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Shining the Underside of a Piece
This is part two of a
multi-part series. Click here to go to part one.
Aside from the suggestions in the first part of this tip, another
way that is sometimes attempted to shine up the bottom of a bowl or
other glass piece is to use an "overglaze." These
products ("Back Magic" is one well known brand name) claim to "add
shine to the backside" of a fused piece.
The standard way to use these kinds of products is to spray or
brush it on the piece, then re-fire to around 1000F/540C. The
idea is that the coating will mature without changing the shape or
texture of the glass, leaving behind a shiny surface.
Unfortunately, while these products do change the appearance of
the underside, they don't make it anywhere near as glossy or shiny
as the top surface of a fused or fire-polished piece of glass.
Instead, the surface becomes a bit smoother and has a slight glossy
(sometimes matte) appearance. The final finish is somewhat
disappointing; in addition, since the product contains lead it makes
the piece no longer usable for food-bearing purposes.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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