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Dental Pick SHARP

Dental Pick is double-ended and used for cleaning grout from cracks and pits and for removing glue residue from gaps between mosaic tile. WARNING: THESE ARE SHARP. The shape of the points can vary from the photo shown, but the tips at each end can be bent and reshaped.

Dental Pick

double-ended steel dental pick
shapes of the pick ends can vary from the photo

The Importance of Cleaning Glue Residue

It is important that no glue residue extends up the sides of your tile. If adhesive isn’t covered with grout, then water can wick underneath the grout over time and cause tiles to pop off. You should inspect your mosaic by misting it before grouting. Any traces of glue on the sides and faces of the tile will start to turn white after a few minutes of being misted with water. You can use the point of a knife or box cutter to scrape away any glue residues you see coming up the sides of the tile to the top. However, tile in artistic mosaics made from hand-cut tile sometimes has points where tile actually touch each other at points, or the tile has extremely small grout gaps, similar to the spacing of human teeth. This makes a dental pick ideal for cleaning glue residue in these tight gaps.

How to Reduce Frustration

Tools like thumb tweezers and dental picks can save hours of tedium and reduce frustration by allowing you to position tile without disturbing tile that you have already positioned. With these simple tools, you will be able to attempt more detailed designs than you would consider if using only your fingertips.

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or mounting, cutting, and grouting tile, please see our page of Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 1-Inch IRREGULAR

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 1-Inch is for temporarily mounting 1-inch tiles on paper or clear tape for rapid installation using the indirect method. NOT NEEDED FOR BEGINNERS. Most artists glue each tile directly on the surface they are covering and do not need grids. In fact, original mosaic art looks best when tile is cut into pieces and mounted in a pattern that is not a grid.

The grid mounts 144 glass mosaic tiles (25mm size) on 1.15 square foot of mosaic mounting paper in a uniform grid of 12 x 12 tiles with a standard grout gap of approximately 1/16 inch. The sockets in the grid are tapered to accommodate the bevelled undersides of most glass mosaic tiles. Tile without bevels (such as most stone and porcelain tile) could be used in the grid, but they might not stay positioned as securely, and so more care might be required while glueing mounting paper to those materials.

WARNING IRREGULAR

These grids are made for mounting beveled tiles placed face up in the grid and cannot hold 1-inch tiles placed face down in them because the beveled sockets are actually smaller than 1 inch. That means you can use these with mounting tape (to pick tiles up by their faces) but not mounting mesh (to be glued to the backs of tiles placed upside down in the grid).

If you place tile upside down in the grid, the tile would need to be 22mm (7/8 inch), and the resulting gap would be approximately 5/32 inch, which is wide. Fortunately when you place 1-inch beveled tile in the sockets face up, the resulting gap is approximately 1/16 inch.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 1-Inch

For beveled tiles placed face up. Cannot hold 1-inch tiles placed face down.)
grid size: 12 tiles x 12 tiles.
grid area: approximately 1.15 square foot.
grout gap: approximately 1/16 inch. (When beveled tiles are placed face up.)
tile size: 1 inch. (When beveled tiles are placed face up.)

The Indirect Method

Mosaic tile can be glued one at a time DIRECTLY to a surface, or you can lay your mosaic out on a temporary surface in what is called the “Indirect Method.” Temporary surfaces can include things like fiberglass mesh, paper, adhesive contact paper, or trays filled with lime putty. Our grids were made to work with self-adhesive mounting tape and mounting paper that is temporarily glued to the faces of the tiles.

Why Use The Indirect Method

Why would you want to use the Indirect Method? It is easier to lay up your mosaic design at your work table than it is to lay it out on a floor or a wall or some other vertical surface. Also, you can work for days or weeks at your work table laying up the mosaic without tying up the location where the mosaic will actually be installed. Again, none of this is necessary for a beginner laying up a small craft project like a trivet or a mosaic mirror.

