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How to Make Stained Glass Out of Glass Dobs

Glass dobs can be obtained from leftover art projects, junkyards or glass blowers. They are usually given away for free, and can be used to create beautiful stained glass projects. If you have broken glass artifacts or other glass scraps, melt them into dobs for stained-glass projects. After melting the glass dobs, you can mold them into stained glass art or figures.

Things You'll Need

  • Thick work gloves
  • Protective eyewear
  • Plexiglass
  • Glass dobs or shards
  • Kiln
  • Pliers or glass clippers
  • Cementing mixture
  • Soldering iron
  • Wax
  • Cementing brushes
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Instructions

    • 1

      Melt down the glass dobs. Place the dobs on separate kiln trays. Starting at the bottom of the kiln, stack the trays on the different kiln levels.

    • 2

      Set the kiln to 1700 degrees F to melt the dobs. Melting time varies depending on the type of kiln, but on average, it takes from three to seven hours. Let the kiln cool before removing the glass dobs.

    • 3

      Break up the glass. Put on work gloves and protective eyewear. Remove the glass sheets from the kiln trays with tongs. Hold the glass sheet firmly and press down with pliers and cutters until it breaks in half. Sand down any awkward or very sharp edges.

    • 4

      Place the cut glass pieces in the desired pattern on top of a sheet of plexiglass. Make sure the pieces are placed close together so they will melt accordingly.

    • 5

      Heat up wax in a microwave until it has softened to a putty-like consistency. Quickly secure the glass pieces together by inserting the wax between the cracks. When the wax hardens, heat it up again.

    • 6

      Dip a brush into cement mixture and layer it on top of the wax for reinforcement. Let the cement dry.

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