glass for making a new ground glass

**Dakotah Jackson** · 22-Jul-2012, 07:45

Have made my own ground glass for the view cameras for some time.

Anyone know if using TruView Museum glass (the WaterWhite/AR) will work any better than traditional float glass?

It is clear without the green tint and has the Anti Reflection coating as well. Any advantage at all?

**Colin Graham** · 22-Jul-2012, 08:00

I don't know if it is TruView museum glass but I've used that no-glare glass with the light acid etched side available from framing shops. I ground the unetched side. While there is probably a limit to how fine you can grind it, focusing doesn't ghost between the 2 sides (I've ground up to 12 µm aluminum oxide), and the lack of reflections does make the screen seem much brighter as a result.

**chris_4622** · 22-Jul-2012, 08:57

I don't have any experience with TruView for ground glass. I've used this glass which doesn't have any of the green tint.
http://howardglassco.thomasnet.com/v...s-2?&forward=1

**Sal Santamaura** · 22-Jul-2012, 13:53

Unless you need to make extremely critical color balance evaluations of the ground glass image, I don't think there's anything to be gained from a lack of the very slight green tint exhibited by regular float glass.

If starting with a Tru Vue product anyway, definitely use AR Reflection-Free and not Museum Glass. You'll still need to grind through the sputtered-on AR coating, but at least you won't have to deal with that damn textured, blue-tinted plastic UV laminate that's on Museum.

One potential benefit of grinding the AR glass is a lack of your reflection in the screen when composing/focusing. It might be good enough to work without a dark cloth.

Two unknowns are whether the low-iron substrate -- that's why it isn't green -- will react as expected to your grinding compound/technique (this glass has a reputation for being difficult to cut cleanly) and if your camera back will accept the 2.5 mm thickness.

Please let us know how it works out if you go ahead.

**Len Middleton** · 25-Jul-2012, 05:37

Had a question on using borosilicate glass in the following thread:

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...glass+grinding

E. indicated he was going to give it a try, but I did not follow up...

Another option.