Trash to Treasure: Making Faux Sea Glass

Dogs at the beach!

Love sea glass? No beaches nearby?  No worries - we're going to walk through how to make cultured sea glass!

What is Sea Glass?

When glass ends up in large bodies of water, it's moved around by the currents. Eventually, it breaks down into smaller pieces and is tumbled in the sand and water. After decades (or more!), the glass chunks are smoothed and frosted into their signature chunky shapes.  

Sea glass doesn't just happen on the ocean beaches, though. Any large body of water can produce natural tumbled glass. Call it beach glass, lake glass, or drift glass - it's all made by Mother Nature. And, as you can imagine ... it's hard to find!  Enter your stained glass scraps! Or, broken bottles... use what you have.

Can I DIY Faux Sea Glass?

You sure can!  You can make it yourself with a few basic supplies and a lot of patience. Just be honest and don't claim it's genuine sea glass, okay?  To start, you'll need a rock tumbler.  I bought mine from Harbor Freight and it's lasted close to 2 years. Adding sand will work, but it will take much longer.  Instead, I used grit and ceramic filler to speed up the process.  Some rock tumblers include a starter kit of grits, filler and stones.  No affiliation with these sellers or products, just my honest opinion.  

Load up the barrels, follow your manufacturer's directions, and get started!  Be prepared to wait several weeks for results.  There are a lot of variables that affect the tumble time, just open them up occasionally and check.  

When you're happy with the look, strain out the glass and wash really well. Do not, I repeat, do not do this in your house.  The sludge will clog your pipes. I strain off the glass and dunk the strainer and glass in a large tub of water.  Think panning for gold!  the sludge will settle to the bottom, allowing you to continue to rinse with fairly clear water. Use clean water or hit it with the hose for a final rinse.  Let it dry and ...

Get crafting!  

You can use tumbled glass for wire-wrapped jewelry, in resin art projects, decorative magnets, and glass art projects.  I use it to cover the soil in my indoor planters and as a vase filler.  Love the idea, but just don't need (or want) that much faux sea glass?  Check out my Faux Sea Glass here. Available in 8 oz packages, it's a double handful of pre-tumbled stained glass pieces ready for your next project. Upgrade to the project kits and get everything you need to make a tumbled glass mosaic!

Until next time,

Ailsa