Cheap n Easy Faux Stained Glass + tut

[goosezilla]

Materials used:
Hot Glue Gun
Black Hot Glue
Glass Paints
Paper
Thick Marker
Tape
Plexiglass
Glass Marble

This is the marker drawing I did for the faux pattern that I traced over.


Here is my Charr faux piece all finished up. Black hot glue is used as leading. It sticks quite permanently to the plexiglass. I tried using that Gallery Glass stuff, but the colors droop over time and the leading doesn't stick to surfaces very well. Black hot glue is way cheaper and isn't gonna fall off my window...that is if I actually did this directly on the glass, which you totally could! I hot glued a glass marble in for the eye. It sticks really well in the hot glue. You could probably cover an entire piece in marbles and glue if you wanted.


I posted an instructable here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Faux_Stained_Glass/

This is so easy! I think I this piece probably cost me about five bucks to make. I did go out and buy a bulk bag of black hot glue and glass paint, which ended up totalling about 80 bucks. That is enough material for tons of these types of projects though.

[saxonsweetie]

That looks great! I have been wanting to do some faux stained glass in my kitchen. Where the deuce do you get black hot glue? I've never seen it. Admittedly, I have never looked, so... that might be why. Anyway, it looks great!

[goosezilla]

That looks great! I have been wanting to do some faux stained glass in my kitchen. Where the deuce do you get black hot glue? I've never seen it. Admittedly, I have never looked, so... that might be why. Anyway, it looks great!

I ordered a 5lb box off ebay from this place:
http://stores.ebay.com/Gluesticks-Direct

They've got other colors too which could be fun to play around with. I think black hot glue is usually for hair extension attachment. Though I wouldn't want hot glue that close to my scalp!

[j_en]

That looks glorious!  Years ago I tried hot gluing colored flat glass marbles onto a less than glamorous mirror for a border effect... but within a week my toddler at the time had managed to pick them all off.  I had assumed from thereon that hot glue + glass didn't work - but you've given me new hope.  I wonder if it is the quality of the glue or the fact that one of your surfaces was plexiglass that made it such a success?

Congratulations on this wonderful piece.

[goosezilla]

That looks glorious!  Years ago I tried hot gluing colored flat glass marbles onto a less than glamorous mirror for a border effect... but within a week my toddler at the time had managed to pick them all off.  I had assumed from thereon that hot glue + glass didn't work - but you've given me new hope.  I wonder if it is the quality of the glue or the fact that one of your surfaces was plexiglass that made it such a success?

Congratulations on this wonderful piece.

I think hot glue definitely sticks to plexiglass better. You could try super glue or glue specifically for glass on glass to glue the stones initially and then use hot glue as the leading afterwards for a more permanent project.

[MunLtStmpr]

Great project!  Hot glue on plexiglass certainly sounds a LOT better than anywhere that close to my scalp!

[ScotSkipper402]

BrrrrrrrILLIANT!

[TrentSketch]

That looks great. I never even heard of black hot glue sticks before.

I would like to say that, once I practiced for a bit, I never had any problems with the Gallery Glass leading and colors. The tricky part is patience, because everything you do has to dry flat for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

Whereas I guess black hot glue dries pretty quickly and allows for faster completion of a project.

[goosezilla]

That looks great. I never even heard of black hot glue sticks before.

I would like to say that, once I practiced for a bit, I never had any problems with the Gallery Glass leading and colors. The tricky part is patience, because everything you do has to dry flat for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

Whereas I guess black hot glue dries pretty quickly and allows for faster completion of a project.

The projects I've made with gallery glass had a lot of white, yellow, and red in them. These colors begin to droop after a few months, especially if you live someplace warm or put them in a window that gets a lot of direct sunlight. If you make areas with thick leading the leading won't stick and causes the rest of the image to droop. My method was not to do it directly on the glass, but to work off a flat surface then peel the gallery glass piece off and stick it to the window as a decal. Maybe working more directly produces better results? Also, I was using it in Arizona at the time...pretty hot!

[ScotSkipper402]

The black hot glue is dimensional, right? (it sticks up above the surface?)

So MOVING AWAY FROM STAINED GLASS but still in craftster territory

you could put fabric or a tee over the design and rub it with a crayon to transfer the design? Like those grave-rubbing images, but less sinister.

[ethertree]

What a great idea, and what a remarkable piece! I'm now inspired . . . 

I do have a question though: don't you have to bake or fire most glass paints? Did you just skip that process, or did you find some paints that didn't require the heat setting? I'm assuming plexi will bond a little differently to the paints, so . . .

[TrentSketch]

My method was not to do it directly on the glass, but to work off a flat surface then peel the gallery glass piece off and stick it to the window as a decal. Maybe working more directly produces better results?

I've only used it directly on glass, so I can't speak for the peel and stick option. And to be even more specific, I've only done it on picture frame glass. My oldest pieces are probably four or five months old and still have maintained their integrity.

[goosezilla]

What a great idea, and what a remarkable piece! I'm now inspired . . . 

I do have a question though: don't you have to bake or fire most glass paints? Did you just skip that process, or did you find some paints that didn't require the heat setting? I'm assuming plexi will bond a little differently to the paints, so . . .

The paints I have mention heat setting, but I'm not putting this piece outside or running it through a dishwasher. I think it should be okay. The paints seem pretty firmly attached to the plexiglass and I'm going to seal it with crystal clearonce the weather brightens up here. Time will tell!

[ethertree]

The paints I have mention heat setting, but I'm not putting this piece outside or running it through a dishwasher. I think it should be okay. The paints seem pretty firmly attached to the plexiglass and I'm going to seal it with crystal clearonce the weather brightens up here. Time will tell!

I've painted ceramic mugs and glass jars with glass paint and it does seem to want to stay put even before it's baked; only fingernails and scrubbing with warm water and soap seem to get it off, so what with the surface bing plexi (which you said the glue bonded better to), the piece being sealed, and it being a window and not really in contact with abrasives, it sounds like it's a good system. Let us know how it holds up!