A friend recently commissioned a candle holder as a housewarming gift. She wanted sage green and earthtones, and it was a cool combination of colors to work with.
Most important with a candle holder is the need for translucence to really let the light shine. Weldbond can get trapped with no air when gluing glass to glass, and take months to turn from white to clear. Once I used silicone, but it was an oozing gooey mess, and the odor was strong.
I realized I had a bottle of Mac Glue, which I had bought but hadn't tried yet. Mac glue is thin, sort of like diluted hair conditioner, and has no vertical hold, but my base was square, I could do one side at a time laying flat. At first it didn't seem to have any adhesive qualities at all! But after 1/2 hour or so it began to get tacky. It dried clear by the next day and didn't ooze into the grout lines.
I used a combination of vitreous glass tiles swirled with coppery aventurine, which had an opalescent glow, and transparent stained glass for a more intense light. Because the bottom edge didn't need to be translucent, I used VanGogh glass, which is clear glass painted on the back, and has a swirly texture.
My friend said the recipients loved it, and I am honored to have my work as part of their new home. May it bring them much light and joy!
