I found a really easy way to make milky frosted glass for light fixtures

Honestly can't believe this worked so well. SOME NOTES, THOUGH
So I screwed something up with the pour you see here. But actually I'm not entirely sure I did? It looked a bit weird so I inspected it and genius me let the cups fall into the shade and ruined it so I needed to start over again.
When I did, I went just a touch heavier on the glue and also spent more time twirling the bowl around before flipping it over. I got much better coverage, probably because it let the mixture get a little tacky.
However, on the re-pour I decided to try not-at-all with regard to eliminating bubbles and... this was a mistake. You definitely want as few bubbles as possible for best results. Gotta build that vacuum chamber.
Bottom line, this appears to be a pretty decent setup but longevity is TBD. And if you've got some techniques to improve things please share below! But my overall recipe is as follows:
1. Mix equal parts by weight water, acrylic craft paint, and PVA glue. Stir thoroughly but avoid introducing air at all steps.
2. Pour onto inside surface of whatever you're coating. Rotate object for even coverage.
3. Continue rotating for 15 minutes, ensuring every area gets covered multiple times. Mixture should thicken slightly which helps ensure a uniform appearance.
4. Stand object up and let excess drip out, then dry overnight.
Good luck!

[@TechnologyConnextras]

A lot of this is "Watch Alec handle an orb" *I have some more advice after this attempt* Something went a little wrong with this pour and I think it was that I didn't spend enough time twirling it around and/or there wasn't quite enough glue in the mix so the coating didn't thicken as much as I needed. The appearance as it dried wasn't perfectly opaque. I cleaned it up and started again with better results. So here's my overall guide in written form: 1. Mix equal parts by weight water, acrylic craft paint, and PVA glue. Consider going a touch heavy on the glue. 2. Stir thoroughly while avoiding introducing bubbles. 2. a. If ya gotta vacuum chamber, have at it. Or you can try some other methods to reduce bubbles. Some bubbles are OK as many will pop, but too many and you'll have speckles here and there. 3. Pour mixture onto inside surface of glass. _Spend a long time (at least 15 minutes) moving the object around and repeatedly re-coat all areas as the mixture begins to thicken._ You'll see what I mean. 4. Elevate item and allow excess to drip out. Allow to dry overnight. Good luck!

[@LanceThumping]

"Easy way make"

[@TechnologyConnextras]

@@LanceThumping Ha, been staring at the title for ages and didn't catch that. Tanks!

[@seanhoude]

I would have focused on the rim first, while the volume was high, slowly rolling it. Then you can take care of the easy part in the center afterwards.

[@LanceThumping]

@@TechnologyConnextras Happens to the best of us.

[@Muaddibize]

The only thing that could make this video more exciting is to add the drying part of the paint in real time.

[@Blake-jl8lh]

I love how this channel is part history of a hardly known format, part how complicated tech works, and part Alec's apparent obsession with light bulbs

[@mauriciomarianocarneiro]

I can relate... from around 3 to 15 years i was fascinated by flashlights... i made then, bought them, used them. It was not a fear of dark, just amazed by the power of have a light generator on my hand. :)

[@duality4y]

this is why i love the channel haha (the light bulbs got me into the channel and stuck around for the rest)

[@rhekman]

Alec Love Lamp

[@Chlorate299]

Has anyone checked he's not a moth?

[@Senae]

not just light bulbs, *light diffusion*

[@trimeta]

When you showed the original lamp, and then brought out the frosted version, I felt like there was a missed opportunity to talk about the magic of buying two of them.

[@MichaelSacchi]

I came to write this. I found myself saying that sentence very often.

[@sus1221]

At this point I have a pavlovian response...even without Alec saying it out loud, I mentally added " Through the magic of buying two!"

[@camwyn256]

That's for the main channel, not extras

[@KarolOfGutovo]

No effort has been left in the video. Truly must have taken a lot of hard work to make sure of it.

[@mikebennett1301]

As a Brit of a certain age I thought Alec was going to say "Here's one I made earlier"

[@jameswoodish]

As someone who often thins paint for transparency, my recommendation instead of PVA glue and water, would be to just head to your local craft store and pick up a bottle of clear acrylic paint medium. It will still be thinable with water, but it will dive a more durable finish that will absolutely not yellow with age.

[@GamesFromSpace]

Also, airbrushing... Coats as thin as you want.

[@rjwaters3]

@@GamesFromSpace Air brushing requires hardware though, and tends to make a mess

[@charliesullivan4304]

That's a really good idea. No guesswork about how the mixed chemistry will work, and confidence about long term stability. Art/craft supply stores are great resources even for more technical projects.

[@gwiz6278]

Yep. He's trying to reinvent the wheel

[@Rickolas.]

@@gwiz6278 I don't think he's trying to reinvent the wheel. I think that he never considered the idea in the first place and as he stated in the video couldn't find anyone else talking about how to do this.

[@ZakkandtheJ]

Alec I don't know how you managed to pull it off but you finally made watching paint dry interesting. Cheers to you brother

[@kenjinks5465]

From a person who paints with acrylics, bleached titanium white pigment is opaque, zinc white pigment is translucent, you could use unbleached titanium to get a warm white. As a side note I use a mirror as my palette when painting so I can figure out just that, the transparency, and it peels right off to be used again and again. Perhaps zinc white may give a more frosted appearance. Acrylic gel medium can be watered down, the dif between liquid, gel medium and paste is the length of the molecule; liquid is short and runny, paste is long chains and is thick. All can be watered down. Acrylic artists mediums tend not to yellow.

