Plowden and Thompson

Plowden and Thompson are specialist glass manufacturers and coloured glass suppliers for studio and beadmaking, they also manufacture for industrial, medical, commercial and recreational uses. Based in Stourbridge in the West Midlands they have been producing glass since 1922.

For the studio artist and lampworker they produce two different ranges of soft glass either with a CoE of 93 or 100 in a variety of colours both opaque and transparent.

Rods sizes are available in diameters 5-7mm 6-8mm,7-9mm,8-10mm and 10-12mm They also supply powders and chips of the same glass.

Plowden and Thompson were also very influential in the introduction of glass bead making into the UK.

They also stock Glass Alchemy borosilicate and Reichenbach 96 CoE glass.

CoE 100 Colours

The information below is a combination of Plowden & Thompson's working notes in their 2009 catalogue, and testing done by members of Frit-Happens! Generally speaking, these colours are noticeably stiffer than 104 CoE, particularly the transparent blues and greens.

Manufacturer's notes: For best results these rods should be heated in a gentle oxygen rich flame - about 3 inches away from the torch. All the colours work very well with each other even if the consistency is different.

Transparent

Stock Number	Colour	Properties	Comments
401	Clear x7	Very soft
403	Golden Yellow	Light-med amber
404	Citrus Yellow
405	Amber		Use a very gentle flame - does not like being overheated
406	Light Orange
407	Clear Red	Available as powder/chip only
408	Flame Red	Available as powder/chip only
409	Ruby	Ambery red, 'difficult'	Use a low Oxy flame. Can lose all the colour if overheated. Can bubble and burn. OK in a very gentle flame. Can turn an amber colour.
410	Nile Green	Rich emerald green	Use a very gentle flame - does not like being overheated
411	Mid Green	Rich green
412	Emerald Green	Rich green, 'difficult'	Slightly stiff and bubbles - mid green is MUCH better
413	Antique Green	Dark green	Very dark as a self-coloured spacer. Boils, but less than the blues.
414	Holly Green
415	Daylight Blue	Transparent turquoise	Boils easily.
416	Pacific Blue
417	Sky Blue	Available as powder/chip only
418	Light Blue	Rich blue, not too light	Use a very gentle flame - does not like being overheated
419	Electric Blue	Rich turquoise blue, stiff	Likes a cool flame. Boils very easily.
420	Royal Blue	Cobalt blue
421	Midnight Blue	Available as powder/chip only
422	Mauve	Amethyst	Use a very gentle flame - does not like being overheated
423	Violet
424	Purple
425	Smoke	Very pale grey
427	Gold Pink	Very pale pink	Can go clear if worked too long. Very pretty over a white core
429	Rose Pink	Very pale pink	Almost clear
430	Pink
431	Cherry
432	Garnet
434	British Green
435	Dark Amber		Very dark on its own, looks good over white
436	Florida Blue
	Cider	Very light amber
	Gold Ruby	Rich deep pink	Can go clear, allow to cool and then strike in the flame to bring back the rich colour.
	Light Amber Eyeshell	Light amber
	Mandarin
	Satsuma
	Water Green	Watery green
600	Soft Clear	Soft casing cane
601	Soft Ruby	Soft casing cane

Opaque (and Misty)

Stock Number	Colour	Properties	Comments
501	Pearl White	Transparent & Opaque!	Looks transparent with a very slight purple tint. Turns pearl white when left to cool and then 'kissed' with a oxy reduced flame, otherwise it remains transparent. Got a slight fizz to it.
502	Diopal White	Slightly translucent, soft.	Does not yellow with fine silver.
503	Canary Yellow	Acid yellow	Stays semi-translucent, streaky. Ringed rod.
504	Egg Yellow
505	Daffodil Yellow		Bubbles and pits - use in a very very cool flame and it is OK.
506	Bright Orange	'Difficult'	Bubbles and pits, burnt brown specks easily. May not be visible until cooled. Ringed rod.
507	Post Office Red	Rich red
508	Pastel Green	Available as powder/chip only
511	Birch Green	Sage/teal green	Streaky.
512	Turquoise	Light baby blue	This looks almost encased in the rod form but when heated has a slight pearly look to it. Needs an Oxy rich flame.
513	Monsoon Blue	Turquoise
514	Cobalt Opal Blue	Rich bright blue, med-soft.
515	Navy Blue	Available as powder/chip only
517	Grey
518	Black	Black/silver	Likes a cool oxy reduced flame. If the flame is too hot can bubble and pit. Turns silver with little effort. Can be burned off and brought to surface again for darker result with hints of bronze. Black outline when other colours used on top. Returns to black under encasement.
519	Mint Green	Medium minty green	Rough, flaky 'cellophane' surface after cooling. (May be user error!) Reaction line with reds, oranges, yellows.
520	Tangerine
521	Primrose
522	Plum	Deep red	Very well behaved red
523	Lavender
524	Dark Post Office Red	Dark crimson
	Burnt Orange	Yellow-orange satsuma	Streaky. Ringed rod.
	Misty Orange	Translucent streaky orange	Easy to use, very nice colour. Rod very obviously ringed.
	NT Green	Light green
	Pearl Violet
	Post Office Orange	Reddish orange	May have slight streakiness. Ringed rod.
	Vanilla	Light browny cream, soft	An ivory, darker and warmer in tone than Effetre dark ivory. Less reactive. Haven't seen a 104 colour like it!

