Mixing Glass Tattoo Colors the Fast and Easy Way

Creating Gue Color is Easier than Ever

I’m going to show you a way to use a kitchen mixer with a wire whisk attachment to mix up a batch of Tattoo Gue. Then we’ll use the same method to mix up enough color to fill one of the applicator bottles using a disposable piping bag. And we’ll do it all in just under 5 minutes – from start to clean up!

Here is the list of the items that you will need to create your Glass Tattoo Gue colors using this method:

• 1 Cup measuring cup
• 1/3 Cup measuring cup
• 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon
• 2 cup lidded container (plastic or glass)
• 4 cup (1 quart) mixing bowl (plastic or glass)
• Electric mixer with standard or whisk style beater
• Scissors
• Kitchen rubber spatula – small
• 12 oz tall drinking glass (plastic or glass)
• Disposable cake decorating piping bag
• Glass Tattoo 4oz applicator bottle
• Regular Bleach – do not use: concentrated bleach, scented bleach, germicidal bleach or splash-less bleach
• Glass Tattoo Gue – 1 packet
• Powdered glass frit – any color

Now you can either scroll to the bottom of this article to watch a 5 minute video of the process or read through the steps and look at the photos below.

1. Mix a batch of Glass Tattoo Gue.
   1. Place 1 tablespoon of regular bleach into the 1 cup measuring cup, then fill the 1 cup measuring cup with ordinary tap water. This will give you one full cup of the bleach and water combination.
   2. Dump the bleach/water into your 4 cup mixing bowl. Then sprinkle one packet of Glass Tattoo Gue across the top of the liquid.
   3. Now use the electric mixer with one beater attachment only, submerge the beater into the Gue & liquid then turn the mixer to the slowest speed. Mix until the powder has been absorbed into the liquid (10 seconds or so) then turn up the beater to medium-high.
   4. Continue to beat the mixture until it has turned into a creamy gel consistency. This should take less than one minute of mixing to accomplish.
   5. Transferred the Glass Tattoo Gue from the mixing bowl into the 2 cup lidded container, then place the lid on the container to seal.
2. Mix the first Tattoo Gue color. Remember to wear a dust mask whenever you were working with powdered glass.
   1. Measure and place 1/3 cup of powdered glass frit into the 4 cup mixing bowl
   2. Then measure and place 1/3 cup of the Glass Tattoo Gue (that we just created) into the same mixing bowl with the powdered glass.
   3. Now use the electric mixer with one beater attachment only, submerge the beater into the Gue & powder then turn the mixer to the slowest speed. Mix until the powder has been absorbed into the Gue (about 10 seconds) then turn up the beater to medium-high.
   4. Continue to beat the mixture until it has turned into a creamy smooth consistency. This should take less than one minute of mixing to accomplish.
3. Fill the Glass Tattoo applicator bottle with the Gue color.
   1. The easiest way to fill the applicator bottle is to use a disposable cake decorating piping bag. These are available on our website or from any cake decorating supply store.
   2. The easiest way to fill the piping bag is to place it into a 12 ounce tall drinking glass.
   3. Then use the rubber spatula to scoop up the color and place it into the piping bag. Use the spatula to scrape every last drop of color from the mixing bowl into the piping bag.
   4. Gather your hand around the top of the piping bag to squeeze the color down into the tip of the funnel. Then secure the open end of the piping bag using a twist tie.
   5. Cut the tip of the piping bag to create a 1/4” to 3/8” hole, then plunge the open tip of the piping bag into the top of the applicator bottle and squeeze the color into the applicator bottle. The entire batch of Gue color should easily fit into the 4oz applicator bottle.
   6. Throw away the piping bag, place the lid on the applicator bottle, tap the tip on your bench a few times to get the Gue color into the tip, and you’re ready to go.

One batch of Glass Tattoo Gue is enough to make three full bottles of Gue color. It is always a good idea to have a variety of Gue colors to work with. The minimum number of colors I recommend is six: black, blue, red, yellow, orange, and green. 12 colors would be even better, to expand your palette into various shades of each of the colors mentioned.

A major advantage of Gue colors is they stay in suspension during storage meaning you do not have to remix them before each use. However, Glass Tattoo Gue is a food-grade product and that makes it susceptible to mold. Adding 1 tablespoon of regular bleach to the mixture reduces in the chance of mold forming. Depending on the temperature of the storage area (cooler is better) the colors will stay active and useful for 1 to 2 months. If you can place them in a refrigerator, they will keep even longer.