some amount of uranium dioxide. 

Uranium Dioxide is generally very controlled by governments, with lots of permits needed.  It can be done, but it is time consuming, and once you get the permits, it is expensive.  It is not something you can just buy through your raw material supplier.

Cullet is the way to go if you just want to make some uranium opalescent glass.

p.s.  the recipe shown above on glass made by Cambridge?  It also had copper oxide in it, a colorant, and your glass would not necessarily turn out yellow-green.  Using just uranium dioxide as a coloring agent will get you a nice yellow green.  Add anything to it, and your end result will still glow, but it might not be yellow-green. 

potash is one of several different minerals made up of primarily potassium, but there are several different chemicals that can all be called potash.  In trying to analyze the formulas that Thomas Webb had, it was 'bone dust' that was used to strike the opalescent rim in the glory hole.  I have also heard that arsenic did the same thing. 

If you want to 'go from scratch batch' to finished product, the formulas from Thomas Webb are around 150-200 total pounds of ingredients, versus over the 1000 lbs of ingredients used in the Cambridge formula. 

I remember seeing a video of Fenton making vaseline opalescent ('Topaz Opalescent') and their uranium dioxide was in a sealed plastic bag and they threw the entire bag into the melting furnace.  Something about 'not letting the opportunity for any stray uranium dust escape' was the reasoning I heard.  Once it is melted, it is very dilute and not a problem, but industrial accidents can happen and messing with the pure uranium dioxide is kinda asking for trouble.  (just my 2 cents worth)