Use In Mosaic Art

The following is how to do the indirect method using our grids and mounting paper:

Place glass mosaic tile into the grid face up, filling up the grid with your design.
Dilute water-soluble glue such as Elmer’s Glue with 3 parts water to 1 part glue.
Paint the water soluble glue onto the mounting paper using a small artists paint brush. Use a light coat to avoid wrinkling the paper.
Lay mounting paper onto the face of the tile, careful to avoid wrinkles.
Allow sheet to dry completely and remove from the grid.
Spread thinset mortar or mosaic adhesive on the surface to be mosaiced.
“Butter” the bottom of the sheet of tile with the same mortar or adhesive. Of coarse, you butter the bare glass bottoms of the tile, not the paper.
Press the sheet of tiles into the adhesive-covered surface with the PAPER ON THE OUTSIDE.
Allow the thinset or adhesive to cure for 24 hours.
Mist the paper until it is soaked and peel it off the tiles.
Grout the mosaic.

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or cutting and grouting tile, please see our Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions page or our How To Mosaic blog or our Mosaic Information Guide.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 15mm

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 15mm is for temporarily mounting 15mm tiles on paper or clear tape for rapid installation using the indirect method. NOT NEEDED FOR BEGINNERS. Most artists glue each tile directly on the surface they are covering and do not need grids. In fact, original mosaic art looks best when tile is cut into pieces and mounted in a pattern that is not a grid.

The grid mounts 400 glass mosaic tiles (15mm size) on a 1.15 square foot piece of mosaic mounting paper in a uniform grid of 20 x 20 tiles with a standard grout gap of approximately 1/16 inch.

Note that the sockets of the grid are contoured to match the bevels on the bottoms of the 15mm glass mosaic tile we sell. The grid might not work as well for tile which is completely flat on the bottom, such as most stone and porcelain tile. With the flat-bottomed tile, you might have to be a little more careful to keep the tiles from popping out as you apply the mounting paper because the flat-bottomed tile doesn’t sit as deeply in the sockets.

This grid is NOT suitable for the 15mm Colored Mirror Tile we sell because those tiles have mold flashing on the sides.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 15mm

grid size: 20 tiles x 20 tiles.
grid area: approximately 1.15 square foot.
grout gap: approximately 1/16 inch.
tile size: 15mm.

The Indirect Method

Mosaic tile can be glued one at a time DIRECTLY to a surface, or you can lay your mosaic out on a temporary surface in what is called the “Indirect Method.” Temporary surfaces can include things like fiberglass mesh, paper, adhesive contact paper, or trays filled with lime putty. Our grids were made to work with self-adhesive mounting tape or mounting paper that is temporarily glued to the faces of the tiles.

Why Use The Indirect Method

Use In Mosaic Art

The following is how to do the indirect method using our grids and mounting paper:

Place glass mosaic tile into the grid face up, filling up the grid with your design.
Dilute water-soluble glue such as Elmer’s Glue with 3 parts water to 1 part glue.
Paint the water soluble glue onto the mounting paper using a small artists paint brush. Use a light coat to avoid wrinkling the paper.
Lay mounting paper onto the face of the tile, careful to avoid wrinkles.
Allow sheet to dry completely and remove from the grid.
Spread thinset mortar or mosaic adhesive on the surface to be mosaiced.
“Butter” the bottom of the sheet of tile with the same mortar or adhesive. Of coarse, you butter the bare glass bottoms of the tile, not the paper.
Press the sheet of tiles into the adhesive-covered surface with the PAPER ON THE OUTSIDE.
Allow the thinset or adhesive to cure for 24 hours.
Mist the paper until it is soaked and peel it off the tiles.
Grout the mosaic.

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or cutting and grouting tile, please see our Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions page or our How To Mosaic blog or our Mosaic Information Guide.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 3/8-Inch 10mm

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 3/8-Inch (10mm) is for temporarily mounting 3/8-Inch tiles on paper or clear tape for rapid installation using the indirect method. NOT NEEDED FOR BEGINNERS. Most artists glue each tile directly on the surface they are covering and do not need grids. In fact, original mosaic art looks best when tile is cut into pieces and mounted in a pattern that is not a grid.