[@blah2blah65]

From a person who has done finger painting back in elementary school, your comment is impressive, almost supernatural, as I ponder how much unique knowledge and experience you must have to be able to write such a comment.

[@NorroTaku]

damn you know your stuff!

[@GamesFromSpace]

Using glass for a pallette is brilliant, thank you. I hate wasting materials.

[@kenjinks5465]

@@blah2blah65 that was it, all I know, I just used it all up

[@jakalair]

This would be fun to see in green for me. I always loved the old desk lamps with the green glass.

[@partciudgam8478]

A bit 20s mobster style... Cool... It should be the same procedure, just two layers, one green paint, the second one white, to give a better light reflection downwards

[@larsiparsii]

Had the exact same thought! I would be afraid to use a too light shade of green though.

[@alephnole7009]

Yes I thought the same thing. If I could make similar lamps and not spend $300 on real one that would be great.

[@derrekvanee4567]

I just want some uranium glass now.

[@mandi8345]

"accountants lamp" "bankers lamp" "lawyers lamp" or "judges lamp" are some search terms to hit on items like that. Like the transparent green visor youd see someone cracking on an adding machine wear especially in throwback scenes of the 1940s, the green was believed to be better for preserving eyesight if you had to be exposed to artificial light all day. I agree, the green and gold is a great classic early-mid 20th century paper pusher look. My dad had one on his desk for the longest time......of course they got rid of it when that modern day 'everything flat white soulless ugly with jaunting squares everywhere and died poop in the sun taupe' look came into vogue....damn them....

[@questjon]

This is very similar to what my Dad does for shading his greenhouse in the summer when it gets too hot. He uses PVA mixed with powdered chalk and water. It's handy because the whole thing can be peeled of in one piece when the temperature drops back down.

[@baan7782]

Chalk sounds like a great idea

[@SaltyMikan]

​@@baan7782pretty sure chalk is what is generally used for that purpose, haven't heard about the PVA glue though. Sounds handy!

[@Rob-e8w]

We always used to use lime from a builders merchant or ironmongers to whitewash cellar walls and greenhouses etc. This was long before pva glue was invented and it worked perfectly and was very cheap. In the UK it can be bought from B & Q stores.

[@graslurch3685]

@@Rob-e8w neither chalk nor lime won't let that much light through, which is what you may want in a greenhouse in summer, but not so much in this lamp case.

[@IACJLD]

Painter's tape around the edge to make a lip might buy you some time before the drips get too out of hand. Another tip is doing a high pour to prevent bubbles. If you don't have a vacuum chamber and you want to get the bubbles out of a thick liquid mix, pouring it high so it makes a thin long stream helps prevent them.

[@juz4kix]

Came here today this

[@jc5495]

use a lighter or micro butane torch, they use the technique for epoxy tables to pop bubbles

[@st3althyone]

That is an excellent idea.

[@SpookyJohnathan]

I have learned something valuable today.

[@ProfessorJayTee]

@@jc5495 Remember not to do this with flammable paint.

[@Giepie]

Alec found a unique way to make his audience watch (literally) paint dry! 😁 Excellent video! I'm wondering if there's a way to give it a mat finish (inside) to help with diffusion of light (ideal for LEDS)

[@davidwhipple3832]

LOL on the paint dry thing

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Perhaps replacing the PVA glue with Mod Podge, which comes in gloss, matte and flat, IIRC. That stuff is usually available right near the craft paint.

[@Flojer0]

He did say while stirring that he's been scraping the bottom this whole time!

[@thelazy0ne]

My thought exactly! Watching paint dry 😅

[@mumblbeebee6546]

@@wishunter9000 I would counsel against that, did you not get the part where trying to speed things up may lead to undesirable side effects? 😛

[@hietalaheikki]

Finally! Watch paint dry episode 😃 Love your work, the attention to detail, thoroughly researched topics and the level of interest you bring to mundane appliances. Dishwasher episodes have been my favorites and I've forced many people to watch them to boredom 🤪

[@ToyKeeper]

After the social and gastric overstimulation of the holidays, watching paint dry was exactly what I needed tonight to wind down. And not just watching paint dry, but watching Alec watch paint dry with great enthusiasm.

[@libertyjones3799]

I love these channels because it feels equally relatable and like a kind grandpa is leading everyone through a project.

[@marioluigi9599]

Yeah he's got the grandpa music and everything... on his other videos. It works

[@eduardonunomarques]

About the oven drying attempt: "White PVA, Polyurethane glues, contact cements typically fail above 150 f or 80c." Woodworkers will usually use a heat gun to take apart glued joints. You reflowed the glue when you heated it up.

[@smashedapples]

PVA glue is very similar to the "medium" or binder in acrylic paint... so if it ends up yellowing, some "fine art" grade acrylic paints and mediums that are specifically formulated for light fastness and to prevent yellowing would probably work. Like... Liquitex basics titanium white and use either matte medium or gloss medium to "dilute" the white (to adjust the transparency). Optionally throw a layer of varnish over the top to help protect it and add super extra yellowing protection.

