Mercury glass, also known as silvered glass, contains neither mercury nor silver. It's actually clear glass, mold-blown into double-walled shapes and coated on the inside with a silvering formula, which is inserted though a small hole that is then sealed with a plug. In the past, mercury was indeed used to line the glass, but this was discontinued due to expense and toxicity. Mercury glass is also known as "poor man's silver".
Mercury Glass
There are many versions of DIY mercury glass, some involve spraying water, some use silver leaf. I prefer the below method because it requires the least materials and you probably can have better control over the mottling effect, hence deciding how vintage-looking the end product will be.
Tools and Materials
Gloves
Glass vases, candle holders
Krylon Looking Glass Mirror-Like Paint
Cotton ball or old pastic bag or sponge
How To
To prep, cover the outside of each vase with plastic and taped it tightly along the outside top (to keep spray paint from getting onto the outside). Be sure tape stays on the outside of the vase and don’t fold over the edge.
Do this project outside because fumes will spray back at your face. Wear your gloves and cover the floor with newspapers if necessary. Shake your looking glass spray well, then spray paint the interior of the vase, covering most of it. The trick is keep it light, don’t over spray. Just coat the surface once. Note that this stuff dries ultrafast, probably around 3 to 5 minutes, so your next action has to be quick.
Go back in with a cotton ball and randomly pat around the surface. Antique mercury glass is often peeling away or unevenly distributed. If you like, you can repeat with a second layer. To obtain a more antique look, you can spray a light coat of gold metallic spray paint over the silver, and pat with cotton ball in a random pattern. When mercury glass ages it often has a gold/silver mix. Instead of gold metallic spray paint, you can use umber glaze or antiquing glaze as well. You can play around with the effects by using a crinkled up old plastic grocery bag to dab off any excess paint, or use a sponge to obtain a more gradual and subtle effect.
Last of all, tip your vessel over and allow to fully dry. Give it several hours without picking up to prevent rolling drip marks.
DIY adapted from Room Recipes
Other DIY
Using spray bottle: Martha Stewart
Using sponging: Birgit Kerr
Using silver leaf: Remodel This House
Using a smorgasboard of tools: The Quirky Sophisticate
Have fun!
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