How to Make Crushed Glass
Artists use pieces of crushed glass in mosaics and jewelry or melt them to make new glass items. You can make crushed glass quickly and safely for your own projects, but broken glass has sharp edges, so you must handle it carefully to avoid injury. Purchase colored or clear glass rods and sheets from an art supply or crafts store, and create glass shards by breaking them up in a protected environment.
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Things You'll Need
- Thick cloth or leather gloves
- Eye protection
- Large bath towel
- Newspapers or magazines
- Hammer
- Bowl or tub
- Lined waste can
Instructions
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1
Fold a large bath towel into quarters and place it on a stable, flat surface such as a work table or countertop. Rest a stack of newspapers or thick magazines on top of the folded towel.
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2
Cover your hands with thick cloth or leather gloves and your eyes with shop goggles or some other sort of eye protection.
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3
Place a single sheet or a few rods of glass between the pages of the newspapers or magazines.
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4
Crush the glass by hitting the top of the newspaper or magazine pile with a hammer. If the paper is too thick to allow the glass to break, move the glass up higher in the stack.
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5
Remove pieces of glass from the paper when they reach the size you want, and place them in a bowl or tub.
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6
Discard any glass shards that are too small by folding the newspapers or magazines and pouring the shards into a lined waste can.
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Tips & Warnings
Tempered glass has a plastic coating that causes it to break into small, uniformly sized pieces. Depending on your project, you may find it useful to crush tempered glass.
