Frequently Asked Questions

When you look at the history of an artist using Dichroic coated glass, it appears that the artist has been under the major handicap of not having any information on what he or she was working with. These artists were exposed to a piece of glass that had interesting color effects, but came from a very complex and scientific industry not easily understood. These “high-tech” coatings were capable of reflecting a narrow band of light (or one color) and at the same time, transmitting the remaining part of light. The coating process is completed in a vacuum deposition chamber by vaporizing quartz and metal oxides with an electron beam gun and condensing micro thin layers on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. This coating that we commonly call Dichroic glass today, is actually an “interference filter” permanently adhered to the surface of a piece of glass. The technology used to manufacture the optical interference filter has been in existence for many years. It is known as “vacuum thin film deposition.”

No. In an effort to motivate our Distributors, we have chosen not to sell quarter sheets.

Dichroic patterns have become increasingly popular. We currently offer over 18 types of patterns including: Squares, Dots, Marquis, Brick, Honeycomb, Balloons, Boxes, and a variety of Rainbows and other configurations of colors. Unlike an etched or photo resist pattern, ours are completed during the coating process. Therefore each of our patterns have colorful rainbows around each small shape. We are taking an aggressive stand into the research and development in this arena. Please feel free to call us directly to discuss your personal needs.

We melt Quartz Crystal and Metal Oxides to produce our quality coatings. Only the highest and purest quality materials are used for our processes. These materials are vaporized with an electron beam gun, and the vapor then attaches and condenses onto the surface of the glass, forming a crystal structure comprised of as many as 30 layers

The “Transmitted Color” is the color you see in a clear piece of glass when you can actually see through the glass. The “Reflected Color” is the color you see in a clear or opaque piece of glass when the light bounces off of the surface of the glass. Most of our colors are listed with its Transmission Colors then its Reflections Color. For example “Blue/Gold” will be Blue in transmission and Gold in reflection. If we coated a black/opaque sheet with Blue/Gold, you would only see its reflection of Gold (Yet, it is still called Blue/Gold).

We have the ability to coat many different shapes and sizes of glass, including 3 dimensional pieces such as sculptures, bowls, tubing, rods, glass block, crystals, buttons, beads, and more. We can coat square sheets that fit within the same area as our 19″ or 24″ diameter glass. Thus, the largest square we can presently coat is a 17″ inch square.

Our sheets are round because of the process. The sheets must rotate during the coating process to achieve a constant uniform color across the surface of the sheet. This is a way to maximize the surface area that is being coated in our chamber at any one given time. We can coat square sheets, but they would be smaller and require different tooling, thus creating greater expense for less coated glass.

The quality Dichroic surface is stronger than the glass that it has been placed onto. The final layer that we adhere to the glass is Quartz Crystal (This material is almost as strong as an actual diamond). But, because it is so extremely thin, if something can scratch the glass, it will usually also scratch the coating. We do not recommend using abrasives such as steel wool, etc. Also, when grinding the edge of the glass, the coating will chip off along with the glass that is also being chipped off. We recommend using a fine grit grinding wheel when trying to keep chipping to a minimum.

Many artists have experimented with Dichroic Glass before, but have become disappointed with its characteristics under extreme heating conditions. Some Pyrex workers had actually stopped using Dichroic glass because they claimed it disappeared or became white when hotworked. NOT CBS DICHROIC!! We have supplied several renowned artists with samples of CBS Dichroic Glass and instructed them to “Burn-it-out.” The only damage that was noted to the CBS coating under the most severe conditions was a slight residue formed on the edges. Thus our colors stayed vibrant, our coating remained intact, and the experiment was a true measure of CBS’s solid quality product. We invite all artists to try CBS Dichroic, especially if you have been disappointed in the past with lower quality Dichroic Glass.

CBS Dichroic Coatings are specifically designed to be hot worked. We coat our glass for use in: Glass Blowing, Flameworking, Fusing, Slumping, Beadmaking, and any other technique that involves the manipulation of glass with extreme heat.

he Dichroic Coating does not affect the integrity of the glass in any way. We only recommend that you cut/score the glass on the “UNCOATED” side of the glass substrate. This will produce a much smother and cleaner break.

Please refer to the manufacture of the glass that you are using for recommended fusing schedules. The Dichroic Coating does not change the COE or integrity of the glass in any way.

Dichroic Glass was originally created for the Aerospace industry for Satellite mirrors, but it now has many technical uses including: Lighting, Fiber Optics, Infrared Lazers, Motion Picture Equipment, Sun Glasses, and more.

CBS Dichroic is so versatile that it is being used in large architectural applications, stained glass type installations, tile production, and even in construction. Its resilience to weather and never-fading colors are prime material to enhance office buildings, custom homes, walkways, fountains, skylights, walls, lighting fixtures and more. Other applications of CBS Dichroic Glass is left up to the imagination of you the artist community.

There is an ever growing demand for the use of Dichroic Glass in architecture. Its resilience to weather and never-fading colors are prime material to enhance office buildings, custom homes, walkways, fountains, skylights, walls, lighting fixtures and more.

Our growing customer base of glass blowers and lamp workers is immense. Remember that CBS Dichroic is only the Coating, and the Glass is just a vehicle to place the CBS coating onto. Thus, we can coat any type of glass. For your convenience, CBS carries a large variety of glass on hand ready to coat to your specifications: 90 & 96 Co-efficient, Bullseye, Uroboros, Spectrum, Pyrex, Moretti, Rods, Float and more. WE’LL EVEN COAT YOUR GLASS!!

The tile industry has recently made a strong presence in the use of Dichroic Glass. Some problems have been associated with the variance of colors. Large tile manufacturers that require a large lot of the same exact color have difficulties, since the coatings vary in color slightly, from one sheet to another. Nevertheless, accent tiles, mosaics, patterns, and abstract tiles are very popular and are even currently being sold in large home and garden stores such as Home Depot Expo.

Though most of our customers are hotworking our glass in one form or another, we do have customers that use our glass for Stained Glass Windows. Due to the nature of Transmission Color versus Reflection Color, one must chose colors carefully when a stained glass pattern includes an object or scenery. Other applications include: Glass Block Walls, Skylights, Outdoor Sculptures, and more. We also coat Bevel Clusters for Stained Glass applications.

The Dichroic Coated Frit that we currently offer in 90 and 96 COE is frit that we have purchased specifically to be coated with a Dichroic Coating. This product is not broken up sheets of glass, but actually coated frit. After extensive research CBS has designed a proprietary process that allows the frit to be coated on approximately 80 Percent of the surface area of the glass. Thus, one 8-ounce jar of Dichroic Coated Frit has the equivalent coated surface area of more than one full sheet of flat glass. This ratio of glass to Dichroic Coating is unmatched to any other product available on the market today. Due to this high ratio of Coating versus Glass, the Dichroic Frit responds very differently under heating/hotworking conditions,… a must try for artists looking for a fresh or different look to their work.

Standard and Premium colors refer to pricing only. Our premium colors have twice as many layers than our standard colors and thus, take more time to produce. Therefore, premium colors are a little more expensive. Our Specialty Colors and Patterns are “Standard” as far as pricing, but anything that requires tooling to create (ie: patterns) are $15 Dollars extra.. For example: a Brick Pattern would be a Standard Color Price plus $15 Dollars tooling charge.