snuffy
Cave Dweller 
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Mar 11, 2012 13:47:08 GMT -5
Over a year ago I glued some Brazilian agate slabs on an 8"x 8"x4" glass block.Put it aside.The other day I tumbled the small Brazilian pieces and remembered I hadnt finished the block yet.Anyway,stuck some pieces on it.The next one I do will be the small pieces only,fit like a jigsaw puzzle.The light from inside shows more intensity than it is in person.  This pic taken with the flash on.  Taken without flash    Any ideas on the rounded corners on the block? Seems like a darker border needs to be on it. I drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom and stuck a 25 light Christmas string inside.What would be a better light source? Thanks for looking snuffy |
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Post by texaswoodie on Mar 11, 2012 13:58:12 GMT -5
Cool lamp Snuff!
Curt
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 11, 2012 14:26:22 GMT -5
Oh, it looks great. May I ask what adhesive or epoxy you used for the project? I was going to do a glass lampshade this week but I wasn't sure if my usual (Weldbond) would work for an ungrouted project. I hadn't thought of using the glass block...might be more practical than trying it on curved glass, where I would only be able to use tinies.
As for your corners: I have a mosaic book, poorly edited or poorly translated from Italian, which seems to suggest that it's possible to use white grout over glass...but because of my doubts about this particular book, I'll test it myself, maybe with glass on glass, before I recommend that you do it with your Agate. If grout worked and didn't block too much light, then dark corners could be easily achieved simply by dying the grout or using a commercial dark shade of grout. However, I'm NOT advising anyone to try it, especially with such good stones as you have produced. I'm going to poke around, try it on the cheap stuff, and post again. I would hope next week sometime...
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Mar 11, 2012 14:35:42 GMT -5
Mary,I used Gorilla glue on them. That stuff is kinda like Brylcreem,a little dab'll do ya.  snuffy |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 11, 2012 14:54:55 GMT -5
OK, I'm probably going to pick up some supplies tomorrow and try the experiment later in the week. I'm going to try it with flat-sided marbles first so I don't screw up any good stones if it doesn't work. Thanks!!!
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h2otech
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2007
Posts: 74
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Post by h2otech on Mar 11, 2012 17:10:47 GMT -5
Cool lamp snuffy. I would agree with the grout. Mosaic shades web site talks about grouting shades, I think that is where I read that. .... Jim
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Post by helens on Mar 11, 2012 22:06:17 GMT -5
Very neat lamp Snuffy!
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 12, 2012 4:23:25 GMT -5
Realy nice design looks great
Edges
Ever thought of using a Black pigment in Epoxy and "framing " the edges as a border ?
I like them as they are
Lights
there are a lot of LED lights about and they dont give of much heat which is a bonus
Great idea thanks for showing
Jack
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unclestu
Cave Dweller
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Mar 12, 2012 8:20:54 GMT -5
Hey Snuffy That there is what I call a lamp! Just a couple of thoughts for the corners. What you can do is mix some pigment and crushed rock dust (crushed to a slightly coarse consistency, not smooth like flour) with an epoxy and use that to fill the corners. You can match the pigments to any color and you can even crush up some of the Agates for the coarse rock dust. Perhaps you can even use some sand from the desert which can also be colored with pigment. Maybe try aquarium gravel. Comes in all sizes of coarseness. Stu |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 12, 2012 14:02:38 GMT -5
OK, back with more questions. My test piece has convinced me that Wellbond won't work. The small pieces I'm using for my glass lampshade go slipsliding down the glass and it would take forever to clamp every piece, assuming it's even possible to clamp them. So...Gorilla Glue. Our KMart has lots of different kinds of Gorilla Glue and yet, and yet...I didn't see one that said it would dry clear. What Gorilla Glue are you using? If it's the white PVA type, I might skip it for my project and go directly to an epoxy...
To Stu: rather than crushing Agate (hard work), why not just use Sanded grout? Well, that's assuming grout actually works stone on glass. I guess I haven't tested that part yet to see if it will.
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Post by helens on Mar 12, 2012 14:39:01 GMT -5
One thing that's troublesome when working with polymers is that most are not UV resistant. Over time, they can yellow and deteriorate. If you are glueing smaller pieces of value... I highly recommend you get Hxtal. www.hxtal.com/Hxtal is clear... it will not disintegrate (within reason... obviously it's not going to outlast either rock or glass:P). It is pricey... but it's a glue/epoxy, so you don't need to slather it on anything. If you are doing a lampshade in clear glass... could you not lay it down with the side you are gluing face up, glue all the pieces down, then wait til it's dry before turning it for another side? If you are making the lampshade, even easier, just glue pieces to the glass flat, then assemble when fully dry? Hxtal is used to bond glass to glass, used by museums and curators, you wouldn't need to grout or hide the glue. You won't see the glue on the glass. You'd have your pieces 'floating' on the glass, and it would last for decades with no yellowing or changing. It's expensive, but not THAT expensive for something to last a lifetime, as you'd be very careful how much you'd use. |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 12, 2012 15:34:01 GMT -5
Thanks, Helen. This may be the way to go. My project differs from Snuffy's in that, at the moment, I'm thinking of a curved glass lampshade. May have to rethink it, what with the difficulties of getting the pieces to "stay put" on curved glass as opposed to flat.
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colliel82
has rocks in the head
Member since November 2007
Posts: 664
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Post by colliel82 on Mar 13, 2012 14:14:48 GMT -5
Beautiful lamp. Looks like a fun project to try.
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Post by snowdog on Mar 13, 2012 16:34:38 GMT -5
snuffy---for a light source ,you could use a 7 watt bulb on a cord --(hobby lobby ,etc.) they make them for the xmas houses you see all over---menards carry a craft block that already has a hole in the bottom and it seems like they don't have all the ridges like the regular glass block does.
peachfront -------don't know if you've seem my lamps but, you could do them like leaded glass -- wrap and solder them -- I have also done some old storm windows that I hang inside -- and I just used super glue on them -- dries in a hurry and doesn't show thu
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garock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,168
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Post by garock on Mar 13, 2012 18:30:23 GMT -5
Mr Snuffy, I love it ! So Cool ! Never 'thunked' that use before !!
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 14, 2012 15:22:06 GMT -5
Snowdog, I did see your lamps, but I had lost the bookmark so thanks for the reminder. I plan to ultimately do a piece with glass-working techniques, lead or copper foil, but I haven't gotten my nerve up yet...So superglue works, eh? For my current experiment, I used something that called itself Glass, Metal, and More. Seemed to work OK. A little slip-slidey but nothing like the Wellbond. Superglue wouldn't slide at all of course but I didn't know if it would work for this project. In a day or two I should have it finished and I'll report back.
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Post by helens on Mar 15, 2012 0:48:54 GMT -5
How do we see Snowdog's lamps:)?
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Post by rockitman on Mar 15, 2012 7:44:08 GMT -5
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 15, 2012 8:48:48 GMT -5
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 15, 2012 17:50:35 GMT -5
OK, I did a test run with black grout, not using good stones, just glass from the Dollar tree. Didn't get out to get the lamp kit, just used a glass jar from around the house, so it's just a candle holder. Clean sand and a candle inside. So, I am satisfied that the black grout "works" to create an atmospheric glow if you used light enough stones...Next project will be to gather enough small relatively flattish light-colored polished agates to try a lamp.  |
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