[@AaronHendu]

Mod podge dudes lol

[@user-co6ww2cm9k]

varnish will itself turn yellow though

[@whatevernamegoeshere3644]

If you get a vacuum chanber, don't vacuum it TOO much because the water in the glue can boil and turn it into a bubble bath. Also get a silicone cooking sheet and hold it between the opening and a board. You then have a closed bowl and you can really speed up the coating process

[@boo-urns]

Was looking for this comment before I posted anything. I work in refrigeration and we pull a deep vacuum before charging, specifically to get any moisture _out_ of the system

[@mspeir]

A pressure pot might be a better solution.

[@ArnaudMEURET]

Not afraid to look stupid: would a household vacuum cleaner be enough to at least help get most (some) bubbles out, or pop?

[@MaxStax1]

@@ArnaudMEURET Maybe a good idea. I use a vacuum pump all the time at work, but a shop vac might just be a good alternative in this case,and be easy to set up Perhaps an aquarium with a plexiglass top with a hole cut for the hose and just some putty to seal it. Of coarse i am 100% certain i will never have to frost the glass of anything in this lifetime. 😆 But nice to know someone made a how-to video about it anyway. lol

[@jasonanders4944]

I kinda want to see that.

[@julienmans3359]

This may truly be the best KZbin channel ever created. Mostly subjects I don't remotely care about and yet I'm still watching the whole thing with all my attention, and still end up remembering and using what he explains in my life somehow

[@zthecat]

Absolutely. More often than not the things he talks about are things I had no prior interest in. But I think one of the reasons he's so good is by the time he's done, I find myself getting excited to go out and make my own milk white lamp, or buy some weird outdated media player, or finally use my dishwasher the way it was supposed to be used, etc. Lol

[@AmazingJellyfish]

Finally a channel that is almost making paint dry interesting

[@Hawk013]

Pouring tip: when pouring silicon liquid tooling into a mold, we would always pour from high up to allow the silicon to "ribbon", or pour out in a very thin sheet or stream, as it would squeeze out a lot of the bubbles, and usually wouldn't entrain more when it pooled. Your mixture may not be thick enough to do this properly, but it's worth a shot?

[@grn1]

He said in another comment that he tried a high pour and it actually made more bubbles because of how thin the mixture is.

[@Vikingwerk]

Really tempted to try this with green paint, I’ve always loved those old brass library lamps with the green glass shades.

[@quinnobi42]

'posh people lamps' as I've heard them called.

[@James02876]

I think it's known as a "Banker's Lamp"

[@ez45]

Would require two coats as those are white underneath, I think

[@youdontknowme5969]

lawyer lamp

[@complainer406]

You'd probably need to include some white paint, since other colors usually aren't opaque

[@Medenmath]

I'm impressed by how nice this looks. I have to admit, I don't really like the lamp with clear glass, but with the white color applied they are quite pretty.

[@TheGuitarman1968]

The "Milk Glass" fixture reminds me of all of those real Milk Glass ceiling lights and table lamps that my grandparents had in their 1950's constructed home, and they all eventually got replaced over the years. The clear fixture looks like the dome on top of the robot from the original "Lost In Space" TV series. 😉

[@mrcryptozoic817]

And the bulbs are ugly.

[@artdonovandesign]

I've been designing and building lamps for 35 years (professionally) and I am TRULY impressed with your results!

[@piccalillipit9211]

COOL - I wanted to set up a company a few years ago doing freestanding indirect lighting lamps. I loved the geometry needed to achieve the uniform light combined with the aesthetics. to look right it has to be technically good. You cant just make a "thing".

[@cadneemountai2791]

@@piccalillipit9211 you totally can just make a "thing"!

[@ghostify6502]

I'm quite interested to know how one enters such a profession. That sounds like a very fulfilling job

[@caodesignworks2407]

@@ghostify6502 Either find a local lamp company or just start making your own lamps. Lamps are very easy to make as they're literally just a plugged cord and a bulb holder on the end. Just learn how to wire it together if you don't already know and get building (I know a few people who sell lamps between FB market place and etsy and make a living)

[@mcgriddlefor20dollar]

​@cadneemountai2791 this whole channel is just a bunch of "things" that he finds cool usually due to how theyre not useful in any modern circumstance anymore

[@Dukefazon]

15:34 - there is a technique referred to as high pour. You lift up the container high and pour the liquid slowly in a thin line or band and it minimizes the bubble forming and if there are already bubbles, you can get rid of them that way. Sometimes gently tapping the container can agitatet the bubbles to raise to the tip and it helps them pop (you can try the container that holds you mix or the bulb in this case). You an also introduce some heat to the bubbles but I'm not so sure about those details. The Crafsman (yes, no T in his name) has some videos on silocone that can help you.

[@TDOBrandano]

maybe you can try and pick up the coating from the bottom of the cup using something like a turkey baster, leaving the bubbles at the top

[@alexdrockhound9497]

@@lavinia-whateley ive also seen people use gas torches and lighters.

[@Cancn12]

@@lavinia-whateley I'm pretty sure it would start to dry the glue, resin doesn't cure with heat, but you'll evaporate the solvent faster with PVA glue.

[@fledi2]

On the other hand some well distributed heat might help reduce the 15 Minutes...

[@FroggyMosh]

. . . Whatever. _I'm so sorry, I just had to do it._ _Final Fantasy 8 was my entry into the series_

[@eliot6775]

FYI this is the IKEA ÅTERSKEN lamp, no longer available in table lamp but they do have a similar ceiling lamp, and also some wall sconce lamps (oddly already with white/frosted glass)

[@TechnologyConnextras]

Given how hard it is to have next to you at eye level, I'm not surprised. If they just made it with glass like this, though, it would have been perfect!

