Help me make tiny windows.

March 19, 2009 9:54 AM

Help me make my own window panes for a dollhouse.

A while ago I saw a product online for making your own dollhouse glass. It came in a jar and you spread it out on a cookie sheet and baked it. It claimed to look like scaled antique glass when you were finished. Now Google has failed me and I can't find this product again. Does anyone know where I can get it? Has anyone used it before? Is it as great as it sounds? I really don't like the acrylic that usually comes with window kits and I'm don't want to get into cutting real glass, but I'm open to other suggestions as well.

posted by Thin Lizzy to sports, hobbies, & recreation (11 comments total)

I always used saran wrap or waxed paper, myself. Very 'old-skool' but it worked :D .
posted by Lynsey at 9:59 AM on March 19

That should be "and I don't want to". Time for more coffee.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 10:11 AM on March 19

Maybe what you're thinking of is sugar glass like what is used in movies for stunts? There are recipes online for make-your-own stunt glass, but it is sugar-based so they don't last very long.
posted by phunniemee at 10:43 AM on March 19

You could get some small cheap picture frames at a craft store.
posted by jschu at 10:46 AM on March 19

You can get small sheets of Mica at American Science and Surplus. They're like, 2x2 inches.
posted by Weighted Companion Cube at 10:51 AM on March 19

No information on the site or product you're looking for, but when making architectural models in school, we'd use acetate sheets (at least that's what we called them) - basically just transparency film for overhead projectors that you used to be able to get in any office supply store. If you get a heavy enough gauge, like 1/32" thick or so, they'll be fairly rigid. We'd normally frost the sheets by sanding them a little bit, but you can just leave them clear. The only downside to doing so is that glue shows up a little more, so you have to be careful, but it also helps to use a white glue (like Elmer's), which will pretty much dry clear. For mullions or frames, we'd use 1/32" basswood strips, which are available at craft or art stores.
posted by LionIndex at 11:29 AM on March 19

Maybe those "shrink art plastic" sheets they make for inkjet printers? They come in clear matte as well as white. They would probably work better for stained glass windows, though, as the transparency isn't the greatest.
posted by Soliloquy at 12:01 PM on March 19

Something like this? It's not baked, and it only works for windows up to a certain size, but it seems to be a similar concept. Here's another "liquid window glaze" product.
posted by fermion at 12:44 PM on March 19

And here's a comparison of some transparent/translucent "polymer clay" liquid gels. Not marketed for dollhouses, as far as I can tell, but seems to be similar to what you're looking for.
posted by fermion at 1:02 PM on March 19

Here's a page from Deluxe Materials which, about half way down describes a liquid resin product called "Solid Water" that can be used to make clear lakes or windows.
posted by carmicha at 1:31 PM on March 19

If you're looking for a way to doodle up a window cheaply then shrink it down to fit the window, Shrink-art-plastic (as mentioned above) might be worth playing with, but apparently you can do the same thing using cat-6 recyclable plastic.
posted by Orb2069 at 2:16 PM on March 19