How to Melt Glass at Home

Have you ever wondered what it takes to work with glass as a hobby? Well, there are several different ways to become proficient at creating items with glass. With some techniques, it is even possible to melt glass at home. After you melt your glass, you can learn to shape it into many different things, from jewelry to decorative home pieces like candle holders and vases.

Things You'll Need

• Safety equipment (gloves, welding helmet)
• Blowtorch
• Kiln
• Glass for working

Instructions

1. Obtain glass to melt. Most beginners will work with glass that is created for crafters to melt, such as borosilicate or another commercial glass product. Others will melt anything that is lying around, such as glass wine bottles.

2. Purchase either a kiln or blowtorch to melt glass at home. You will need both for many techniques, including glass blowing. Kiln setups can be quite expensive, ranging from around $4,000 to $10,000, and torches can cost hundreds of dollars. Be aware that if you want to make anything that is relatively thick out of glass, you will need a kiln.

3. Read up on melting and working with glass. This step is perhaps the most important. Working with glass under high heat is a very complicated process, and can be extremely dangerous if you are inexperienced. Be sure to purchase or borrow books on the subject, as well as read websites and any other media. The best way to learn, however, is to have a teacher instruct you.

4. Choose a project. Do you want to melt glass to make jewelry, or are you looking to create larger pieces? For the ultimate in recycling, try creating things out of melted glass bottles. They can make lovely cheese boards or decorative wind chimes. Research all of the possibilities.

5. Practice your craft. It might be easy to get frustrated when the glass you melt doesn't turn into the proper project, but remember, glass is recyclable. You can easily remelt your project and create something new.

Tips & Warnings

• Learn all you can before starting a glass-blowing or melting hobby.

• Make sure that you don't need permits in your town or state to own and operate a glass kiln.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Glass-blowing Technique
• Glass Supplies