Silver Stain Questions
by Noah Albert
(York, England)
1) Although I have read your item on silver stain I am still not clear why it is is usually fired on the 'back' of the glass. If the glass is already painted then surely it wouldn't matter that the silver stain couldn't penetrate the paint because the painter wouldn't want the silver stain on the part of the glass beneath the paint?
2) When the silver stain has been fired is there a residue of silver nitrate left on the surface of the glass that can be removed, and if so, how?
Milly's reply: Hi Noah, I agree, it does seem silly to paint the 'back' with stain, but there are good reasons.
Both your questions link up really, as the unpleasant residue or bloom that you mention when firing is something you don't want on the 'front' of your work.
Silver stain is applied on the back of the glass for a number of reasons. It fires into the glass, rather than remaining on the surface (like paint) so it needs to be applied on clear glass for this to happen.
The residue. This doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's best that this is on the outside of the window, and not visible from inside. You'll see this 'bloom' on church windows if you look from the outside - little non-reflective patches. These can be removed carefully with diluted hydrofluoric acid. This is another reason for doing it on the back - the acid would remove the paintwork otherwise.
Having said all this, technically you're right - you can apply silver stain over paint, or around the painted areas. Just be careful not to over-fire it, as it may produce the unsightly metallic bloom on your precious work. Good luck.
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