The grid mounts 841 mini glass mosaic tiles 3/8-inch (10mm) on a 1.15 square foot piece of mosaic mounting paper in a uniform grid of 29 x 29 tiles with a standard grout gap of approximately 1/32 inch.

Note that sockets of the grid has bevels at the edges which match those on the bottom edges of glass mosaic tile, such as found on most varieties of 3/8-inch metallic glass and vitreous glass tile. In other words, the grid might not work as well for 3/8-inch tile which is completely flat on the bottom, such as usually found on stone tile and porcelain tile. With the flat-bottomed stuff, you might have to be a little more careful to keep the tiles from popping out as you apply the mounting paper.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 3/8 Inch

grid size: 29 tiles x 29 tiles.
grid area: approximately 1.15 square foot.
grout gap: approximately 1/32 inch.
tile size: 3/8 inch (10mm).

The Indirect Method

Mosaic tile can be glued one at a time DIRECTLY to a surface, or you can lay your mosaic out on a temporary surface in what is called the “Indirect Method.” Temporary surfaces can include things like fiberglass mesh, paper, adhesive contact paper, or trays filled with lime putty. Our grids were made to work with self-adhesive mounting tape or mounting paper that is temporarily glued to the faces of the tiles.

Why Use The Indirect Method

Use In Mosaic Art

The following is how to do the indirect method using our grids and mounting paper:

Place glass mosaic tile into the grid face up, filling up the grid with your design.
Dilute water-soluble glue such as Elmer’s Glue with 3 parts water to 1 part glue.
Paint the water soluble glue onto the mounting paper using a small artists paint brush. Use a light coat to avoid wrinkling the paper.
Lay mounting paper onto the face of the tile, careful to avoid wrinkles.
Allow sheet to dry completely and remove from the grid.
Spread thinset mortar or mosaic adhesive on the surface to be mosaiced.
“Butter” the bottom of the sheet of tile with the same mortar or adhesive. Of coarse, you butter the bare glass bottoms of the tile, not the paper.
Press the sheet of tiles into the adhesive-covered surface with the PAPER ON THE OUTSIDE.
Allow the thinset or adhesive to cure for 24 hours.
Mist the paper until it is soaked and peel it off the tiles.
Grout the mosaic.

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or cutting and grouting tile, please see our Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions page or our How To Mosaic blog or our Mosaic Information Guide.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 8mm (Fits ~90% pieces)

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 8mm is for temporarily mounting patterns of uncut tile Elemetile brand on paper for rapid installation using the indirect method. They are not needed for most projects. Most artists use cut tiles or glue each tile directly on the surface they are covering and do not need grids.

The grid mounts 1024 of the 8mm Tiny Elementile on ~1 square foot of mosaic mounting paper in a uniform grid of 32 x 32 tiles with a grout gap of approximately 1/32 inch. HOWEVER, THE 8MM TILE IS A NOMINAL SIZE, AND THE ACTUAL SIZE VARIES, AND SO ABOUT 5 TO 10% OF THE PIECES MIGHT NOT FIT IN THE GRID OR FIT VERY TIGHTLY. DO NOT BUY THIS GRID IF THAT IS A PROBLEM.

Note that the paper we sell is 1.15 square foot, which is slightly larger than these grids but should not pose any problems. (You can always trim away the excess paper after you mount the tiles.)

This grid is suitable for use with either the standard glossy finish 8mm Elementile or the iridescent finish 8mm Elementile.

Mosaic Tile Mounting Grid 8mm

grid size: 32 tiles x 32 tiles.
grid area: 11.5 inches x 11.5 inches (under 1 square foot).
grout gap: approximately 1/32 inch.
tile size: 8mm (~5/16 inch).

Indirect Method

Mosaic tile can be glued one at a time DIRECTLY to a surface, or you can lay your mosaic out on a temporary surface in what is called the “Indirect Method.” Temporary surfaces can include things like fiberglass mesh, paper, adhesive contact paper or trays filled with lime putty. Our grids were made to work with self-adhesive mounting tape and mounting paper that is glued to the faces of the tiles.

