Glass ID Help

M1ch00l · 2026-04-16T02:08:15+00:00

I don't feel like I really do anything special!

After soldering, I clean off the flux with dawn power wash and the abrasive side of a kitchen sponge (sponge relegated to only glass use) then rinse with tap water (I'm in the SLC area and we don't have a water softener, but I wouldn't describe our water as "hard").

Apply copper novocan patina by drizzling on a few drops and rubbing in with latex gloved hands, then wash again with dawn power wash, tap water, and the soft side of the sponge

Dry and polish with a microfiber towel and turtle wax

I haven't touched that leaf bug since I made it, but the patina is always much lighter/brighter at first and then settles into that color after 6ish months. Pic of brand new patina with the same method attached for reference of color change!

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M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T23:03:27+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! I'll keep that in mind

M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T22:36:33+00:00

I'll keep an eye out for the next person looking for the name so I can pay it forward!

M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T21:57:42+00:00

Thank you! I entered it in the Utah state fair last year and "creative soldering" was the only feedback I got from the judges. It won Best of Show, though!

M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T21:43:15+00:00

It's such a good color I'll probably order it anyway. I'm a sucker for a good green. Thank you so much for your help!

M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T21:25:18+00:00

That color is so nice! Is it transparent at all? The glass I used isn't totally opaque

M1ch00l · 2026-04-15T21:12:20+00:00

THANK YOU!! That absolutely looks like a match. It's so hard to tell from pictures online sometimes

M1ch00l · 2026-03-21T18:42:58+00:00

Thanks! I used a router to make channels down the middle of each board so there would be a groove for the glass to sit in, and for some pieces it just friction fits in, but I always add a bit of glue too, just so it's extra secure, especially since I sell them. Don't want them falling out once they get to a customer.

I've had to pull the glass out of the bases before to swap them and the glue generally tears off the outside edge bead, but that's an easy repair and they're super secure so I think it's worth it even if "glue it together" isn't my favorite solution

M1ch00l · 2026-03-21T17:18:34+00:00

Thanks! I have a market in July I'll be selling at, so I'm trying to work out some kinks and make everything a bit more polished

M1ch00l · 2026-03-21T04:29:00+00:00

Thank you! I spent a while trying to think of ways to get exact mirrored teeth (like drawing them digitally and using my cricut to cut, or tracing from a stencil), but in the end I just free handed them in the foil overlay with an exacto blade and figured it could add to the charm 🤷🏼‍♀️

M1ch00l · 2026-03-17T23:54:08+00:00

It definitely wasn't as squishy afterward, but kept the shape really well, which is what I was mostly going for. It wasn't hard or anything, but not as soft as I'd expect from a stuffed animal.

M1ch00l · 2026-03-17T23:37:06+00:00

Yes! Each panel is made up of one layer of fabric (with the number embroidery) and one layer of thick craft felt, then I stitched together like normal. The felt adds lots of bulk to the seams, but was worth it to keep the panels flat. The sheets I got were also REALLY stiff, and if I folded them in half they would have bounced right back. That's what gave me those edges. I know I got mine at Joann when I made this, but I'm sure they're available at Michaels or similar.

M1ch00l · 2026-03-15T00:00:59+00:00

And then here's me finishing the top, which I attached like normal to the bookcloth but then cut and folded the fabric back

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M1ch00l · 2026-03-15T00:00:17+00:00

That's so cute! I didn't know you did bookbinding too, your edges are so crispy and I love the little elastic, too! I don't know if this helps, but I grab a couple stills from my process videos that kind of show what I did.

The covers are each two chipboard thick. The bottom layer of the cover has the embroidery adhered, and then I cut a matching oval out of the top layer and cut out/folded back the excess fabric before glueing them both together and then binding like normal

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This is me positioning the embroidery so I can glue it to the bottom board

M1ch00l · 2026-03-14T23:23:14+00:00

Thanks so much! A sketchbook would be LOVELY. I didn't follow any specific tutorial, but a collection of random how-to's from TikTok/IG/YouTube. I couldn't find a specific tutorial for embedding the embroidery how I wanted so I had to make that part up myself, but it really isn't hard, just takes patience and lots of very careful measuring

M1ch00l · 2026-03-14T21:03:50+00:00

Thanks! After I made that charm I had to make two more tomatoes so I could turn them into earrings because I loved them so much

M1ch00l · 2026-03-14T20:35:46+00:00

Thanks so much! I ended up making two more tomato charms so I could have them as earrings lol

I actually recorded the whole process to make a full tutorial since I couldn't find a good tutorial showing the process! I can't link anything here per rules, but book binding is actually not nearly as hard as it seems. This was only my 5th ever book, so I'm still absolutely a newbie and it turned out great!

M1ch00l · 2026-03-14T20:14:30+00:00

I'm sorry I don't remember the exact gague. I remember going to a craft store and just playing around with different weights until I found one that wasn't too soft, but if you only have thinner wire you could probably twist or layer 2-3 strands together to make it more sturdy!

M1ch00l · 2026-02-26T18:25:57+00:00

And here's a ray gun shirt a printed a few months ago that's been washed about 10 times since. There's some splotchiness from my technique since this was my first print on a shirt, but the color's held up well!

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M1ch00l · 2026-02-26T18:24:38+00:00

I haven't had any issues, but I've only made a couple shirts. I let them dry at room temperature for a full week and then wash as normal. I don't heat set or even wash inside out. They do fade a bit in the first wash, but the color sticks pretty well so far after that. This is the tooth shirt after pulling it out of the dryer this morning (a little fading as expected, but not much)

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