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What kind of tile will tolerate being broken at sharp angles w/o shattering? I have a tile with a gecko, but I want to transfer the shape to another for breaking. Will a Dremel work in the tight spots the nipper cant reach? I want to use mirror for the 6 arrowhead shapes and real turquoise for the eyes. The orig. tile is 5.5in. x 3in. I have blown that up to about 10.5 x 5.5. I plan to put only 1 gecko on the tabletop.
Lora:)
I just now found your post, I'm sorry there have been no replies.
Could you clarify what it is you are trying to do? From what I can
gather, you want to snap the tile into different pieces, then reassemble
it on a mosaic? I'm sorry if I misunderstood.
Hi Karen. I have 2 sheets of 2in. tile. It wont quite cover the table, but thats a minor problem. I think if i lay it out and trace the enlarged gecko onto yhe tile I can cut down the sheets till I get to the edges of the gecko remove the traced gecko then replace the gecko with the mosaic tiles. (Sorry about the grammar & punctuation). I think I want to use the 1ft. tile for the gecko. Plus the mirror & turquiose. But some of the edges and arrowheads have tight angles, will a dremel tool be good to cut the angles down? I have a tile nipper, (somewhere) but I need to practice.
1st. pic is 2x2 for most of the top.
Pardon my blond moment, but when you say 'transfer the gecko',
do you mean that you want to re-create the gecko in the extra space
you will have leftover when you apply the two sheets of tile? Is
one sheet of tile bigger than the other?
Or are you trying to break the original gecko tile, then Dremel out
the diamonds and eyes, then replace them with new tile and bits of
turquoise?
I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound difficult, I'm trying to understand
exactly what you are trying to do.
Not sure about the angles and such you are talking about, but I think
you are saying that you want to cut out the existing white arrowheads?
I also had trouble understanding what you are trying to do. Are you going to enlarge the gecko tile picture and use it as a pattern? The mental picture I get from your description is a gecko made of the big piece surrounded by the 1 in. tiles. Or is it the other way around? And if it gecko is made of the big piece, do you plan to break it into smaller pieces for the mosaic?
Hi WUVIE and KB, I don't mean to be difficult either. I actually have realised the problem is my own. Being a newbie has created a mountain in my head, but its really a mole hill.
My idea is exactly what mosaic is all about. But for some reason my head wasn't wrapping around it. I'm not confused any more. I did enlarge the gecko tile on my printer, but now I cant find the darned thing:( It is only 3x5.5in. The copy is 5.5x10, I think. I think I confused myself by deciding to use full 2x2in. tiles for the majority of the table and only the gecko will be mosaic. I was trying to figure out how hard it will be to cut the tile down. The arrowhead shapes and the edges of the gecko have some tight angles I was stressing over. I'm not going to go there anymore:) It's supposed to be a relaxing hobby, right? I'm going to let it relax me! I may have to re-copy the gecko. I will be posting pic's of my progress very soon.
Please don't run away, I'll probably need help again very soon too!
You both have been extremely helpful☺I cant smile enough☺
Go enjoy your Sunday, I have to go shopping and stop at Goodwill.
Lora☺
Please don't ever hesitate to ask any questions. Surely someone will be
able to assist, and if we don't have the answers, by golly, we'll stop traffic
until we find someone who can help.
Can't wait to see what you do. Don't you dare run off, you keep coming
back here, young lady.
Hi again:) We just got back from shopping, my hubB is baking 'taters for supper. We went to Goodwill, I asked about the *scraps*. She said *No, we cant do that. Corporate wont let us, then we throw them away*. (For crying out loud lets throw everything in the landfill)! Then we went to *Wallyworld*. I asked a lady that just happened to be stocking the pottery. She said *No, we cant do that. We get 100% reimbursed, then we throw them away*. My hubB showed me 2 16in clay pots, sitting on the floor broken. OK, back to the landfill! Dang it, you can get a car that runs on practically no gas. Cloth shopping bags to keep the plastic out of the landfills. Green, be green. But dont ask if you can buy busted dishes to recycle into something useful. Let them turn to dust in the landfill. :(
I'm down, but I'm not out. YET! I'm going to ask some of the *independent* shops that dont have a corp. *watching* them. Wish me luck, kids.
Lora☺
BTW, Happy Birthday Katie. Mine was the 7th☺
I would contact the head office and tell the person who answers
that you are not selling anything. Ask to speak with someone
regarding the waste management. When and if you get someone
on the line, state that you are a mosaic artist interested in buying
the broken pottery and glass they don't recycle.
Emphasize the "you don't recycle" bit. ;-)
Explain that it seems silly to throw away what someone is willing
to pay for. State that you would pay a dollar or two for a full box of
broken pottery, dishes, glass, whatever is unacceptable to the
customer.
Even better, write a letter. You could really emphasize the importance
of recycling. Best of all, the only effort on their part is coming up with a
cardboard box to toss the items into, and trust me, cardboard boxes are
not in short supply at the donor centers.
Most people will read more in a letter than they would listen to on the phone.
Send the letter, then follow-up about
a week later to see if anyone has half a brain.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. It's been a good one.
Tornado, do check the independent thrift shops. I've had varied experience with them also, but all you need are one or two that cooperate and you're set. Some of the independent ones are for profit but I've still had them help me.
Thanks for the thumbs-up guys. It is frustrating. I had it out will the re-cycle center a few months ago. They claimed they couldnt take the wally bags because they didnt have the re-cycle thing on them. I showed them they do. They told me to return them to wallys, they re-cycle them. Yeah, they re-use them. I've gotten used bags before, sticky ones are the worst. yuck. Now they take them. Chalk 1 up for me!:)
I know its a waste of time to email wallys. I dont think they give a rip.
But I'm going to try Goodwill, just to see what happens. But that is what I encountered at HD or Lowes. They said they werent allowed to. I think it may be the KS. legislature that controls it. Like aluminum cans, they were over 1.00lb. when I lived in CA. in the early 90s. Plus .10 more w/coupon. KS? They are just now up to around 60 or 70cents. Why? They take up just as much space here as CA.
Oh rats, I get real vocal and passionate about things sometimes.
sshhh, breathe deep, calm down☺
Lora☺
I second Wuvie's comment about writing letters. They are, at least in my opinion, much more effective that a phone call or e-mail, both of which are too easily "forgotten". A letter with a cc to your State or local environmental agency may get their attention when it states that the culprits are sending stuff to the landfill that can be recycled and refuse to allow you to utilize it due to their "corporate policy".
Hey there, glass buddies and friends☺ I scored a hit today. I stopped at Lowes. Just to ask *the* question. After yesterdays 2 losses I feel pretty good. I got 11 tiles for 1 dollah. They are 12in x 8 & 3/4in. And way plenty enough to do the tabletop. yippee. Plus I got me and the old man signed up for the SG class. 1 nite a week for 5 weeks, 3hrs a nite. $85 Washingtons☺
I traced the gecko, now I have to cut it out and trace the edge to the tile.
Then cut the tile into a mosaic. And nip the pieces to fit, right?
Am I like your bratty little sister? Ha
But I feel a little rotten too. Got a sick cat, dying really. He's got FIP. And I've got the blues. I'm sure I wont be working tomorrow. I cant decide if I want to drink 5 pots of coffee or the 4 beers I have chilling. Oh I'm not an alcoholic. I really think coffee and the tile nippers sounds like more fun and better therapy☺
pic of the Lowes tile, 2 of 11 anyway☺
edited 2 min. L8R
