Saturday, May 4, 2013

Mercury Glass DIY....Can I?

Above is the finished product. 

Picture yourself, soaking in the tub, or eating a candlelit dinner, with a flickering shimmering mercury glass candle nearby.  After seeing mercury glass on several home decor websites, I got the itch to get some for my own home.  However, it isn't easy to find, nor is it cheap.  I decided to make my own.  After seeing some how to tutorials, I decided to try it on my own.  I did not come up with the idea on how to make this, and this is the website where I found a tutorial http://www.takethesidestreet.com/2010/11/faux-mercury-glass-tutorial.html  First, I gathered and washed any gross old candlesticks, vases, and glass candleholders.  To get the wax our of the glass ones, I microwaved them for about a minute.  Then after pouring the melted wax out, I wiped the inside with a paper towel.  Watch out, they are hot.  I used potholders to hold them.  Then, I ran all of it through the dishwasher.  I set it aside for a day or two because I was doing other things.  Then, the day came for the spray paint.  I had purchased Looking Glass spray paint online at amazon.com.  I only got one bottle, but I probably should have gotten two.  Anyway, Here is a little photo with some of the jars before....
I accidentally started before taking pics...whoops at least here are a few pre paint glass jars/vases.

I painted the inside of the glass with a few coats of paint.  I also painted the exterior of the candlesticks with a few coats.




Notice in the pics there are some dull before it turns to mirror.  I loved to watch it turn like magic.

Messy


See how there is a little settlement.  I rolled it around inside the vases and jars a bit until it was mostly dry.

Once I was done painting, I hurried and got some white vinegar and water and put it in a cup.  Then I just used my fingers and flicked it onto the inside of the jars.  Then I let it sit a minute, and I took a paper towel and rubbed it gently to take off a bit of the paint.  I didn't want to distress it as much as the tutorial, so I just did a little bit.  Since I didn't have much paint left, I was scared to take too much off.


Above are the jars sitting with their vinegar water droplets.

It was a fun project, and I think they look cute.  Also, it didn't really take that much time, besides prepping the jars.  However, I did have silver cuticles for a week.  I hope no one thought I had a paint huffing problem.  I'll give you one more look at my finished project below.  They look really cool when they are lit.