There are many techniques one can incorporate when creating a kilnformed glass object. Some are more complex than others. Dilution is a technique that is as simple to use as it is beautiful and versatile. In this post, I will explain what dilution is in glass art and how to use it in your kilnformed designs. I will also discuss things to consider to ensure your design is successful.
What is Dilution?
Dilution is a design technique where pieces of clear glass are fused into a base piece of colored sheet glass to “dilute” the base color. The term dilution is a little misleading, however. The pieces of clear sheet glass fuse into the base glass and displace it. In transparent glass styles, the optical effects appear to lighten the base color where the clear glass is fused. Below is an image with examples of what dilution looks like. I used the same glass styles to create two 6mm samples. Both samples have a piece of clear glass for the base and Sea Blue Transparent (96-43) for the top layer.
To create the sample on the left, I fused a one-inch piece of clear glass into the top layer of Sea Blue. You can see from the photograph that the blue glass appears to be lighter where the clear glass fused. This lightening is dilution.
I created the piece on the right in almost the same manner except for one detail. You will notice an amber square of color in the center of the diluted area of glass. I made this by placing a one-inch square piece of clear glass in the same manner as I did for the piece on the left, then placing a half-inch square piece of Cinnamon Transparent (96-12) on top of the clear. The clear glass dilutes the Sea Blue, and the Cinnamon fuses into the diluted area. Dilution is a great technique when working with contrasting colors of transparent sheet glass. It is also useful when blending transparent glass styles in subtle ways.
Dilution techniques can unlock endless design possibilities with transparent glass styles, but why stop there? You can also use them on opalescent base glass styles and Prisma styles to achieve similar results.
The photo above shows two samples. Both samples are set up in the same manner to be 6mm. The sample on the left has a clear base and a top layer of Reactive Blue (96-14). The sample on the right has a base layer of clear glass and a top layer of Reactive Blue/Oyster Pearl (96-37). Both samples have clear cabochons fused into the top layer of glass to create a dilution design. When diluting opalescent glass styles, the color does not fade as transparent does. Because the colors do not fade, dilution with opalescent glass can create wonderfully subtle patterns resembling optical illusions.
Learn how to make your own glass cabochons in Step 1 of our Fused Glass Ornament Tutorial.
One final sample I would like to share is above. I am sharing it because it shows you are not limited to only cabochons and squares when using dilution. The dilution design above was created by nipping clear sheet glass with a mosaic cutter. Dilution is a great way to use scrap clear glass creatively!
Things To Consider
Now that you know what dilution is and why it is so great, here are a few things to consider when using it in your studio.
The first thing to remember is to always place the clear glass for dilution on the top layer of your object. Placing the clear glass between the two layers of glass can lead to air bubbles forming in your piece.
The second thing to remember is to not place your clear glass directly on the edge of your top layer of glass. The photograph above shows what the result can be. When the piece of clear glass for dilution is placed directly on the edge of the top layer of glass, the displacement causes the edge to push out. The result is a scalloped edge or corner to your piece. I recommend placing the clear sheet glass for dilution no closer than a half inch from any edge of the piece you are creating.
And that is all you need to remember to start using dilution as a design technique in your glass studio! I hope you have fun exploring dilution and happy kilnforming!
If you feel so inclined, share photos of your creations with us. You can post to your own page and tag @wissmach_glass on Instagram or @wissmachglass on Facebook. Or post in our Friends of Wissmach Glass Facebook Group.
-Drew Kail, Wissmach Kiln Consultant