Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Rande Bly of Birmingham, Alabama sends along his commentary on Window Glass Green

Today I was reminiscing on why Window Glass Green is so special. First off it is from a special family of color. It is one of three colors that I like to think of as “whisper colors”. I see the three as Moonlight, Orchid and Window Glass Green. I have seen these colors sold as clear crystal even by experienced glass dealers. Why? How does this mistake happen? Well actually I have personally held pieces in these colors and under certain conditions, pieces and lighting I have seen them go colorless showing no color at all. Yet at the same time all it takes is a close look to easily notice that these pieces are obviously colored. A marvelous example of Carder’s genius working it’s magic.

Secondly I would like to review why and where the nickname Window Glass Green came from. In our heads I am sure all of us picture the same color of green when the words window glass green is mentioned. This is a color I think of as natural glass green. The color comes from the iron content that is present naturally in the silica used to make the glass. In the 1800’s it was very popular to add manganese to the glass to make a clearer window. It did work in removing the green tint. A side affect was over time exposure to sunlight made them turn a very popular shade of purple These windows today bring a huge premium and are used in house restorations when they can be found. Now how did Carder pick this up and run with it? That is the fascinating part. He had high quality silica no doubt but he still must contend with the green created by the natural content of iron. So what did he use to get rid of part of the green? Well manganese of course….just like the windows from the 1800’s! Carder’s notebook shows a formula for a pale green color that had a mere 20 ounces of manganese per 1100 pounds of glass as the sole ingredient. (a very small amount) Carder was not trying to eliminate the green he was just trying to turn it to a whisper. Well just like always…..he got it perfect.

Carder called this color Pale Nile Green. Gardner shows it as Pale Green in the line drawings. Around the glory hole they just called it Window Glass Green. Window Glass Green is listed in Gardner’s color list. It is testing positive under black light with the soft manganese glow.

Third, I was happy I had found this color. You know it is a whisper color if it sits in front of our eyes for 50 years going unnoticed. It doesn’t surprise me though. The biggest color mysteries have always been in the green’s and that is why I have saved them for last.

www.cardersteubenclub.org

2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.

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