Why Use The Indirect Method

Why would you want to use the Indirect Method? It is easier to lay up your mosaic design at your work table than it is to lay it out on a floor or vertical wall. Also, you can work for days or weeks at your work table laying up the mosaic without tying up the location where the mosaic will actually be installed. Again, none of this is necessary for a beginner laying up a small craft project like a trivet or a mosaic mirror.

Use In Mosaic Art

The following is how to do the indirect method using our grids and mounting paper:

Place glass mosaic tile into the grid face up, filling up the grid with your design.
Dilute water-soluble glue such as Elmer’s Glue with 3 parts water to 1 part glue.
Paint the water soluble glue onto the mounting paper using a small artists paint brush. Use a light coat to avoid wrinkling the paper.
Lay mounting paper onto the face of the tile, careful to avoid wrinkles.
Allow sheet to dry completely and remove from the grid.
Spread thinset mortar or mosaic adhesive on the surface to be mosaiced.
“Butter” the bottom of the sheet of tile with the same mortar or adhesive. Of coarse, you butter the bare glass bottoms of the tile, not the paper.
Press the sheet of tiles into the adhesive-covered surface with the PAPER ON THE OUTSIDE.
Allow the thinset or adhesive to cure for 24 hours.
Mist the paper until it is soaked and peel it off the tiles.
Grout the mosaic.

How To Make Mosaics

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or cutting and grouting tile, please see our Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions page or our How To Mosaic blog or our Mosaic Information Guide.

Ceramic-Marble File

The Ceramic and Marble File is steel with oversized, extra-wide carbide grit surfaces roughly 8 inches x 1 inch and a tough plastic handle. One side is fine-grit for finishing surfaces, and the other is rougher for removing material more aggressively. This a smoothing and shaping tool recommended for stone and ceramic materials, but we have also used this file on glass mosaic tile.

When to Use This Tool

Smoothing Cuts

Cutting marble mosaic and ceramic tile often leaves rough, jagged, or sharp edges, and this tool can be used to smooth and round them. You can also do a modest amount of shaping with this tool, depending on how hard your material is. We have used this file on glass tile, but it has a tendency to pull flakes of glass out the edge being smoothed, especially if the motion of the tool is too fast or hard. To minimize this problem we only use the fine-grooved side on glass, and we pull the tile at a shallow angle on the stationary file and use limited pressure. Like most tools and techniques, a little practice can greatly improve your results.

A less aggressive alternative to a marble file is the dual-grit rubbing stone, which can be used to obtain smoother finishes on an edge and doesn’t chip off flakes of glass.

Repairing Damaged Tiling and Mosaics

Broken tile is dangerous not only because it can be razor sharp but also because it is often located on the corner or edge of a surface, just in the right location for people to brush against and cut themselves. The Ceramic and Marble File can be used to round off sharp edges.

Safety

Dust

Avoid breathing construction dusts of any type, especially glass, cement, ceramics, stone, etc. An ordinary dust mask rated N95 is recommended as a precaution when using the file, but we prefer to contain the dust with mist at the source. Keeping the dust wet is an easy was to make sure it stays out of the air. Dispose of the wet dust as solid waste in a trash bag and not down your drains.

We lean the file inside a 2-gallon bucket and mist with water from a spray bottle. The bucket collects the waste and acts as a moisture reservoir for keeping the air around the file humid, which causes dust to fall out of the air faster. Note that misting causes the file to rust and shortens the life of the tool, but files are more easily replaced than lungs, especially when you work with construction materials everyday.

Safety Glasses

Always wear safety glasses with side shields when using the file. Make sure that you don’t file tile around people not wearing safety glasses. Flying chips could potentially hit their eyes as easily as yours.

Slivers and Surfaces

Be aware that cutting and filing tile can produce tiny slivers that are surprisingly sharp. Never sweep off a work surface with your bare hand. This is how most cuts happen in the studio (seriously). Use a vacuum or counter brush instead.

How To Make Mosaics

Ceramic Combo Tool

The Ceramic Combo Tool is an inexpensive means of scoring and snapping glazed ceramic tile, such as those typically used to tile bathrooms. The Combo Tool would NOT be useful for cutting most all of the mosaic tile we sell, but if you are wanting to incorporate glazed ceramic tile in your mixed media mosaics, then the combo tool is for you. The combo tool should provide much cleaner cuts on glazed tile than a regular tile nipper.

