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Making round molds from old light fixtures
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Posted by lmsorkin NJ (My Page) on Fri, Aug 20, 04 at 13:42
| I saw a post in another thread in this forum by Audrey that said:
"You can make a round mold by filling old light fixtures with cement and when dry put the form into a paper bag and smash the glass to break. You are left with a perfectly round ball to place in the garden or mosaic over or left to gather moss."
Just wondering, do you fill the globe up to make a solid sphere, or do you put a layer around the outside of the globe, leaving the inside hollow and a hole where the opening in the light fixture was? The second version would be lighter to move about, but I didn't know if the hollow hypertufa ball would break when you smash the glass.
Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Hi you fill up the inside of the sphere, I also put some styrafoam in the centre to lighten it up a bit, hope this helps. Cindy |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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You're not SMASHING the glass globe. You're gently tapping the glass to break it in one or two large pieces not 50 million pieces.
Most of the glass globes aren't that big so even if it was solid it wouldn't be that heavy. Hey it's round..roll it. lol! Billie |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Thanks Cindy & Billie - now I feel confident in how to make it. Just have to keep an eye out for a glass globe . . . |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| My town has a building materiels recycling center. They have so many glass globes in every different size and a few different shapes for just a buck each. You might check and see if you have something like that in your area. 'Tufa spheres are cool. 
Mike |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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Mike, I never realized that there were so many different patterns in glass globes..love your spheres and thanks for the inspiration!
ann |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Mike, those are too cool! I was just thinking of a plain round ball, but I love yours! Lori |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| These are cast in plain round glass spheres and then carved into these shapes. I bust the glass off the second day and use an old paring knife to carve designs into them like spirals or crossbars (I use different widths of tape to get the lines right). Plain round ones are also nice mixed in with carved ones. I like to have a grouping in a variety of sizes and shapes. If you can find big globes they can be used to cast planters. I fill them with sand before busting the glass off to give them extra reinforcement. Then it is just a matter of carving out the excess on the inside with a spoon (it's always too thick at the bottom as the tufa slumps, and the rim always looks better if it is evenly thick all around) and carving off a clean rim edge. 
Mike |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Looks like I'll have to rummage for glass globes at this week's rummage sales . . . .thanks for the inspiration! |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| So the hollow sphere you made was done by filling a glass globe, letting it harden a bit, then scooping otu the insides? Do you have any ideas for making larger spheres? |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Actually I didn't fill it but just pressedit all around the inside up about 3/4s of the way to the top. After it sat for a few hours I scooped out the excess from the bottom. I did more scrapping to give a 'finished' interior surface the second day after unmolding. I've not come up with any ideas for larger spheres. I'd sure like to do some myself. If I ever do I'll be happy to share how. Mike |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Mike ,thanks for letting us visit your garden...beautiful...Mary |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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Neeto! I made round planters by appling cement to the outside of a plastic covered ball that I let the air out of after day 2 or 3. Mine was smooth on the inside and kindof rough on the out side....
Yours is much more neat!
Julie |
RE: Making round molds from old light fixtures
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| Don't forget to use some sort of release on the glass, I have had some of my tufa stick pretty hard to the spheres I was using, they took a LOT of work to unmold. |
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