Glass crafts - do it yourself at home. 130 photos of beautiful design ideas. Crafts manufacturing technology

How to work with glass?

Before making a glass craft, you need to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of the working process. Thanks to skills and knowledge, it is possible to create delightful and irresistible products.

What tricks will be needed to process the surface and side edges? Experts recommend following a few tips:

• To process large glasses you will need a special glass cutter.
• Thanks to this equipment, it is possible to carefully shape the side edges and cut out the necessary parts;
• To ensure that the edges are not sharp, they are sanded using sandpaper;
• To create a matte base, you will need to use a cleaning powder containing large granules;
• To create through holes, use a drill with a thin drill bit. However, the working surface is lubricated with a small amount of turpentine and rosin.

The drill must be operated at low speed. The mixture should evenly fill the recesses until a hole appears on the surface of the glass;

1. To clean the surface you will need to use a vacuum cleaner. Thanks to it, it is possible to remove glass dust;
2. Don't forget about safety precautions. Particular attention is paid to the eyes. To do this you will need clear glasses.;
3. To paint glass surfaces, use a set of acrylic paints and yellow wax.
4. The wax base is first dissolved in turpentine. Next, a drier is added to the liquid base.
5. This substance allows you to increase the drying speed. Dry dyes can be added to the wax.

Methods for preparing silicate mixture

Despite the fact that the construction industry is developing very actively, the use of liquid glass is still popular to this day. Making liquid glass yourself is quite difficult, but quite possible. Since the material is practically not used as an independent substance, it is used in tandem with others (primer, cement). Let's look at several ways to prepare silicate material.

Soil mixture

It is impossible to work with a primer only with liquid glass, so they make a mixture. To make the mixture, only three components are required - water, cement and liquid glass:

1. You should mix cement and an aqueous solution of silicate in a ratio of 1 to 1 (that is, 10 kg of cement + 10 kg of glass).
2. Before mixing these two substances, it is necessary to dilute the cement with water.

Important! The main thing is to remember to constantly stir the mixture so that it does not thicken too much. If the primer still thickens, you can add a little water.

Fireproof coating

This composition is used for stoves and fireplaces in bathhouses. The silicate solution is added at the last stage of preparing the refractory mixture. Make the mixture in small portions so that it does not have time to dry out and thicken too much.

Waterproofing mixture:

1. Diluted silicate material is added to dry cement in a ratio of 1 to 10 (that is, 1 kg of silicate glue to 10 kg of dry cement).
2. The resulting mixture begins to thicken and harden in the first five minutes, so it is recommended to use it immediately.

Important! If the solution you have made has hardened, you can add a little water to it, but it is worth remembering that the waterproofing properties will deteriorate. However, one advantage remains unchanged - preventive effects against fungus and mold.

How to cut a glass bottle or tube?

To do this, it is recommended to adhere to certain actions:

1. The upper part is carefully wrapped with paper tape.
2. The pulp should adhere to the cut site.
3. Next, use a lighter or candle to light the tape.
4. At high temperatures, the glass base heats up quickly.
5. To make a neat cut, you will need some cold water.
6. Due to the temperature difference, the neck will burst neatly along the intended line.

Products using fusing technique

Such crafts are made from broken glass, the elements of which are carefully baked together. Externally, the finished products resemble stained glass panels.

The only nuance of this technique is the presence of a special oven. These devices are distinguished by their compact dimensions and affordable cost.

1. To create a craft, you will need special colored glass, which can be purchased in specialized departments for hobbies and creativity.
2. In the presence of ordinary fragments, novice craftsmen will need patience and perseverance.
3. Finished products can be used as a gift or interior decoration.
4. Such items are no different from store-bought goods.

Quality Standards

There are a huge number of types of glass. To determine the quality of each type, state standards have been created, which describe the properties and quality characteristics.

There are GOST standards for quartz, sheet, medical, multilayer, curved, inorganic, optical and other types of glass. They describe production technologies, brands, methods for determining quality, and classification.

Glass mosaic

We present to your attention a detailed master class on glass crafts at home. This needlework technique allows you to create unusual crafts without the use of special equipment and expensive consumables. To work you will need:

• Fragments of different diameters. To create, you can use glass of different shades, densities and textures;
• The image from which the product will be created;
• Transparent base;
• Silicone glue;
• Grout;
• Wire cutters;
• Glass cutter for processing large parts.

The workflow consists of several points:

1. It is necessary to carefully transfer the image onto a transparent base, the outline of which will help to correctly distribute the colored elements. To do this, you can use a thin corrector. This way the lines will not be erased.
2. Next, we proceed to preparing the colored parts. Using wire cutters, carefully break off the compact elements. Safety must be observed during work. To do this, it is recommended to use fabric gloves with a rubber base.
3. Now you can move on to laying out individual sections of the glass pattern. Using silicone glue we will fix the workpieces on a transparent surface.
4. Carefully fill the distance between the parts with grout.
5. When it dries, remove excess with a damp cloth. The photo of the glass craft shows the finished product.