[@WaynoGur]

Nearest ikea is a 230 mile round trip. (it's in Phoenix and I live in Tucson).

[@zaxyart]

@@WaynoGur and its such a boring drive...

[@marcogenovesi8570]

@@WaynoGur shipping items to your door is a thing

[@verttikoo2052]

@@marcogenovesi8570 But you don't get the meatballs 🤔

[@plzletmebefrank]

I'm curious how it'd look with green since you mentioned coloring. Sorta like those old brass desk lamps with green covers.

[@MK-of7qw]

Hmmm... That would look nice in green

[@chazdomingo475]

That was my thought. It'd be best with a nice deep green.

[@TheScytheMoron]

Aren't those like ... green on the outside, but white on the inside to reflect a decent amount of light onto the desk for writing and stuff? So ... I guess green with THIS method ... would be kinda ... weird. (maybe 2 layered ... but who knows how this would work out)

[@angela.luntian]

@@TheScytheMoron with pva glue the green top or inner coat would melt away trying to put layer 2 of white. Theres no adhesion nor absorption happening to prevent that i think?

[@ALG1304]

@@TheScytheMoron could do a green layer and then, once dry, this white layer inside, no?

[@LucarioBoricua]

Concerning paint for Christmas lightbulbs, make sure to look at art student grade paints, those usually have more specific information on their characteristics, while also not becoming too expensive for what is a cheap use, as opposed to artist grade paints. There's certain pigments which are transparent, and those can let light through when applied in thin layers. Some examples: - Naphtol red (look for cadmium red hues if the pigment isn't explicitly stated) - Diarylide yellow (a yellow-orange, like the one seen in modern pavement markings) - Pthalocyanine blue (a highly saturated and really intense blue, still transparent) - Greens made by mixing Aryline yellow (light yellow color) with Pthalocyanine green (dark and highly saturated turquoise color) - Dioxazyne violet

[@hesspet]

A similar mixture can be used to give 3D PLA prints a metallic coating. Use very fine metal powder instead of the craft paint and a little less water. Works also very well. It's a mixture we used long a time ago in the 70s to pimp small objects around modell train landscapes. 🙂And yes, build milky glass lights for modell street lights.

[@CubicApocalypse128]

Never tried it with metal powder, but I can confirm this works with graphite and Mod Podge. Jut rub it down with some aluminum foil to make it shine.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

I do acrylic paint pouring art all the time which is essentially what you did. To get rid of the bubbles you can immediately grab a small butane torch like the ones used for cooking. Run it quickly over the painted surface while it’s wet. Be careful not to touch the flame to the paint and watch the bubbles pop. Also I wonder how well it will last as the bulbs still put off heat even though they are led. I would recommend skipping the glue and water and use flotrol that u can get from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Also acrylic paints don’t usually yellow or crack as they are somewhat flexible. You can also try fabric paint or leather paint as it’s meant to be flexible. Anyway you had a fantastic idea. Hard to believe they don’t make a spray on milk substance.

[@LieseFury]

i think the yellowing concern was with the glue, not the paint

[@Baronello]

I would just go with airbrush with acrylic paint. No need to pour, glue or water only airbrush thinned paint.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@Baronello good idea

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@LieseFury your probably right. So then I would eliminate the blue because it’s probably not necessary.

[@birdbrain4445]

Honestly I *love* that lamp design in general save for the colourless glass - very easy to see how that not only looks weird but also how it makes the light less pleasant overall. I wonder how much more popular it would have been if they'd used milk glass or some other colour instead.

[@k80_]

They are starting to come out with some more tinted glass lamps at ikea now, maybe they got the memo

[@KeithPeevyhouse]

I really liked the style of this video! It has a different vibe than normal. I enjoyed the DIY aspect of it, and it felt like you were more connected to us. Well done!

[@mmnootzenpoof]

the "different vibe" of literally watching paint dry

[@nataliegreystar]

I'd suggest using an acrylic paint reducer instead of water and maybe airbrush transparent paint instead of craft acrylics. It might get rid of your bubble problem but it may be thinner and require more coats. There are also UV protective clear coat additives you could use instead of glue, that would keep that white from yellowing and help with durability but it would mean taking the paint off would be more work. Of course if you could get this done much nicer and faster with a spray gun but that's not exactly as cheap and simple as this.

[@SudosFTW]

this, my mother is an artist and she swore by ammonia as a reducer.

[@Logan.]

Airbrush paint is just pre-reduced acrylic paint. And it’s usually reduced with distilled water….. Source: I airbrush.

[@PainterVierax]

yeah there are better modern alternatives to PVA and water. Spray painting is also more manageable, just need to go light on coating and rectify details, imperfections and transparency with more passes. The more layers are applied, the more uniform the result is.

[@PainterVierax]

@@SudosFTW IIRC ammonia is only used with oil-based paint and it won't work with other types.

[@PaoloSulprizio]

I also though about anti-UV varnish to avoid yellowing but creating a prime layer and a finishing layer of it, instead of simply mixing it with acrylic. I guess would protect more.

[@nickroach6270]

We call them paddle pop sticks in Australia, but we're so infused with American culture here that popsicle stick is also completely understandable. I love the precision of your thinking and work. It's a breath of fresh air

[@timf-tinkering]

"Lolly stick" would be the equivalent UK term, but again we'd know exactly what you meant.

