I get glass from already broken windows so I lay mine one tiny piece at a time . . . . if I could get glass broken into larger pieces it would be nice but I take what I can get.

A pencil with a piece of fun tac (or blu tac) stuck to the end of it eliminates the need for tweezers.

Have fun with your windows (and don't use windshield glass - it breaks differently).

sirusmosaics- There is an artist that only uses crash glass. She paints her glass first then breaks it to use it how she wants. I have always had the already broken glass to play with.

Can't wait to see what you make with it!!!!

I saw instructions for breaking the glass on another forum, they coated one side with weldbond, wrapped it in a shower curtain, tapped one corner and it cracked. They said the cracking could go on for several minutes. The weldbond helped hold it together into big easy to use pieces.

Here is the method:
To break the glass you first give it a good
coat of Weldbond glue and let it dry really well. It will be clear and
not sticky. Wrap the glass in a towel or tarp .I use an old shower
curtain. Be sure one corner is poking out. Use a hammer and give the
glass a good sharp whack on the corner ,not the flat side of the glass.
Be sure to use eye protection! If you've hit it right, you'll hear a
crackling that will be the glass shattering. The dry glue holds all the
pieces together. When you don't hear any more crackling( this may take
awhile) unwrap the glass and store it .

This is not my method, I only read about it and thought it sounded interesting.

Thanks for the information. I just printed it out and am going to order more Weldbond. It sounds like a fun process of waiting for it to stop crackling and seeing what the glass looks like when it is used.

Crash glass is one of my favorites to use. Once you use it, it is hard to stop.

There are so many ways to implement other mediums into (under) the glass that the possibilities are endless. Using colored foils, tapes, pretty wrappings are just the start.

Here is one of my favorite crash glass pieces I've done so far:

He's about 12 inches long and 8 inches tall. ~: )

What great timing! I have never used "crash" glass but had mentioned it to one of my neighbors. Friday night I came home from work and found 3 patio doors on my driveway! They are tempered glass and he had replaced them at a job he was working on. Must have thought that crazy lady next door would want them! :) Guess what my next projects will be made with?? :)
Have a good one!
Ann

OHMYGOODNESS, GIBSONA: If your patio doors breaks like the one I broke w/a rock from the edger several yrs. back (and THREW IT OUT CUZ I WASN'T INTO MOSAICS :(, it breaks in rectangles and squares, unlike the car windows. What I WOULDN'T GIVE to have that door back. It'll be like mosaicing w/clear smalti, shape-wise. You lucky duck.

The cow looks great! I received my glass last night - thanks for ideas posted here. Tonight I'm going to start playing with different ideas, just to get a feel on how to use this type of glass.

Stupid question...uh...if your pieces are all individually placed (or even if they aren't), how are you all dealing with sharp edges? Tumbling it?

That's the beauty of the glass - no sharp edges breaks w/your hands. It's a wonderful glass to work with - so many possibilities. It's like working a puzzle. All sorts of stuff you can put under it, including painted surfaces - pictures, collages images, shiny metallic paper/foil, leaves, etc. You'll LOVE working w/this glass, but beware - it's very addictive.

Holy uh, cow (sorry, couldn't resist!) - That is really neat - looks like some sort of print under the crash glass...what did you use there?? Love how you lined up all the rectangular bits!

Pat

I've been taking classes at the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, California. They offer a class in tempered glass mosaics that I would love to take which is on a Saturday & Sunday. I'm always surprised how far students will travel to attend these classes. I thought I was traveling a long way by coming from San Diego but I've met women from S. Carolina, Seattle, Detroit that come for the weekend glasses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tempered Glass Mosaic Class

Ellen Blakely seems to be the Queen of tempered glass. Another is Fridge Queen.
Fridge Queen

Pat, I think what you're seeing is the fractures in the glass. You don't need to crumble crash glass to it's smallest size, using it in bigger pieces is much more reflective. I especially like to apply it to 3d substrates - as you lay the chunk into the glue, it breaks up and conforms to the shape... very cool

Pat
Those are whole pieces with the fractures in them. Just as NT describes. The actual pieces are separated by the grout only.

The substrate was an old trivet that showed the cuts of beef for a cow. LOL! My Dad and family had a meat packing company for many, many years.