How To Make Mosaic Art

Compound Nipper Hard-Tile Cutting Tool

The Compound Nipper is our recommended tool for cutting extremely hard tile such as thick dinnerware, porcelain and certain varieties of stone. This nipper has a compound lever mechanism which multiplies the mechanical force of your hand three times more than conventional tile nippers, which enables you to cut harder materials with much less effort. The nipper should not be used for glass tile because it crushes and splinters more glass than it cuts. For cutting glass mosaic tile, you should use the Mosaic Glass Cutter, which has special wheel-shaped blades.

Compound Nipper Hard-Tile Cutting Tool

Tungsten Carbide cutting tips
3x force multiplier
Rubberized grip for comfort
Cuts porcelain, ceramic, dinnerware, stone
Safety latch for storage

Not for Eggshell Pique Assette

If you are looking for a tool to cut thin eggshell china such as thin teacups and saucers, this isn’t it. Like most mosaic cutters, this tool will not close sufficiently to cut the material. This tool was made for hard stuff. For cutting eggshell china, I always used a non-mosaic tool: a generic pair of diagonal cutting pliers.

Cutting Unbreakable Dinnerware

Traditional porcelain can be very hard, but some varieties of modern dinnerware are even harder. In fact, some of the “unbreakable” plates found at thrift stores are made from some of the hardest engineered materials known to science. The Compound Nipper is the tool for cutting this type of dinnerware, but keep in mind that these extremely hard materials have some special safety considerations. First, the extra force required for cutting them means that pieces are more likely to fly out when the cut is snapped. Second, some of the razor edges produced can be exceptionally sharp. A tile file or rubbing stone can smooth these sharp edges, but our recommendation is to avoid any piece of dinnerware that seems particularly difficult and move on to the next plate. Most dinnerware is fairly easy to cut, so there is no reason to struggle with a difficult plate unless you really like the pattern.

Safety and Cutting Tile

Always wear safety glasses with side shields when using the cutters.
Make sure that you don’t cut tile around people who are not wearing safety glasses. Flying chips could potentially hit their eyes as easily as yours.
Be aware that cutting tile of any type can produce sharp edges.
Crumbs from cutting can be extremely sharp. Never sweep off a work surface with your bare hand. Use a vacuum or counter brush.

Efficient Cutting

It is much easier to cut up four or five pieces of tile and choose the one that fits best than it is to try to trim one piece to a certain shape or size. It is quicker too. Keep your rejects in a small pile and pay attention to the shapes that are in it. If you don’t use a certain size or shape as often, try to cut fewer pieces like that. This is much more effective than trimming a piece down to what you need, and it is a lot less tedious.

How To Make Mosaics

Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive 160ml (5.4 oz)

The 160ml (5.4 oz) bottle of Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive is the convenience size of the product and is ideal for people looking for a small application bottle to minimize strain on their wrists. It covers up to 19 square feet depending on surface roughness.

Weldbond is an extremely versatile glue that can be used to securely bond a wide range of art materials including glass, natural-fiber fabrics and wood. Weldbond is strong, even at low temperatures, but LIQUID Weldbond will ruin if allowed to freeze. DO NOT ORDER DURING HARD FREEZES OR STORE OUTDOORS. Dries clear.

Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive 160ml (5.4 oz)

Weldbond is an amazing product:

clear drying.
strong bonding.
non-toxic.
non-flammable
no volatile fumes. less than 1% VOCs by weight.
water-resistant once fully cured.
easy clean-up with soap and water.
can be added to grouts to improve strength and fracture toughness.

Product Specifications

Read the manufacturer’s specifications and instructions here.

Weldbond Glue is a white PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate) adhesive that dries clear. It does not contain formaldehyde, latex, phthalates, aromatic solvents or halogenated solvents (as do many adhesives). It is non-toxic and conforms to ASTM D4236.