[@kittyspritzer799]

A friend taught me a painting tip when working on smaller pieces that don't weigh too much (such as your lampshade); I've been using it on ceramic planters. When you're trying to paint something all at once, there's always the problem of the paint being messed up where it comes in contact with the surface it rests on, in your case the plastic cups. Find a couple pieces of quarter-round molding at the hardware store. Home Depot sells one made of white plastic which is even better than the wood (at least for this use). Set the molding down on its rounded side, so when you place your painted item on it, it has only minimal contact with the surface, resulting in a much smaller area of paint that gets disturbed while drying. This has worked really well for me and has drastically cut down on the amount of touchup work. Good luck!

[@kdkseven]

Or just turn the cups over.

[@alexgreen2747]

‘Pass me a popsicle stick please’ would be a totally understandable phrase here in New Zealand. What I’m not so sure of is why I’m so into this video, when I know I will never perform the process myself. Excellent work.

[@gin3648]

Paddlepop stick might be more common in Australia, I don't know why, we just get attached to brand names, same with Esky.

[@M_J_nan]

Well, this is all in English... The Swedish word would translate into "ice cream pin".

[@Dranok1]

Two interesting variations from countries I imagined used English closer to the mother tongue. In the UK of course it's a lollypop stick.

[@alexgreen2747]

@@Dranok1 Yes! Odd blend down here, weighted towards UK but some US influence. ‘Popsicle’ would be the ice lolly (flat wooden stick like a doctor instructing ‘say aaaah’), ‘lollipop’ would only be a small rounded white Chupa-Chups stick. Hoping that brand is globally understood. Useless for painting a lamp quickly, anyway.

[@bazzatron9482]

If you want to do colours, I recommend using acrylic ink. You can even get these inks in varying opacities. Also, mixing with water tends to cause the paint to bead up, as water has high surface tension. Add a drop of dishwasher rinse aid (I know how you feel about this...!) To defeat the surface tension. Finally, on bubbles, you can pop them all with a lighter or if you have a kitchen torch - makes very light work. Great work on this - looks like a really effective method!

[@xsleep1]

In terms of lowering surface tension I wonder if adding some EtOH (like Everclear) to the mix would result in fewer bubbles. However, I'm not sure why a spray acrylic paint wouldn't get the same result as his homemade mix technique.

[@bazzatron9482]

@@xsleep1 tbh, it probably would. In model making, we use something like mod podge mostly as a sealer - the effect of using water and PVA here is basically the same, protecting the paint from being easily damaged by the shade clips or when changing a bulb.

[@KnomChomper]

What do you think would be a good recipe for getting that classic green library lamp look?

[@bazzatron9482]

@@KnomChomper the easiest way is going to be to find a green acrylic that most closely matches your desired outcome. Mixing paints is difficult to recommend in text, as pigments used in different paints don't always blend the same - some greens will use only green pigment, others will have a blend of cyan and yellow, so adding a yellow pigment to the blend won't always have the same impact, even if the starting colours are the same. Just remember that expensive paints win out here, as they will contain more actual pigment. Cheap paints tend to become translucent when thinned (though that might be desireable in this instance!)

[@KnomChomper]

@@bazzatron9482 thank you! So just 1/3 of each but instead of the paint use a high quality acrylic ink that closely matched the color I’m going for?

[@chpweb]

I was diagnosed with insonnia, i take 2 different medication: zolpidem and trazodon, but in the last few months your videos change my life. You have a calm, relaxing voice and mood. I love your contents, you are my new bed time story :) keep going and thanks

[@Captainllama]

Now there's a backhanded compliment if ever I saw one one!😏😂

[@LemonGrinder]

About the bubbles - a common way bakers and concrete crafters will use to pop bubbles in their mediums is by picking up the container and tapping it against a table/horizontal surface. (Unless you're making macarons, where they'll violently slam the cooking sheet on the bench) It brings any bubbles from deeper in the batter/cement up to the surface to pop!

[@sunimasuno3718]

As a longtime fan I just have to say, I really love the unrelenting positivity. Your snark is delightful, but the sheer joy was entirely contagious.

[@demetreasandrews]

I use lineco pva glue for my book binding that's supposed to never yellow. It's a little more expensive than Elmer's but if yours does ever yellow it might be worth it to look into lineco.

[@camwyn256]

I'm glad you pointed out it's equal parts by weight, because I usually think of equal parts by volume

[@PainterVierax]

in painting and other chemical mix the dosage is mainly by weight as it's more precise than volume and it allows using ingredients in solid forms. Also for chemical reactions discrepancies in molar mass is the major reason measurements are done in weight instead of volume.

[@tannerfoust2346]

17:11 I'm unreasonably happy to learn there's someone else out there in the world that feels the exact same way about owning a vacuum chamber as I do.

[@lIlIIlIllIIIllIIllIlIllIllI]

I love how chill and conversational this video felt. This is a great format and I love no effort november

[@brianlink5379]

An idea to get the edges without drips (at least at first)... Use some plastic wrap to "seal" up the opening long enough to roll the mixture over all the interior surface area then remove the plastic wrap for the drying process

[@grinning_owl]

My thoughts exactly!

[@kenrickman6697]

I love green glass lamp shades, so I will definitely be trying this technique out using green paint. Also, you can make a really simple vacuum chamber if you have a vacuum sealer and a mason jar adapter. Use a wide mouth jar that the cup fits inside of.