CoE 93 Colours

The information below is taken from Plowden & Thompson's working notes in their 2009 catalogue.

Manufacturer's notes: For best results these rods should be heated in a gentle oxygen rich flame - about 3 inches away from the torch. All the colours work very well with each other even if the consistency is different. The pale transparent such as Salmon and Parisian Blue encased over opal pink and heather produces rich amethyst shades. Fire Engine Red and the Yellows should be thoroughly tested before using with other colours to avoid disappointment. The clear rods are very easy to use and encase all the colours very well and work well with the range of Dichroic sheet glass also available.

Transparent

Stock Number	Colour	Properties	Comments
800	Clear	Crystal clear	A great crystal clear glass - great for encasing with a creamy texture. Very easy to control. The rod must be spotlessly clean before using. Can produce a slight fizz if overheated. Suitable for encasing over the P & T range of Dichroic Glass
801	Neon Blue	Dark cobalt blue, stiff	Not suitable for encasing - too dark. Makes great stringers for use on pale glass
802	Neon Green	Dark bottle green, stiff	Not suitable for encasing - too dark. Makes great stringers for use on pale glass.
803	Parisian Blue	Pale baby blue, soft	Looks great if encased over white, opal pink or heather. Will turn an attractive pale grey in an oxygen reduce flame.
804	Atlantic Blue	Very pale grey/blue, very soft	Can produce attractive tiny fizzy bubbles in an oxygen rich flame. If you don't want the bubbles use a very gentle flame. Very pretty subtle colour.
805	Dusky Pink
806	Pink
810	Ice Pink
812	Suffolk Green	Soft	Colour is not affected by an oxygen reduced flame.
813	Neon Ruby
817	Rose Pink	Very pale pink	A very subtle pink - could be useful for encasing
	Elephant
	Miami Blue
	Neon Yellow
	Salmon	Pale pink	Looks great if encased over white, opal pink or heather.
	Soft Ruby	Dark transparent red, difficult	Can turn clear.

Opaque (and Misty)

Stock Number	Colour	Properties	Comments
902	Banana	Semi-transparent yellow, med stiff. Difficult.	Bubbles and pits if not used in a very gentle frame. Work at tip of an oxygen rich flame. Can go clear if too hot and overworked
903	Sherbet
904	Pillar Box Red	Crimson	Use in a cool flame - bubbles if too hot. Can turn to transparent red or to almost clear.
905	Fire Engine Red	Dark red, stiff, difficult	Use an Oxygen Rich flame - keep at the end of the flame a nice colour once you get use to it. Don't over work.
906	Candy Pink	Pale baby pink, soft	Goes almost clear when heated - colour returns when cool.
907	Gold Opal Pink	Deep pink	Can go patchy if overheated. Stringers can appear transparent when pulled, but turns back to opaque when used.
908	Heather	Deep lavender blue	A lovely glass to work with.
909	Bluebell	Deep bluebell blue	Lovely and easy to work with - slightly streaky - can look like Lapis Lazuli. Very good with white but the colour can be patchy if use close to other colours.
910	Apple Green	Crisp med green, soft	Stringers can go transparent - very attractive colour.
911	Jade Green	Pale jade	Very easy to use and a lovely colour. Can go murky in an oxygen reduced flame.
912	Forest Green	Darkish green	Very easy to use and a lovely colour.
913	Typhoon	Rich turquoise blue	Use an oxygen rich flame - will turn orange and streaky in a reduced oxygen flame. Great colour.
914	Jet Black	Black	A wonderful jet black glass - very well behaved!
915	Arctic White	Snow white, soft	Goes clear when heated, soon cools back down to a pure white - very useful - works well with ALL other colours in the range.
916	Mango	Rich vivid orange, med stiff	Can bubble if too hot - great colour.
	Caramel
	Cream
	Pistachio
	Powder Blue
	Tangerine	Vibrant orange	Work in a cool flame. Can boil if too hot but does not pit. Stringers can go transparent but returns to normal when used. Nice colour not too vivid.
	Toffee
	Yellow Total	Sunshine yellow, med/difficult	Bubbles and pits if not used in a very gentle frame. Work at tip of an oxygen rich flame. Use in small quantities - not suitable for large areas of colour. Looks good encased in clear or with Bluebell.

Further information

For further information see The Manufacturers Website