Glass Rainbow Window Hanger

  ✂︎

Favorite

Comment

List

       

Share

• 

  Step 1

  Gather your glass cutting materials:
  Glass
  Glass cutter
  Ruler
  Cutting mat

• 

  Step 2

  Hold the glass cutter straight and put good pressure on it while cutting.

  Put the side without the little wheel against the ruler but make sure the cutter doesn't slide onto the ruler.

  Try to cut in one stroke from one end of the glass to the other end.

• 

  Step 3

  Put the glass on a table with the cut line on the edge of the table. Make sure you have a soft surface below (a chair or a cushion) to catch the falling glass.

  Gently tab the overhanging part of glass with the but of the glass cutter.
  Do this along the whole line and when you're near the end the overhanging piece should fall off. (It might take some extra tapping when the cut is not quite deep enough)

  Cut as many pieces in whatever shape you want. (This was my first glass project so I stuck to straight cutting lines)

• 

  Step 4

  Vacuum clean every place where you worked with the glass. Cutting glass leaves tiny splinters that are really nasty.

• 

  Step 5

  Gather the lead tools:
  Decorative 'sticker' lead band
  Scissors
  Knife
  Latex gloves

  When working with lead always wear the latex gloves AND afterward wash your hands. It's toxic stuff.

• 

  Step 6

  Separate the two strips of lead with the knife.
  (If you have only a single strip you don't need to do this, my lead came in a double strip)

• 

  Step 7

  Remove the paper and stick the lead onto the first side of your glass piece. Leave a piece of about 2 cm sticking out. Make sure it sticks well.

  As soon as you know how much lead you'll need, cut if off from the roll. That works easier.

• 

  Step 8

  Wrap around all corners of the glass piece, making sure the lead connects everywhere, until you're back at where you started.

  Stick the two ends together.

• 

  Step 9

  Cut off any excess lead and bend the end into a little eye.

  Repeat steps 6 to 9 for every glass piece you want to use.

• 

  Step 10

  Gather your painting materials:
  Glass paints
  Brush
  Turpentine to clean the brush
  Paper towel
  Saucer or plate to mix colors (not shown)

• 

  Step 11

  Give each piece of glass the color you want and allow to dry.
  You might want to paint both sides (I did) if the color isn't bright enough.

  You could of course also paint designs on every piece.

• 

  Step 12

  Gather the hanging stuff:
  Pieces of string (my string came from a bead-curtain that I disassembled)
  Skewers (or just a metal/wooden rod that you might happen to have ifso, skip steps 13 and 14)
  Glue (not shown)

• 

  Step 13

  Lay out the skewers next to each other and cover them with glue.
  I spread out the glue using a piece of scrap paper.

• 

  Step 14

  Roll up the glue covered skewers into a bundle and tie a piece of string around the ends.
  Let dry.

• 

  Step 15

  Arrange your colored glass pieces the way you want them to hang and run a piece of string through each eye.

  Make sure to take into account gravity (which I didn't); the pieces will hang from one point and might angle a bit.

• 

  Step 16

  Make sure the pieces of string are long enough. For this you'll want to measure the distance between hanging point (the screw/nail you're going to hang the whole contraption on to) and the height you want the glass pieces to hang.
  For me that was about 60 cm.

  Arrange the glass pieces the way you want them (step 15) and pull the pieces of string straight for the length you need. (I cut out a piece of the picture because it would be too wide otherwise)

  Lay your bundle of skewers (or rod) on top of the string ends.

• 

  Step 17

  Mark where you want the strings to attach.

• 

  Step 18

  For each string tie a knot in the ends so you get a loop.
  Lay the double string behind your skewer-bundle and pull the glass piece and string through the loop. Pull tight and you'll end up with what is shown on the picture.

  Put a dot of glue on the mark you made and shove the string over it. Let dry.

  Repeat for each string.

• 

  Step 19

  Get a piece of string and attach both ends to the ends of the skewer bundle. You can use any knot and quantity of glue you want, just make sure it is secure.

• 

  Step 20

  When all the glue is dry and you're sure the thing won't fall apart, hang it in front of a window and enjoy!

Comments

Leave your comment

Maladignia · Amersfoort, Utrecht, NL · 87 projects 24th June 2011

I love how the light leaves colored spots around the room.

Reply

Carli <3 23rd June 2011

this is awesome! i once made a window hanger like this for my mom when i was younger from extra materials i found at an art camp, she still has it in her office !

Reply

Maladignia · Amersfoort, Utrecht, NL · 87 projects 2nd June 2010

Nope, I don't often work with glass. I just happened to have bought a large frame for a puzzle we finished and then it broke. So I had a large sheet of glass that was broken in two. I decided not to throw it away but to use it for crafting.
Some time ago I had a glass-painting (old bottles and stuff) period from which I still had the lead and the paints. And there you have it.

Reply

Nienna N. · Geneva, Geneva, CH · 4 projects 2nd June 2010

Nice idea! It looks like summer does.

Just made today some glass-work at a friend who has all those tools. To buy them only for me to do some little works would be too expensive.
Do you often work with glass?

Reply

Jet H. · Haarlem, North Holland, NL · 108 projects 8th April 2010

lovely and beautiful, like your nails too.LOL thanks for sharing and the how to;-D

Reply

Ruby · 11 projects 7th April 2010

Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing, I will have to do this at some point! Well done!

Reply