[@SeanBZA]

Would then suggest you do 2 coats, one by the glass green, then once dry a white inner coat to diffuse the light.

[@robertlitman2661]

+1 I'm not sure if this heart of this message got through to everyone here, but you do not need to put the whole glass shade into a vacuum chamber to remove the bubbles. You merely need to vacuum the cup of mixed glaze before you apply it to remove the bubbles you stirred in. And for that, you can get away with a rather small vacuum chamber. Heck, you could get away with a hand vacuum pump like a MityVac on a mason jar, because you don't even need (or want) all that strong a vacuum. You certainly don't want to start boiling the water in the paint. All you need to do is inflate any bubbles to the point that they rise out of the solution.

[@marley7145]

You've summarized my food storage method pretty well. Vacuum sealer + mason jar adapter = dry goods that stay fresh for much longer than usual. (Also leftovers that last forever, but I'm not sure that's a selling point for most people.) It's not quite as good as a vacuum chamber, but it's damn good. And for food that really has to last a long time, throwing in a small oxygen eater packet helps a lot. And yes, I also use this to remove bubbles from liquids, so it works well.

[@TombunnyHunter]

I swear, Alec has an bet with himself at this point. "Ok, what mindbogglingly boring topic can I make a video on that everyone will still sit through and be entertained?" Seriously, he is an artist with these topics. He shows us the art and beauty of the mundane.

[@ArkanoidZero]

You might consider using mod podge instead of pure PVA, it's more designed for this kind of application and easy to find in craft stores.

[@TrondBørgeKrokli]

I am pretty impressed by your result, particularly because the lamp light in the finished product becomes far more comfortable to look at without having to squint or feel like the direct light is overwhelming close up, so I would probably want to use something like this if I ever get a lamp with a clear glass top, especially because of the comfort it would provide to my eyes.

[@WelshBathBoy]

In the UK, we call "popsicles" either "ice lollies" or just "lollies" - with lolly being short for lollipop, and the sticks are called "lollipop sticks".

[@sekrasoft]

Wow, it's interesting and quite clever. Those sticks could be referred to either as "ice cream sticks" or "lollipop sticks" in Russia, there's no such concept fusion.

[@MorganTN]

This whole darn video is like watching paint dry!!! Actually I watched the whole thing in real time thinking what an awesome idea this was and how much I enjoy the look of milk glass and thinking of crafty projects where I could use this.

[@ChrisMasto]

Came to the comments to make sure somebody made that joke.

[@bluephreakr]

Pro tip: tape the edge. Masking tape can help resolve drips going on the outside, and you can score whatever widths you need with a craft knife before scoring the end and ripping it off that way for thinner edges if you do not want to create a higher edge.

[@rootypoots]

I love your channels so much. The combination of you finding interesting things to say and teach on topics I’ve often never even considered before, and explain yourself clearly, while being so comfortable speaking on camera, is just such a winning combo. Also, I’ll almost certainly use this technique someday. So thank you for that! Now if you could come up with some way to make ‘smoked glass,’ I’d be eternally grateful.

[@MrGollum27]

just add smoke

[@PongoXBongo]

@@MrGollum27 Yeah, just swirl some of that left over liquid smoke from the last BBQ.

[@MrDbrennen]

Interesting technique. I have collected a few miniature glass bottles for an LED desk lamp project but hadn't figured out how to frost them yet. Going to give this a go!

[@dspiffy]

No we definitely need a Christmas light video.

[@joels7605]

Awesome tip on the paint and Elmer's glue! Etching cream sucks really, really bad. It gives you a tiny bit of surface texture but that's about it. The best (and by far the quickest) way to frost glass is to sandblast it and use 80-120 grit garnet. It does a spectacular job in just a few seconds. You may need to reduce the air pressure to your sandblaster though. I had glass cracking problems above 90 PSI. Staying below 80 PSI, at least with my sandblaster, seems to be more kind to the glass. The effect is not the same as the milk glass in your video though.

[@Spiker985Studios]

I haven't seen it, I don't believe But I'm honestly surprised that no one makes frosted milk glass. Frosted glass (in the manner that you just suggested) with a similar milk glass process as shown in the video

[@MrGhostTheBigRoast]

@@Spiker985Studios i mean it can exist, these are different techniques achieving different effects. depending on the shape of the object, milk the inside and sandblast the outside, it would definitely diffuse a lot better than just the pva glue.

[@gavin5410]

I would love to see a follow up video in a year or two about how well this holds up

[@mellertid]

And that's almost now!

[@louisvictor3473]

This came out looking really really good, I have to say, visually at least on camera it fools me pretty good. A few small tips. After you mix, pour it into a second container. You start close to the container them pull it up higher up as soon as you stablish a stream. Does two things. It will reduce bubbles (the mix will drip in a long thin stream, which will make it easier for gas bubbles to leave the liquid on its way down), and also guarantee you only have the well mixed parts in your final mix, because stuff near walls is always prone to not mix. You can also use the same pouring technique when putting it inside of the glass. You probably can do it in two layers. First a apply a version of the mixture with a paintbrush as a thin layer (I am assuming a thinner mix is better, but messing around is worth it), so that it can dry fast. Once it is tacky, you then do something like you did here to fill in the gaps in the brush strokes and make it perfect, but hopefully needing to worry less about the edges, they can be done entirely by brush later if needs be. Alternatively, just cap the bottom hole with packing tape, make a hole at the center to pour the mix in, do how you did, then when you flip it upside down, put a cup under said hole to collect the extra goop. After dry, cut the tape off rather than just peeling it off to avoid tearing out your freshly applied coating.

