Creative Ways To Use Scrap Glass
No matter how hard you try, when you use glass for your projects, you will somehow end up with an ever-increasing collection of scraps. Although you might be reluctant to throw them away sometimes you might not also find any practical use for them. The next time you use glass for your projects, don’t throw glass scraps, instead, consider using them creatively as follows.
Mosaic Artwork
One of the greatest things about mosaic artwork is that almost any solid surface can be used as a base and any type of glass scrap can be integrated into the design. All you need is a clay pot, which is inexpensive and has a great porous surface that serves as a great base for mosaic designs. If you’re using a clay pot that has a smooth surface, then you might have to rough up the surface with sandpaper so the adhesive can better grip and stick onto the material.
Draw a design on the clay pot and paint the outline using diluted glue or adhesive. As the glue dries, cut or nip your scraps into your desired shapes and sizes. Then glue the glass pieces to the pot using a PVA based adhesive (Weldbond recommended by professional mosaic artists). Give at least 24 hours for the glued design to dry and then finish off by applying grout. Printed or stained glass works best for this use.
Decorate An Old Window
Using old windows as a base for artwork you can creatively integrate glass scraps to renovate an old window or bring a modern look to it. Start by drawing any desired designs on the window using a black marker, mark each section with the colour you want to use, then turn the window and glue the glass pieces onto the window pane.
You can cut the glass using a glass cutter or a wheeled nipper. Again consider using a PVA based adhesive (Weldbond recommended) to glue glass pieces. Once the glue dries and the design has been set (ideally after 24-48 hours) the window can be grouted back.
Tile A Wall
Plain walls in your house can easily be made colourful or rather detailed using scrap glass to tile them. Coloured glass is the best for this use. If you maintain a specific interior theme in your house, consider using scraps in the same colour palette. You can cut scraps into the desired size or just use random sizes to fill up the wall space, more like a puzzle.
Firstly rough up the wall with sandpaper, and then apply a small coat of adhesive, working in small areas at a time. Set the glasses to the adhesive, firmly press, and twist slightly to secure them in place. Continue the same steps until the wall is finished. Give 24-48 hours to dry and then grout the wall.
Glass SnowFlakes
You can make this using strips of clear or coloured glass with colour accents. To make glass snowflakes you have to cut glass scraps into strips and triangles in multiples of 6 pieces of glass. Because they are all straight line cuts, they are easy for beginners to make. You just have to glue them into the snowflake shape and give it enough time to dry. Then you can hang them as ornaments in living rooms or verandas using thick strings or threads. You can also go ahead and try the same technique for any desired shape to bring out a glass art of your choice.