Red glass that engraves white?

[Gregg Vaughn]

I saw a lamp with a red glass shade that had been laser engraved and the engraved area was white. There did not appear to be any fill in the engraved area, but it was noticibly white much like red annodized aluminu engraves white. Anyone know what this might have been? It was glass, not acrylic or plastic.

[Cliff Patrick]

Gregg,

I just finished lazing a piece of "flash glass". It lazed white. This particular piece of glass was a piece that is used in stain glass shops. Maybe this lamp was made out of it.

[Stephen Beckham]

Gregg,

I get the same response when doing antique blue bottles or glasses. I think it's more of an optical illusion. The glass is still red pigmented, just that you are seeing white reflections of light off of the shattered flakes.

I've also gotten the same white hue from green glasses - like the Jade glass sold by most vendors...

[Joe Pelonio]

Yes, all colored glass etches with a white look to it, laser or chemical.

[Darryl Hazen]

definition of flashed glass:

"clear glass flashed with a thin layer of colored glass."

The surface is colored. Not the entire thickness.

[Joe Pelonio]

definition of flashed glass:

"clear glass flashed with a thin layer of colored glass."

The surface is colored. Not the entire thickness.
True, but even glass manufactured with an additive to make it colored all the way through will engrave looking white.

[Darryl Hazen]

Joe,

I wasn't disagreeing with you, merely providing the dictionary definition.

[Bill Cunningham]

Did this one a while back.. the Red bottle engraved white..

Attached Thumbnails http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=74580&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1194104340 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=74580&d=1194104340)

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[Angus Hines]

All colored glass will engrave this way, 'flash glass' is simply clear glass heated and then while hot has a metallic coating added to the surface that when cool will leave a color behind.
Red Flash Glass is most sought after because to get the red color 24k gold dust was used as the coating for the hot glass which is still transparent throughout.

[Gregg Vaughn]

Thanks everyone .... the learning curve goes on.

[Tom Bull]

Flashed glass is one of those terms that means different things to different people. There is flashed glass, notably red and blue, but other colors as well that is a thick(er) layer of clear glass with a layer of color applied. That color layer can be very thin in what is called commercial flashed glass (what you want if you are going to use a laser to remove it) or thick if it is a mouth blown glass (where the color layer can vary a lot).

I will rummage around in the basement and see if I have some flash and do some experiments. If I come up with something noteworthy I will post some photos.