[@arsenicjones9125]

What I like about this is the idea of being able to rejuvenate some older light fixtures where the milk coating is worn out. I imagine on a flatter type of glass you could try masking to create patterns as well. I wanna experiment a bit

[@benjaminandersen1097]

This is VERY useful for me, i love making decorative lamps, and is always on the look out for nice glass pieces and light diffusers, im gonna try this :)

[@scott8919]

It's always nice to see Alec experience the occasional win.

[@florianthesnow]

This was so much fun to watch! Your excitement is really contagious! Thank you for sharing!

[@sethcarson5212]

Very nicely done. That looks amazing. And getting a vac chamber changed my life. I use it mostly with silicone and resin for model making but it has 1000s of uses. One thing that might help in the absence of a vac chamber (for anyone out there following along) when you pour it in do so slowly and from a higher elevation. Just a few feet and a gentle thin ribbon will pop tons of bubbles as gravity stretches them out. That's what we used to do with silicone per-aformentioned vac chamber.

[@Alderfairy]

Thank you for this video! We converted an old kerosene hurricane lantern into a lamp with a flame bulb, but the flame bulb was a little too obvious and large. This method was the perfect solution! I'm extremely impressed with the results so far, and it's not even dry yet. So simple, and I already had all the supplies in my house.

[@dragade101]

If you want to cut messes, carefully mask a temporary lip so you can move the paint to the edge that you create with the masked lip. Since your shape is so open, this is easy but even if it was smaller, apply the masking after adding the paint (definitely remove the masking before the paint dries)

[@21x9Ratio]

Actually love this chill art attack style of content! Connects attack, you just need a "and here's one I made earlier" 😂

[@papastratman218]

this is honestly some great content to put on in the background. getting lots of cool info while not demanding the full attention

[@TheTonyMcD]

17:28 That's actually a pretty cool look. I'm talking about the lines you made there. I think it'd be pretty neat to see somebody do this and make some awesome line art designs in the coating. You could even go back after it dries and fill those lines in with a different color, or blacken them or whatever.

[@andrewmoore3121]

This year I discovered the infinite adjustability of Mogul/six way floor lamps and have bought and restored two and given another to my sister as a housewarming gift. They are just absolutely a joy to fiddle with and find the right combination of settings for any situation, all the way down to the really fancy ones that have the nightlights in the base. Soooo, if you’re still feeling enthusiastic about highly customizable and extremely useful lamp designs, I’d recommend looking at one!

[@huwadamson]

My preferred method for popping bubbles is with a small catering blow torch. Lots of artists will do something similar when varnishing

[@mannbat]

Some people in Australia call them "popsicle sticks", however a more common name is "paddle pop stick" (after a popular kids ice cream in Australia and New Zealand). Pretty amazing brand awareness, similar to people calling tissues a "Kleenex"

[@anotherrandominternetdog]

What Peter said x2. Most antipodeans would recognise either ‘paddle pop stick’ or ‘popsicle stick’, with the former being the predominant form.

[@ollieb9875]

Lolly sticks

[@mikerichards6065]

Lolly stick or lollypop stick in the UK.

[@CyanTiger]

In casting small parts we often use a fireplace lighter to force the bubbles to float up and pop. Fireplace lighters are excellent way to avoid burning your fingers and lets you apply a quick once over on each layer. I think this would work for the thin layers of PVA too. Give it a try and let me know. Also DIY spin coating is a thing.

[@Meatloaf125]

Small correction: Etching compound generally uses hydrofluoric acid, not sulfuric acid. Glass is quite resistant to sulfuric acid. Great vid as always!

[@jpdemer5]

It's done with a mix of silica, calcium fluoride, and concentrated sulfuric acid. (HF is nasty stuff ... so nasty that conc. sufuric acid is benign by comparison.)

[@andreasu.3546]

@@jpdemer5 I heard it can make your bathtub drop trough the ceiling.

[@cyan_oxy6734]

@@jpdemer5 Calciumfluoride with sulfuic acid would make hydrofluoric acid. You're probably just creating it in a way so the HF get immediately used up in the etching process so you don't get into contact with big amounts of it.

[@jpdemer5]

@@cyan_oxy6734 Actually it makes hexafluorosilicic acid, H2SiF6. Not as acidic as HF, and fewer nasty fumes, but just as effective at etching glass. (And you still should wear goggles when using it.)

[@integralfrom0to1]

If you have a disposable eyedropper (like a food coloring dropper) you can use it to suck up the bubbles off the surface of the coating and they magically disappear. We do it all the time at my work.

[@MegaNardman]

That's a great improvement from the unfrosted glass! If you find yourself needing to remove the coating again, concentrated simple green is a fantastic acrylic paint remover, and I'd doubt that PVA would change that. You can even reuse the simple green multiple times in this manner too. Just soak it for a few hours, then scrub with a nylon brush.

[@GCarterStokum]

I've always liked your videos, but the excitement of a successful experiment comes through! And even if things yellow a bit eventually, it's so straight forward I'm excited to try this technique!

[@lisaboban]

You, sir, are a true DIY genius. The essence of, "I'll bet I can figure this out".

