The mosaic technique is widespread, it is used to decorate interiors, various household items and decorative objects. The mosaic panels produced by the industry are quite expensive, but often they are not unique. However, an interesting, unique mosaic can be made independently from fragments of tiles, ceramic dishes and glass. The process of making pieces of mosaic tiles is especially difficult.
It is necessary
- - fragments of any ceramic tiles (or whole tiles);
- - fragments of ceramic dishes, colored glass, mirrors;
- - manual tile cutter / nippers (tongs) for mosaic / roller cutters / glass cutter / hammer;
- - protective equipment: glasses, gloves.
Instructions
Step 1
If the sketch of your mosaic allows you to use mosaic pieces of indefinite shape and different sizes, then the easiest way to get them is to use a hammer. Wrap the tile (or other starting material) with a cloth and hit it with a hammer, grinding to the desired size. This procedure is best done not indoors, but somewhere outdoors or in a workshop.
Step 2
There are several other methods for obtaining mosaic tiles of a certain size and shape. Pieces of a straight shape (square, triangular) are best cut using a special tile cutter, which can be bought or rented at a tool store. Before starting work on it, put a little oil on the guide frame and the wheel that draws a cut line on the tile, and also make sure that this wheel is well secured.
Step 3
Use a felt-tip pen or glass-writing pencil to draw cutting lines on the tile. Place the tile into the tile cutter by aligning the marked cut line with the jig wheel. Lift and slide the handle of the tile cutter towards you, applying slight pressure to create an incision on the tile surface.
Step 4
Then place the special "wings" of the fixture on the edge of the tile and gently push the lever with your hand. If the tile does not crack, you can hit the lever a little harder. Thus, you can get strips of tiles up to 5-6 mm thick, if the tiles are dense enough.
Step 5
Tiles are cut in the same way using a glass cutter. First, apply a line on it along the line marked with a felt-tip pen with a roller glass cutter. Then place a nail under the tile (so that its direction coincides with the line) and break it in two.
Step 6
Use the pliers to make a curved tile (with curved edges). Place a piece of tile with a marked cutting line between the cutting parts of the nippers so that these parts do not touch the tile across their entire width, but protrude slightly beyond its edge. Click on the handles of the pliers and break off a piece of the tile. Moving along the curly line, cut off small pieces of material.
Step 7
An even more convenient and thin tool is the roller cutter. With their help, you can get very small tiles for the smallest works. The principle of operation is simple: place a piece of tile between the rollers and press down on the handles of the nippers.
