Gaffer Glass in New Zealand is closing down for its annual break on 18th December 2009. The factory reopens on 18th January 2010. Seasons Greetings to all our customers and all the very best for the New Year. Thank you everyone for your continued support from the Gaffer Team.


Announcing Two New Colours:
PHIL’S GREY G-194 & ALABASTER G-190

Gaffer Glass has recently released two new colors: Phil’s Grey G-194 and Alabaster G-190. Phil’s Grey is named after a much beloved employee who tragically passed away a couple of years ago. He once made this light opal grey by mistake and it has been difficult to reproduce until now. This is a soft neutral grey similar to an elephant grey.

We are particularly proud of our new Alabaster G-190. This is an opaline with that delicate milky opalescence a lá Lalique, with the characteristic play of reddish tones with transmitted light. For those that find Opal White G-101 or Enamel White G-100 too opaque and soulless, G-190 might be just what you are looking for.

Many of you will have tried Reichenbach’s or Kugler’s R 60 or K 60 Opaline. Both are virtually identical examples of a phosphate based opal. They both suffer badly from what we call “heat rings” in blown ware- ie bands of wildly varying opacity depending on the thermal history of the glass piece.

Gaffer’s new Alabaster uses the same basic phosphate system, but Gaffer has worked hard to tweak the recipe so that it does not opacify to varying degrees of density depending on heat treatment. A blown cylinder or bowl for instance will be even in opacity from lip to foot.



Gaffer Glass announces a new opaque colour -
NAVY BLUE G-129.

A rich, deep, traditional navy blue that adds to our opal blue series.
Very intense and opaque like all of our opal range.
Available now.





Gaffer Glass is proud to announce the launch of a world first –
a red lustre glass.

G-066 Red Lustre Extra is a striking color and needs to develop it’s characteristic hue (similar to Copper Ruby) over a time period of 1-2 hours at 490-510°C (914-950°F). Apart from requiring that heat treatment no other special working is needed. A mildly reducing flame will quickly produce a golden mirror on the surface.

The colour is quite dense and can be used sparingly unlike cadmium selenium reds.



A FABULOUS NEW COLOR : G-109 Chalcedony

In 1856, the Muranese glasshouse of Salviati resurrected the color Chalcedony (pronounced kal-sed-onie), first described in Antonio Neri’s treatise “L’Arte Vetraria” published in 1612. Chalcedony is a multicolored glass that Salviati presented at the famous London Exhibition of 1862 to widespread acclaim. It has pretty much been absent from the glass artists palette in recent times. Reichenbach’s Iris Orange R-108 is an anaemic shadow of what is possible.

Gaffer is proud to relaunch a full blown example of this color system with the usual high standards of perfect compatibility and freedom of stones and bubbles.

The color is built on a scarlet base, allowing a red transparency when blown thinly. Used in thicker quantities it can exhibit all the colors of the spectrum when subjected to different heat treatments. It is perfect for multicolored effects in beads. The color will luster a bright silver/gold under a mildly reducing flame For picking up from a hotbox, have the temperature at around 980oF.