I have the glass from 2 old Andersen glass sliding doors and I want to put it on a backing of some sort – crackle it with a drill ( u know how tempered glass shatters all over when hit) then pour an epoxy mix over it to seal it.
what can I use for backing? plywood would probably show thru – maybe paint it? should I glue the glass to the backing right before I shatter it? could I use it for a kitchen counter when the epoxy dries?
the whole thing is just an experiment since I had the 2 doors which had been replaced, and I think the look of shattered tempered glass is really cool – so any suggestions would be appreciated.
Replies
For the backing I would use either plexiglass or another sheet of glass.
Plexiglass is available in a variety of colors, as well as with different mirror finishes.
I'd suggest painting the backside - not the epoxy side - of the glass.
The filler you use will probably be an acrylic resin, rather than a true epoxy. No matter; in any case your biggest challenges will be preventing air bubbles, and in levelling / buffing the surface after it sets up.
The slab will be rather thick ... I'd find someplace cool to let it cure, as the resin gives off heat as it sets.
Playing a heat gun over the liquid resin will help remove the bubbles.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Should have used that on the housing market.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
*Snork*Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Playing a heat gun
How do you play a heat gun? Seems like it would burn your lips and the air's going the wrong way.http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
Ya plug it in backwards. Problem solved.
Hey, I'm headed you way today. Afternoon most likely.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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I'm gonna be at the dentist most of the afternoon. Dale's not gonna be at 6th st today. He'll be out by Jacobson Park.http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
You strum it, bozo.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
I would start by building a frame that fits the glass snug around the outside. Paint the sub level the color I want to show through.
"Break" the glass with an automatic center punch. Make sure all is level. Mix and pour epoxy over the surface.
You could try gluing down with the pouring epoxy before breaking the glass.
Don't break with a hammer, you need some control! (fingers crossed)
My first thought would be either quality tempered hardboard ("Masonite") or MDO for the backing. Both have a uniform color (though maybe not the color you'd like).
These are single-pane units, not double-glazed?
Please post a picture of your result.
Laminate the back of the glass with clear or privacy contact paper before you break it. We used to do this Peachtree doors when i worked at a glass company. On a rant, i hated replacing peachtree door unit, you had to bust out the glass and molding and order new molding kits. Anyway the contact paper will hold it together and if you don't use it clean up is easier this way, just fold the glass on top of itself. If you dont have an automatic punch just tap the corner with a hammer. I used to love smashing tempered unit over the dumpster, great stress relief. I did watch my partner at the tme smash a 6'x10'x1" tempered unit from a mall store and watched a a piece flew thru his shirt and cut him. Those big units are crazy especially if bowed.
thanks for all the helpful hints - i will definately let u know how it works out - and post a pic if it looks good at all.
Tigger
Did you catch TIME WARP on the discovery channel......Super Fast video cameras look at everyday actions in super slow motion....
"Paintball" episode has them filming Glass as a cannon fires 2x4's......they examine regular and tempered and then laminate each with a "hurricane" film......the program repeats
"Breakdancing" episode has some good "powertool" WARPS....including the SawStop.....This time the SawStopInventor actually pushed his own finger into the SawStop Blade to prove its operation.......all stopped in highspeed!!!!!!
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=1.14710.25889.33761.4&start=0
Didn't see the paintball show. I HAVE seen the saw stop, but it was done by sticking a hot dog in it, NOT a hand. Even if I had invented it, I'm not sure if I would have that much gut, I'm a great believer in Murphy's law.
Even if I had invented it, I'm not sure if I would have that much gut, I'm a great believer in Murphy's law.
Amen to that!
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I KNOW they ALWAYS use a hotdog......BUT watch the video on U-Tube....http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2008/11/21/video-sawstop-inventor-puts-his-finger-in-a-sawstop/For the TIME WARP cameras.....SawStop inventor Steve Gass pushes his finger into the sawblade to prove its operation.......Soaking his finger in icewater before the shoot he comments...."I'm a little nervous"....!!!!!And in another episode they create YOUR Idea of a punch-broken-tempered glass "countertop" as a coffee table...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow47t2SM2cY"Paintball" and "Breakdance" episodes both air this SUNDAY Nov 30 about 1:00 pm on Discovery.....YMMVEdited 11/25/2008 10:09 am ET by abnorm
Edited 11/25/2008 4:06 pm ET by abnorm
Side note ... that video was not just tempered glass, but laminated tempered glass. There is a difference.
I don't think that it was laminated (although it should have been). I think that they simply taped the three lites together and broke the center lite.
Note the comments they made about how the center, broken glass moved? If it was laminated there would be no movement.
I missed that ... it makes sense, though. Interesting. Creative.
It would probably work for something quick and dirty, as they set it up on the show, but I wouldn't give a nickel for longevity.
Glass Art magazine had an artist that did this. He laminated the tempered between 2 sheets of regular and fractured the tempered. He made a nice vanity top and also made a floor. This floor was for the second floor so you could see through to the first. The individual sheets were in an I beam framework. I second using a spring loaded punch.
this is going to look like c-r-a-p. it's a terrible idea. stop spending money and wasting your time now.
I'm not trying to be an a-hole or a know it all, just helping out. no flame wars, please.
Edited 11/25/2008 10:45 pm ET by jamiep
That's what they said to Eiffel too.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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If you could find an old mirror to use as the backing piece, you would get a really unique look mirror / tempered / tempered with the middle tempered lite broken - although you would still need a way to .
As atrident pointed out in his post, for commercial applications a tempered lite is typically laminated between two Itlites of annealed glass and then broken by using a punch at the edge of the tempered lite. is necessary to be careful to avoid damaging the outer lites when breaking the inner tempered lite and it is possible for tempered "cracks" to telegraph to one or both of the outer lites thus ruining a rather expensive product.
In order to be certifed as "tempered", glass must have a surface compression of 10,000 psi or more and an edge compression of 9700 psi or more. The higher the surface compression, the smaller the pieces when the glass breaks. So, when manufacturing a "broken tempered glass" product it is possible to some degree to control the size of the broken pieces for different effect. Also, the level of adhesion between the inner and outer lites can affect the normal tempered break pattern as well although that is somewhat less controllable.
While the Discovery Channel link was very interesting, the folks at Time Warp made several factual errors. For one, they stated that car windshields are tempered, they are not, they are laminated. For another, they said that tempered glass edges are extremely weak. Again, not true. Tempered glass edges are actually a good bit stronger than non-tempered glass edges; they just break differently which appears to give the impression that they are weaker.
another good use of those glass panels is ballusters for decks or floors overlooking other spaces (railings). I bought 4 panels for like 40 bucks and used them in a space overlooking my kitchen ... eliminated dust/stuff falling down into the kitchen, too.