DIY Tinted Mason Jars: This is Sheer FUN!
Ladies and gents, have you been looking for a diy tinted mason jars tutorial? Good, I was too….I’ve got a little bitty backstory for you. I recently was given a couple of old Mason jars by my aunt and uncle who were busy working on an estate sale. They actually had a couple of crates of them.
I helped myself to 2, but you can probably tell by reading this I wanted more than that (sly grin) but we were packing a lot of other stuff and didn’t have room for a crate of jars.
Did you know, that way back when, some Mason jars were blue or green? Do you want to learn how to turn those clear ones into colored beauties?
Just FYI…some of the credit for the instruction I’m giving here goes to this Wiki article. I needed a reference when it came to the times and temperatures for doing this…To successfully learn how to tint mason jars you will need to use an oven (there may be a slight exception – but for now, here’s the skinny!)
Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish (32-Ounce), Gloss Finish
DIY Tinted Mason Jars – Supplies List
- Your Mason or Ball jar….as many as you want
- Modge Podge
- Food coloring
- Some materials for stirring, like paper bowls, plastic spoons, spatulas, and measuring cups.
Also get some newspaper, and wax paper, for protecting your workspace.
Make sure you’re in close proximity to a sink since this WILL be a messy job! Yes, I am doing this in the bathroom… Why not the kitchen? I’ve discovered that the bathroom light is much more favorable for good photos. Anyway, moving on!
Important disclaimer: This will be my FIRST tinted jar…I know what I’ll be doing but still keeping fingers crossed!
How To Tint Your Mason Jars
Get a 3:1 ratio of Mod Podge to water. You will need a little water to mix in as Mod Podge is a little on the thick side and it needs to have a certain consistency when all is said and done. Stir them together. Add your food coloring…I’m an orange junkie, so I’m using red and yellow drops.
You may need a lot of dye depending on how vibrant you want the color to be. Right here is about 15-20 red drops and 10 yellow drops. It looks “peachy” so I’m going to add a little more 🙂
MCormick Food color Sets, Neon and Assorted ColorsBall Wide Mouth Pint 16-Ounce Glass Mason Jars, 12-Count
As I discovered, this takes a lot of dye….If I make any more of these and probably will do fuchsia next – I’ll need more red….but I ended up using what was left of the whole bottle (I started with half-full red and yellow small bottles)
Stir it all together real good, don’t just “swirl” the colors 🙂 It should look opaque, like this:
Pour the Mod Podge/water/dye mixture into the jar…you might need only half of what is in the bowl. It will have a consistency like my FolkArt paints – moderately thick/thin. Turn the jar sideways and gently swirl the mixture around to distribute the color…..keep going until you reach the top.
Allow to set the jar upside down onto a protected surface – I’m using aluminum foil because I’ve had paint stick to paper, including wax paper. inside a paper plate to catch the drips, Leave it be for a few minutes to catch any excess “drippies”.
12 Color Food Coloring Set – Liquid Dye for DIY CraftsBall Pint Mason Jar, Regular Mouth, 16 oz (2 Count)Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish, Satin, 16 Oz
Turn the jar right side up again and let it set up for about an hour. I also did the same treatment for another small jar. I’m saving my other big one for a different color, e.g. pink. Until I get some more red dye P I still had some excess dyed mixture, which I’m saving in one of those food storage containers.
Well, now we wait…By now your jars should be taking on a transparent color appearance. I checked mine out and they look better than I thought – I worried at first the orange was going to be “just peachy” instead of orange..
Just so you know…it took a little longer before ALL of the mixture had set up and turned that see-thru color….If you have a little bit of excess (especially in the jar bottom where the mixture might settle more) don’t worry; just give it a little more time!
Ready to Set Your Stained Mason Jar?
Now we come to the part in which we put ’em in the oven. Set it to a low temp, like somewhere between 170 and 200 degrees F and let your jars “bake” (set) for about 20 minutes. You may have to remove the top rack to seat them better.
Now you’ve got a perfectly translucent color stained Mason jar (and this works with other glass jars too) suitable for vases, crafts, and other things.
Enjoy!
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