Topic: Crystalline glaze on glass?

[albglass]

I am really puzzled about these two glass vases.  The surface finish on them is smooth--no texture as in glue chip.  The only thing I've seen similar to them are crystalline glazes used on pottery.  Can a crystalline glaze be used on glass, and could these two vases be an example of the technique?  If not, how would the surface of these vases have been created?  Thanks for your help!

[Frank]

Could be a plastic coating. Try scratching...

[albglass]

I believe you're right!  I scraped with my fingernail and nothing happened, but a knife scratched through.  I had no idea that plastic coatings like this were being used on glass and never would have thought of it myself.  Thanks much, Frank!

[Ivo]

These are possibly Spanish recycled, from La Mediterranea.

[albglass]

Thanks, Ivo.  The coating is extremely effective at hiding the quality of the glass.

[Frank]

This type of coating has been around for a long time but mostly on containers, I guess this is floristry supplies. Coatings are usually applied to bought in blanks by specialist decorators.

[albglass]

This particular coating is not a plastic sleeve that has been glued on.  The coating is extremely thin--so thin that when you move your finger from the uncoated bottom of the piece to the coated surface area, there is no discernable difference.  When I scratched the coating to the surface underneath there was no depth in the scratch--it's like scratching gilded glass.  So far my searching on the Internet did not come up with any do-it-yourself projects that would produce this effect.  I am thinking it is an application produced in an industrial setting, but the design is complex and totally irregular with no repeated elements.  Perhaps something like a spray-on process with further manipulation.  I'm not finding much info so far on the Internet.

[glassobsessed]

I have been noticing these around for the past two or so years, would agree with them being mass produced. Also found in clear and blue, some examples are quite large, I remember seeing trumpet shapes too.

John

[Lustrousstone]

I see them too, often with the coating flaking off

[Frank]

Look up glass decorators. The processes are industrial and with improving fastness, but will never be as good as fired enamel. But permanence seems less desirable than cost for industrial production. The coatings used are essentially a plastics type technology.