Today I want to share some knowledge about the different types of sheet glass for stained glass, and particularly what to keep in mind when shopping online depending on what you want.
I say shopping online because if you’re holding the glass in your hands and have the ability to lift it up to the light, see the color patterns, textures, and transparency level… you don’t need this article.
This sheet glass breakdown is for those of you that haven’t had your hands on a ton of stained glass yet, but find yourself having to purchase glass online. Perhaps you’re gearing up for your first ever glass haul, or you’re ready to add some variety to your collection that you haven’t seen yet.
And now you find yourself having to decide on a $25 sheet of glass based on a 300 x 300 photo that looks nothing like glass.
If this is you, hi, you’ve come to the right place.
Common Glass Questions
Before we get into the visible characteristics of the different sheet glass, let’s answer some of the more basic questions you might have:
How thick should the glass be for stained glass?
The thickness of glass and other materials used in stained glass art can vary. The most commonly used glass sheets are 3mm, but can range anywhere from 2mm to 6mm.
You can even use a mix of thickness in your art projects, just keep in mind the more drastic the difference, the more difficult it can be when it comes time to solder.
What kind of glass do you use for stained glass art?
Sheet glass, beveled glass, mirrored glass, glass marbles, glass rondels, and varying glass jewels can all be used to create stained glass art.
What is the easiest glass to cut?
Smooth and lightly textured glass is easier to cut than heavily textured glass, mottled glass, stipple glass, and some streaky glass.
Some great sheet glass options for beginners include:
- Double rolled or thin solid colors
- Wispy
- Waterglass
- Antique
- Rough rolled
- Baroque
What is CEO and does it matter when choosing glass for stained glass?
CEO stands for Coefficient of expansion. This is how much the glass will expand when fired in a kiln.
CEO only matters if you plan to create any fused glass projects. If you’re purchasing glass for stained glass projects only, that don’t involve using a kiln, you don’t need to worry about the CEO.
What does it mean when glass is fusible, and does this matter when choosing glass for stained glass?
The term fusible just means the sheet glass will fuse with other fusible glass when fired in a kiln. This isn’t important if you only plan to use the glass for stained glass art.
To expand on the last two questions, there are three different “forms” of glass art: cold, warm, and hot. Stained glass falls in the cold glass category, wherein none of the glass is being heated.
That isn’t to say you can’t mix things up and use fused glass art INSIDE of stained glass art projects. In fact a lot of stained glass artists do this. To see what I mean you can check out @coldheartglass on IG or visit her site at coldheartglass.com. I was just browsing her work last night and she does such an incredible job at incorporating fused glass into her stained glass art.
However, when you’re first starting out and/or if you only plan to join your glass together with solder or lead, “fusible” and “CEO” don’t matter at all when shopping for your sheet glass.
Sheet Glass Terms
There are a few common terms you will see when shopping for your sheet glass online. These are important to understand and will make your glass shopping experience much easier if you do.
Transparent
Transparency refers to how much you can see through your glass. If the glass is transparent, you’ll be able to see all objects behind it and it will spread the most light refractions (colorful light) when light passes through it.
Keep in mind the more the glass is textured the more the background image will be skewed.
Opalescent or Opal
The textbook definition of opalescent is to “show varying colors as an opal does,” and in relation to glass I’ve seen it defined as “a milky appearance.” To this I say, it depends on the manufacturer and how they use the term opal to describe their product.
The two pieces of sheet glass shown below are described as “brown with white opal” and “purple with white opal.”
Opaque
The opposite of transparent. If your sheet glass is opaque it will let little to no light through and you won’t be able to see anything on the other side.
If the description says semi-opaque, you may be able to see some elements behind the glass but it won’t be transparent.
Iridized or Iridescent
Iridized glass has been through one of two processes to make one side of the glass produce an iridescent color sheen. I’ll show a photo, but the best way to describe it with just words is to imagine an oil spill and how it gives off a sheen of varying colors.
This glass can be both transparent or opaque, and depending on the process used the color sheen will either be throughout the entire piece of glass, or it will appear as uneven blotches or lines.
Unfortunately it’s hard to know based on photos and site descriptions which type of iridescent glass you’re going to get.
Dichroic
Dichroic glass shows many different colors depending on the angle the light is hitting it. This glass will typically come with patterns on it, and is made with many very thin layers to produce the final effect.
Mottled
When looking up the description for this glass (because I find it hard to describe) I got this from the Oceanside website : “An opalescent glass in which rates of crystal growth have been controlled to create areas of opacity on the surface in a visually mottled effect.” I had no idea how this glass was made. Pretty cool!
From a user’s perspective this glass is very pretty, but not the easiest to cut.
Wispy
Wispy glass is pretty much just as it sounds. It’s typically a transparent glass with a single color in a “wispy” striation throughout the glass.
Streaky
Not to be confused with “wispy.” Steaky glass has, well… streaks of two or more different color combinations throughout the glass. Some streaky glass is transparent, and others are opalescent or semi-transparent.
Some streaky glass is more difficult to cut than others. Some of these glass sheets, especially the Kokomo line, will also appear very different depending on the lighting. They may look dark and drab and then just light up into something completely different and beautiful when held up to the light.
Common Glass Textures
There are a few textures you’ll see a lot of, primarily in transparent colored glass (or cathedral glass.) Each one produces a different light refraction and appearance to your final piece.
These glass sheets only have texture on one side, so as long as you’re cutting the smooth side (as you should) they are still very easy to cut.
Waterglass
This texture produces a water-like appearance in your refractions, and a really cool wavy appearance when you’re looking through the glass. The texture is subtle compared to some of the others, but the effect it has is so dang pretty!
English Muffle
English muffle has been around for decades and is commonly found in a lot of antique stained glass windows. This texture is hard to describe, but hopefully you can see it well in the photo below.
By the way, this green color only comes in English Muffle and it’s my absolute favorite!
Rough Rolled
I don’t have a rough rolled texture in my studio currently, but the images for this pale blue on Delphi shows it pretty well.
Hammered
You can get both small and regular hammered textures. The piece shown below is “small hammered.” Just as the name suggested, this textured glass looks like it’s been hammered while being formed.
Conclusion
Now I know that’s a lot, but the more pieces of glass you get your hands on, the easier it gets. You will begin to know intimately what types of glass you prefer in your work, and how different brands and lines of glass cooperate both in the light and with your tools.
Below is a project I just finished with the types of glass labeled so you can see how they appear in a finished piece, and how you can use them all together to create works of art!
I hope this article is helpful. Please let me know anything I left out in the comments.
Happy Creating! <3
Pingback: Supplies You Need to Create Stained Glass - The Glass Creative