Grubby Lights

"Easy home crafting project with astonishing results !
I suggest that because of the volitile nature of silicon fumes that you do this project 1 set at a time over the course of several days."

ingredients:


1- 10 oz. tube mainstay clear all purpose silicone sealant 

1 Stanley 5:1 power ratio ratcheting caulk gun

Solo 3 oz. clear plastic cups

Ground coffee (not instant)

1-1.25 oz Winton #46 Cadmium Yellow Deep Hue oil paint 

1-1.25 oz Winton #23 Indian Red oil paint 

popsicle sticks or wooden skewers

rubber gloves

6 sets of @ 100 mini clear or LED Warm White Christmas Tree Lights*see note

mineral spirits for clean up

method:


1.)Working 1 set at a time, test mini lights to make sure they all work.
*note:
 Since this project takes considerable time and effort,I strongly suggest using LED Lights as they last longer.Make sure to buy LED'S that look like traditional long tipped mini lights.I personally prefer the "warm white" variety LED as they look more natural in color.Also,bear in mind that once the lights are coated with silicon,they are difficult or impossible to change if one goes out.

2.)String 1 set of lights at shoulder level over a well ventilated indoor space,making sure no surface is touching lights.

3.)Put on rubber gloves.

4.)Load silicon sealant into caulking gun and snip off tip.

5.)Squirt @ 2 1/2 oz. of silicon into a 3 oz. plastic cup. Cap silicon with plastic wrap so it does not dry out and set aside for later use making more dipped lights.(Use caution as silicon will burn your skin over long exposure.)

6.)Top silicon in cup with 1/4 teaspoon ground coffee,a small dab of yellow oil paint and an even smaller dab red oil paint. Mix thoroughly with popsicle stick or wood skewer.

7.)Working one at a time dip each light into silicone mixture,turn cup around to coat all sides of each mini light and pull carefully off to create a long tip of silicon. Stir silicon mixture every now and then to keep smooth and easy to dip onto lights evenly. You may need to add more silicone and mix through to ease dipping, but you need not add more paint or coffee grounds.Work fairly quickly as fumes can be toxic if breathed for too long.

8.)Allow lights to dry 4-5 hours. Discard leftover silicon in cup and use freshly made batches for each 100 light set you dip. Clean up any mess with mineral spirits.

Have fun ! Happy holidays !