Mercury Glass Lamp

Make Your Own Mercury Glass Lamp, Mirror and Pumpkins

I recently worked on a few projects making my own mercury glass lamp, a couple pumpkins and a mirror. I took a few inexpensive items and turned them into amazing pieces of art. If it sounds interesting, keep reading the following to find out how it was done.

Antique Window Turned Mercury Glass Mirror

I have an old antique window that I wanted to turn into a mirror. After researching, I decided to use a paint made by Krylon called Looking Glass Mirror-Like Paint. While researching, everything I read indicated it's not an easy paint to find, and they were right.

It's easy to find on line but expensive to ship because it's considered a hazardous material for shipping. The cheapest I found on line was for $9 at MisterArt. I decided it would still be cheaper than buying a new mirror, but I wasn't sure if the paint would work.

I checked with craft stores that are close to where I live....no luck. The second Hobby Lobby store I called said they had it......I was doing the happy dance. It's about 35 minutes from my house but I was determined.

It turns out Looking Glass Mirror-Like spray paint is harder to find than it is to use. The $12 I paid for a 6oz can was well worth it.

The framed old window I have turned out really amazing. In the pictures you can see how well it reflects images. The window is the old kind with waves and bubbles and so it really looks good with the smokey, mercury looking finish. The stairs aren't wavy, it's the old glass making the reflection appear that way.

I just followed the directions and sprayed 5 thin coats on the back side of the glass. I only had to wait 1 minute between each coat and it dries to touch in one hour. I no sooner got started and I was finished, frame painted and all.

The back side is what you spray paint to get the mirrored results on the front side. Make sure you follow the directions and shake can well before spray painting. Also, clean area to be painted and wipe dry. Water spots or anything else left on the glass will show.

While I was researching I saw a suggestion from Martha Stewart to mist the window with water first prior to painting to achieve an aged appearance. My window already had an aged appearance so I skipped that step.

The frame was painted a tan color. I didn't want to strip it, but I wanted an old wood look. I sanded the frame and covered it with crackle I bought from the craft store. I let it dry until it was tacky and painted over the crackle with burnt umber. The frame has just enough crackling patina to make the frame look like it's been stripped down to the wood.

$2 Glass Pumpkins Turned into Fabulous Mercury Glass Decorations

I found glass pumpkins at a local discount store. There was only one clear glass bottom left so I took one of the transparent gold tops. I didn't know how the top would turn out since it wasn't clear, but I think it's my favorite one of the two pumpkins. My mother-in-law was nice enough to check the discount store by her house and she found another one for me, this time a clear matching top.

These were also very simple to paint. The hardest part is painting inside the bowl. If you decide to make your own mercury glass, make sure your glass container has a wide opening to make it easier to spray paint inside.

$3 Goodwill Candle Holder Turned Mercury Glass Lamp

With the Looking Glass Mirror paint it was an easy transformation. I cleaned the inside of the glass globe and spray painted with Looking GLass spray paint. The hardest part was painting inside the globe. If you decide to make your own mercury glass, make sure your glass container has a wide opening to make it easier to spray paint inside.

The base of the lamp was gold metal. I wanted it to look like wood so I went though the following steps.

• Painted with primer
• Painted with terracotta paint
• Washed over with burnt umber
• Painted over with crackle
• Let crackle dry until tacky
• Painted over with a mixed lighter version of burnt umber
• Let dry, one coat of polyurethane

I bought the lamp shade at the craft store for $4 and covered it with burlap. I spray painted a metal lid top metallic to fit on top of the globe.

Drilled a hole in the metal top for the cord to fit though. Drilled a hole in the lamp base for the cord to fit through.

We already had a lamp socket, plug and cord on hand to complete the mercury glass lamp.

Metallic Spray Paint Versers Looking Glass Mirror Spray Paint