[@daimonmt]

To remove all bubbles, make a plastic lid with a hole for an vacuum pipe, then get a vacuum cleaner and create a seal around the top, turn it on and it should remove all the air bubbles. Thank you for sharing such a great discovery. Another trick is to use hair dryer on the bubbles.

[@LacanX]

I used to work in an eyeglass lab, the best way we had to avoid bubbles and drips for the scratch coating was to spray the interior with a solvent before applying the coating (water in your case I suppose), letting the excess drip out, and putting it in a centrifuge. The odd surface of the glass and, well, inconvenience of a centrifuge probably makes the latter infeasible; however, the former might help some.

[@TheWanderingFire]

If this man doesn't have a pressure chamber, he definitely won't have a centrifuge at hand. 😂

[@Mike-qx2zs]

I’m late to the fray but putting in the paint ,then covering the opening , place it on a turntable and spin it. That will move the bubbles to the edge and give it an even coat to the edge.

[@jenniesmythe8188]

Still looks beautiful before and after. Good job

[@Coderjo.]

I think that you could use a brush initially to get coverage (getting past the surface tension troubles) and then swirl the puddle around to remove the strokes. I haven't tested this though.

[@virginiahansen320]

This is PERFECT! I've been looking for ways to color the bowl lighting fixtures in my house to soften the light. I'm gonna try yellow!

[@jjfaceplant]

I did this with mod podge and brown food colouring on the exact same fixture. With a few practice rounds, it turned out like perfect amber glass. I've seen it done for green glass effect as well.

[@NastyCustoms5150]

It's nice to see someone else who appreciates good lighting.

[@KlueBat]

On the next episode of Technology Connextras: Alec builds a vacuum chamber.

[@UltraPrimal]

This is a pretty cool technique, but when you were popping the bubbles and leaving marks in the coating, I couldn't help but think this would look really cool if you could do designs on the inside! Since these are mushroom shaped, why not some Toad(as in Super Mario Bros) ones with red circles? No idea how you'd do it. Maybe you'd have to paint them by hand one at a time? Like mask them off so they don't run, and then once you're finished, let it dry, take all the tape off, clean up any spills, and then do the white coat just like you did here. Just an idea for anyone seeing this and wanting to try it at home.😊

[@Pystro]

That's the over-the-top kind of thinking that I like. I'd probably use a thin paint brush to pinstripe the colors on. (But sticking to simple patterns that you can tape off might be much easier to do.) And then you'd either A: coat over the colored parts (which will then be dark, low saturation colors on a white background) B: make the painted parts very thick, coat with the white paint over them, and sand the white paint off (which will give dark colors, but fully saturated) C: find colored paints that the white paint doesn't stick to (will give bright colors, but you'll probably get imperfections where the white paint jumps over the colored lines, and guaranteed imperfections where you try to make solid colored areas).

[@josephjorgensen3282]

Got to say I wouldn't have ever watched anybody else do this process I love you channel

[@Zolbat]

I don't think imperfections would be all that bad. If it yellows, I bet that'd look pretty nice. If the components aren't mixed well and it has swirls, I bet that'd look pretty nice too. And even the bubbles have a certain charme to them

[@TheNugettinage]

I was thinking the same re: yellowing, highly dependent on the specific shade but it may give it a nice sort of patina-ey look

[@MistakingManx]

So, does it yellow or not?

[@frankenjstein9371]

Love the relaxed, down to earth feel of this vid.

[@flemmingpedersen567]

It looks nice - there is a part of me that want that kind of lamp shade to be green, but at any rate the result looks as professional as anything I have seen in a store.

[@jmnypop]

I've seen people craft colored mason jars with the exact same technique. Awesome idea!

[@LakeNipissing]

Thanks for sharing this. I have a lantern globe I would like to convert to 'milk glass'.

[@jeffb1311]

Hey Just wanted to leave a comment thanking you for the content you put out. Found your channel a couple years ago and have enjoyed your unique brand of presentation. Enough so that I watched your back catalogue of uploads. Have a safe and happy holiday and thanks you for the many hours of interesting vids.

[@Paaaull]

Now after about a year, is it yellowed?

[@alonsonatividad9620]

I find milky frosted glass, fascinating, since I was a kid. Definitely will try your method.

[@leemktm]

I like your Mr. Rogers moment while mixing the paint. "Are they known as popsicle sticks in other parts of the world?". 🙂

[@randomnickify]

You know what would look perfectly in this original, transparent lamp? Warm, naked filament "edison" lightbulbs, the same you have behind you 😉

[@FunkyBlueMonkey3]

I did this with the glass on my desk when I was manic one day. I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, then spayed it with glitter shimmer spraypaint followed by superfine green glitter. Topped this with shiny black spraypaint and then latex paint and let it dry. Result is fantastic.

[@TehCorbzor]

Resin casters pour in a high thin stream to help pop bubbles added in the mixing process, may be worth a shot here.

[@freekthecat]

My technologically fascinated and fascinating friend, you mixed paint, water, and glue in your basement while talking to a camera and as of now there are 711k views. It's not just the camera but all of us who appreciate what you do, sharing enthusiastic enlightenment. I've learned much from your videos. Your efforts have educated and brightened my life forever. P.S. I've been searching for an inexpensive way to make milk glass for a white whale project for ten years. You have my utmost thanks.

[@chrishei3111]

This is what you've been training for! amazing finding a unique, simple solution to a specific problem

[@bassmechanic237]

Thank you for sharing this. Love your channel and humor, so keep up the great work.