Post #797419 by BIG SMOOTH on Mon, Sep 16, 2019 3:08 AM

On 2019-08-22 10:01, tikiskip wrote:
Ok so I have had two people just this week ask me about how to cover paint or use clear glass for a tiki bar light.

For me I don't buy or use clear glass, I tell ya I don't even buy glass that is flashed or painted with a color because it will come off or at best fade and scratch.
Since I am selling most of the lights I make I can't sell a light that at some point in time is going to have these problems.

Now plastic that is a colored plastic is fine as it will hold it's color over time, in fact I like plastic most of the time better than glass as it can be more sturdy than glass times.

It is easy to bump and break glass and if you cut a hole in glass it many times has small cracks that form in the cut area that over time become bigger cracks.

So what to do about clear glass, don't buy it, there are so many other choices that you really can avoid clear glass.

OR I have not tried any of this but covering the glass with a paper or tissue that is colored or even tapa might work.
Adding a colored light bulb after this might help as well you would need to do tests.

So good luck with the clear glass let us know if you find something that works.

Or make life easy and use stuff that just works with no problems from the start.

Thanks for the “ADVICES” skip. I have painted clear glass before but it’s not easy and I ended up washing my last attempt off!
The most successful way I found was to warm up the glass and the paint then pour the paint inside the glass ball and keep turning it until you have it all covered! But then you must keep turning and keep turning until you have let enough excess run out so it will dry without policing but cover without running! It’s not an easy balancing act! I had never even thought about using plastic! So simple yet so effective! They is why you are the master builder skip! Keep up the good work.

RIP Franco Columbu