Vintage Shiny Brites Into Mercury Glass Christmas Bulbs Tutorial

This process is a little time consuming, but it is a great way to use those slightly flakey, dirty or sticky (eek) solid colored Christmas bulbs that you come across.  You can usually find these second rate bulbs pretty cheap, and the transformation is awesome.  People love the mercury glass because the neutral silver non-color goes with everything and they have an awesome patina.

First remove all the metal hangers, and set them aside.

When working with the ornaments, make sure the stem is at the bottom at all times.  If a little water gets in, it ruins the ornaments.  So, hold the ornament under a medium flow of warm water with the stem downward for a few seconds.  Give each of your little patients a turn under the water, I use a wire cookie rack to keep the stem downward until it is their "turn" again.

After the third or fourth round of rinsing the outside, a good portion of the outer paint should be washed off.  For the last round gently use a wet washcloth to scrub any stubborn areas (still be sure to hold the stem downward during this procedure). 

Gently dry (holding stem down for goodness sakes!) with a cotton dish towel.  Set aside for a final drying in the rack (yes, with the stem down!)  Give the bulbs several hours like this before replacing hangers.  I promise you, you'll be hooked.