How to make large pane of sugar glass

[filmguy123]

Well I checked out Alfonso Breakaway glass with their 1/4" 48"x96" breakaway glass... $800 a pop, not gonna happen. How about $10-$30??

How can I home-make a pane of sugar glass this large (aprox 4ftx8ft)? The shot I need is for the actor to jump through the window, so it has to be large enough for him.

I'm not looking for a way AROUND this shot, the point is I WANT this shot. What can I do to make it happen? To bake a pane that big, is there an industrial size oven somewhere I may be able to get access to with the right connections?

Or is there a way to bake a bunch of smaller panes and then glue them together? How can I mount this piece? We would be removing a window and replacing it with this sugar glass.

Also it would be ideal to be able to shoot this take 3-4 times, although if it's a one take deal I'd rather have that than not have the shot...

Help & ideas please!

[rapsucks]

I think you're going to have a hard time making something that big that will stay in one piece when you pick it up and move it around. Maybe he jumps through a french door? Something with little panes each in their individual holder. Like this:


You could make the frames out of balsa wood (no nails). It's a lot of work to avoid spending a little money, but it's a solution.

[jeremytuttle]

Here is a website I found that was a recipe for Sugar Glass, HERE.

Here is a site with a few other options, HERE

It looks like if you could make a mold that is 4x8 it would be possible to just increase the amount of ingredients to fill the mold. I would imagine this as being a pain in the butt though.

The idea above isn't bad.

[filmguy123]

It looks like if you could make a mold that is 4x8 it would be possible to just increase the amount of ingredients to fill the mold. I would imagine this as being a pain in the butt though.

Right... but where do I bake it?

[Capt Quirk]

You shouldn't have to bake it, it should set in a cool area.

[jeremytuttle]

You make it in a pot on top of your stove and when it get's a certain temperature, you pour it into your mold. It dries and hardens in the mold. Read up on the links I posted you for more information.

[Policar]

I need to do basically the same shot. I almost immediately gave up and am going to put pre-shattered sugar glass behind venetian blinds and then just have someone jump through the blinds. This is because I'm lazy.

You could also make four pieces, cement them together, then paint out the lines in post.

[filmguy123]

Ok I looked over those links but I still have a lot of questions.

1.) Can I get the glass to look transparent? If not, how translucent will it get?

2.) Does anyone have a picture or video of something they have done with a pane of sugar glass to look like a house window or car window?

3.) So if I get an 4ft x 8ft pane of plexiglass to use as a mold, the instructions say to just pour it out over the surface of the plexiglass. But won't I need some sort of lip/edge on the sides to form a mold?

4.) How thick should I make the pane of glass? 1/4"?

5.) If I create a 4ftx8ft pane, how fragile is it? Will I be able to have a few people pick it up, move it, and mount it into a window frame for my actor to jump through?

6.) How might I go about mounting the glass in the window frame? Any ideas here to make it stay up and work without breaking it?

7.) So I should probably make the sugar glass on location about 1.5 hours before we want to film the shot?

8.) After breaking the glass, how much of a mess does it leave? Is it easy to vacuum up, or is it sticky and nasty?

9.) I have some pessimists telling me it's impossible, not worth the trouble, won't work, etc. That is frustrating... but are they right? Or does it just take a little work? I like a challenge. With work and some effort, is this realistic to be able to achieve this shot? (Specifically, the shot is of the actor running towards the first-story window and leaping out, landing in a roll outside.

[ian lucero]

Seems like these are all questions you can answer yourself if you just test a little piece. Won't take that long then you'll know for sure what the consistency and look and feel will be like.

[filmguy123]

Seems like these are all questions you can answer yourself if you just test a little piece. Won't take that long then you'll know for sure what the consistency and look and feel will be like.

True, but I'm a pretty detailed person. I'd really like a lot more information/feedback/advice/instruction going into it. That way my first tests will be that much more beneficial to me and efficient. It will also save me $$ from messing up. That's why I love forums, learning from other people's knowledge and experience, its very beneficial.

Can anyone help out with the questions above? I numerbered them 1-9 to hopefully make it easier to address certain questions so you could say you are answering # whatever.