Product Coverage

The 160ml (5.4 oz) bottle of Welbond covers about 9 square feet IN THEORY. Actual coverage is about 20% less than that for most users doing detailed work, but messy users or coarsely porous substrates could require significantly more glue. The coverage is greatly affected by how neatly you work, how dry your working conditions are, etc. For example, if the heat is running at the height of winter, then water-based glues can skin over rapidly, and you tend to waste a little bit as it dries on your fingertips and tools.

Use In Mosaic Art

We use Weldbond Glue for presealing wooden surfaces before mosaic work, and we will sometimes dilute it with as much as 1 part water to 2 parts glue. For attaching the tiles in detailed mosaic work, the thicker material provided by straight Weldbond is better.

Why Not Use Other Brands?

There are other brands of white PVA adhesives on the market. The reason that Weldbond is strongly preferred by many mosaic artists is simple:

Detailed mosaic work requires that small tiles be positioned carefully.
This is often difficult to do this without bumping other small tiles already in place.
The thicker the glue, the less the tiles move when bumped.

In other words, Weldbond is “best” because it can take a lot of the frustration out of the work. There are also several other reasons why we think Weldbond might be more durable in adverse conditions.

Limitations

Dry Indoor Use

Weldbond is water-resistant when fully cured, but it does soften when soaked in water over time, so use good judgment. Mosaics in wet locations such as pools and fountains and patios should be made with thinset bonding mortar (a type of sticky concrete) instead of adhesive.

Other Limitations

Weldbond does not bond to some types of plastic, rubber and cast metals. Avoid using on polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl and PVC. Do not use Weldbond on containers that may hold hot liquids.

How To Make Mosaic Art

Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive 420ml (14.2oz)

The 420ml (14.2 oz) bottle of Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive is our preferred size for mosaic work, yet not so small that it has to be refilled too often. It covers covers up to 50 square feet depending on surface roughness and working habits.

Weldbond Adhesive is an extremely versatile glue that can be used to securely bond a wide range of art materials including glass, natural-fiber fabrics and wood. Weldbond is strong, even at low temperatures, but LIQUID Weldbond will ruin if allowed to freeze. DO NOT ORDER DURING HARD FREEZES OR STORE OUTDOORS. Dries clear.

Weldbond Glue Mosaic Adhesive 420ml (14.2oz)

Weldbond is an amazing product:

clear drying
strong bonding
non-toxic.
non-flammable
no volatile fumes. less than 1% VOCs by weight.
water-resistant once fully cured
easy clean-up with soap and water
can be added to grouts to improve strength and fracture toughness

Product Specifications

Read the manufacturer’s specifications and instructions here.

Weldbond is a white PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate) adhesive that dries clear. It does not contain formaldehyde, latex, phthalates, aromatic solvents or halogenated solvents (as do many adhesives). It is non-toxic and conforms to ASTM D4236.

Product Coverage

The 420ml (14.2 oz) bottle of Welbond covers about 15 square feet IN THEORY. Actual coverage is about 20% less than that for most users doing detailed work, but messy users or coarsely porous substrates could require significantly more glue. The coverage is greatly affected by how neatly you work, how dry your working conditions are, etc. For example, if the heat is running at the height of winter, then water-based glues can skin over rapidly, and you tend to waste a little bit as it dries on your fingertips and tools.

Use In Mosaic Art

We use Weldbond for presealing wooden surfaces before mosaic work, and we will sometimes dilute it with as much as 1 part water to 2 parts glue. For attaching the tiles in detailed mosaic work, the thicker material provided by straight Weldbond is better.

Why Not Use Other Brands?

There are other brands of white PVA adhesives on the market. The reason that Weldbond is strongly preferred by many mosaic artists is simple:

Detailed mosaic work requires that small tiles be positioned carefully.
This is often difficult to do this without bumping other small tiles already in place.
The thicker the glue, the less the tiles move when bumped.

Limitations

Dry Indoor Use

Other Limitations

Weldbond does not bond to some types of plastic, rubber and cast metals. Avoid using on polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl and PVC. Do not use Weldbond on containers that may hold hot liquids.