Create a mirror surface

How to make a mirror? First you need to polish our glass by wetting its surface with water.

to prepare the following items in advance :

• glass;
• containers in which the solution will be prepared and mixed with silver;
• latex gloves;
• silver (nitrate) and tin (bichloride);
• distilled water, caustic potassium or soda;
• honey, ammonia and formaldehyde;
• alcohol, cotton wool;
• clear varnish;
• glass rod and nitric acid;
• a spray bottle that will be used to apply the mixture to the glass, plus a brush with soft bristles;
• frame or wooden sheet with clips;
• dye.

We put on rubber gloves and carry out all work exclusively in them.

Next, when you manipulate the glass, hold it carefully by the edges, otherwise you risk staining the smooth surface . This is important because the material will need to be frequently dragged from place to place, washed and various substances applied to it.

The procedure is as follows:

1. We wash the glass with distilled water and crushed chalk. All sides must be clean, incl. ends.
2. We treat the surface with a degreasing alkali solution (sodium or potassium, containing about 10%).
3. Rinse the glass again with distilled water.
4. Wipe clean glass with a cotton swab dipped in a 1% solution of stannous chloride. Then immediately place the mirror in a container filled with distilled water. Let it get wet.
5. While the glass is poured, clean and degrease (with the same alkaline solution) the container in which you plan to silver the glass. Please note that the surface temperature of the future mirror in water should be 10 degrees higher than that of the solution induced for silvering.

You will need to prepare two solutions containing the contents with which the glass will be coated. Use only distilled water:

1. The first solution consists of silver nitrate (1.6 g) and water (30 ml). After mixing them, watch what kind of sediment you get. Drip 25% ammonia into it until it disappears, then add another half cup of water.
2. Pour a 40% formaldehyde solution (5g) into the second container with divisions.

Mix both liquids.

Then proceed like this:

1. Place the glass horizontally on the surface prepared for silvering.
2. Now start covering the glass: pour the resulting solution into the middle, roll it out in an even layer using a glass rod. Or lower the glass into the chemical mixture so that the silver does not fall on the opposite side.
3. The solution needs to harden. To “mirror” it needs 3-10 minutes, depending on the initial temperature of the mixture.
4. When everything is dry, you need to place the mirror vertically. While the silver layer is not fixed, it may be damaged, so lean the product against the support with the untreated side.
5. The mirror needs to dry for 2 hours at temperatures up to 100 degrees.
6. Inspect the received product. Silver stains can be wiped off with cotton wool and a solution of nitric acid.
7. Rinse the mirror first in water and then in alcohol.
8. The silver layer should have cooled by this time. Spray it with clear varnish from a spray bottle.
9. When the varnish is dry, paint the darkened surface. Then paint the silvered part with red lead, diluting it in turpentine. The glass part must be wiped with a solution of nitric acid.
10. Let everything dry and look at the result. If everything suits you, all that remains is to place the mirror in a frame with clips.

Crafts from glass bottles

Ordinary glass bottles can be given a second life. You can decorate the glass surface using acrylic paints, mosaic techniques, and available materials.

1. For painting, special acrylic dyes are used, which dry quickly after application and do not deform during use. To work, use a set of brushes that allow you to adjust the thickness of the bright line. At the end of the work process, the decorative surface is coated with transparent furniture varnish.
2. To make the surface more textured, use a sponge, twine, or silicone glue. The relief can also be painted in any color or left unchanged.
3. To make a product using the mosaic technique, you can use small-diameter glass shards, small stones, shells, beans and peas. The distance between the elements is covered with putty.
4. The glass base is first degreased to increase the adhesion of the decorations. After this, experts recommend painting the bottle a uniform color. Silicone glue is used to fix decorative parts.
5. The distance between the parts is covered with putty. The consistency of the working solution should be similar to thick sour cream. The drying time for each layer is one hour. During this time, the putty will be able to evenly fill the voids.
6. The final stage will be painting the decorative layer with acrylic paint. To add bright notes to the design of the product, you need to use several shades. Decorated bottles can be used as an interior vase or a stylish accessory.

Main characteristics and purpose

The use of sodium liquid glass allows us to produce:

• high-quality concrete with unique properties;
• fire retardant paints and other materials.

This substance is indispensable in the chemical industry and construction (protection of foundations, floors, walls and ceilings from moisture). The use of liquid glass makes it possible to glue and bind together various building materials, including the production of fire-resistant, acid-resistant and other masses. This glass is used to impregnate paper, cardboard, fabrics, and wood products (to give them greater fire resistance and density).

Before applying it to any material, it is necessary to find out in what proportions the substance is diluted. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that liquid glass is used to make acid-resistant cement. Often, builders mix 1 part silicate glue with 1 part cement. The resulting composition is suitable for making fireproof masonry. To protect the walls from moisture, you will need to add silicate glue to the cement mortar (subject to a ratio of 8:1).

The well is waterproofed using liquid glass and sand and cement. To make the primer, specialists use silicate glue, cement and water in equal proportions of 12 kg each (except for liquid). Impregnation to impart strength to the material is made from 400 g of glue and 1 liter of water.

It is necessary to take into account that any work with liquid glass is carried out with gloves and glasses.

The manufactured substance is stored in a dark place.

Photos of glass crafts