{ Crafting Equipment }

I once thought golf was an expensive hobby. And then I started crafting.

I am often asked how I make a given craft item. And, after explaining the process, the response is usually, “And why wouldn’t you have that kind of a machine?” I’ve just come to assume that everyone has crafting machinery tucked away in their homes, ready to crank out some fantastic something-or-other at any given second. But, apparently not.

I’m also asked quite often (in fact, twice today alone) by those looking to buy their own as to what particular machines I have. Hopefully this post will answer that and highlight the key machines I rely upon in my Krafty Kade endeavors.

How It All Started

Admittedly, I went about acquiring my crafting equipment a bit haphazardly. Sure, I read reviews and studied features, but I really didn’t know what I needed or wanted for the long-term. I just started buying what people seemed to mention most or that sounded the coolest. Fortunately for me, with one minor exception, I think I made some pretty good choices in the pieces I’ve acquired in the past nine months or so since beginning down the crafting road. You know…the road paved with fabric scraps and glitter.

The one minor exception would be that I wish I’d bought a sewing machine/embroidery machine combo, rather than the two as separate machines. I didn’t realize this was even an option until after buying both separately, but it would’ve saved a lot of money and space. You live and learn though, I reckon, and I do love both of the machines.

In fact, we’ll start off by discussing the sewing machine itself, as that was the first thing I bought.

The Sewing Machine

Don’t ask me why, but I really wanted a sewing machine. I can’t stitch a button onto a shirt for the life of me, but somehow having a sewing machine made sense. I may have had a bit too much time on my hands, as in 2012 I’d taken off the last two weeks of the year from my full-time job to just relax. And, when I have time on my hands, it’s usually spent coming up with something to fill said time. In this case, that something ended up being a Brother CS6000i sewing machine. It’s a very good sewing machine for beginners or the occasional hobbyist. I got mine for a great price off of Amazon.com.

I read the manual from cover-to-cover and then just started sewing. That led to a slight obsession with fabric. And by “slight”, I mean “major”. Oh, how I love me some fabric! Alas, I digress…

The Embroidery Machine

I love monograms. Reese Witherspoon summed it up perfectly when she said, “…My rule is that if it’s not moving, monogram it!” And what better way to monogram than to embroider? Sure, I had no clue what I was doing, but I got the embroidery machine anyway. And I’m very happy that I did. I’ve realllllly enjoyed that thing.

What’s crazy about that is that up until very recently, I wasn’t even very good at using it. But, I still had fun with it. Then I decided to spend a little money on a guide book that walked me through some basics I’d not previously read. So, that was enlightening--and it made all the difference in the world. I just made some monogrammed pillowcases a couple of days ago and the final product was just fantastic compared to previous items I’ve slapped monograms onto.

For me, the Brother PE-500 is the way to go when you’re starting out at embroidering. Sure, I’d love an embroidery hoop larger than 4” x 4”, but doing that can jump greatly in price reallllllly quickly.  So, I figure that a 4” x 4” will do most of what I would want (monogram linens, apparel, etc.) and if there’s an occasional item that I want to have a larger monogram, I’ll just take it to a local embroidery shop. For as rarely as that would be, the cost would be worth it rather than spending a whole lot more up front on a machine with larger capabilities. I was able to get a brand-new, sealed one off of e-bay for a better price than I found anywhere else. And believe me—I looked.

The Vinyl Cutting Machine

While I do think that vinyl wall quotes are overdone in many cases, the concept itself is one I like. And I like being able to do smaller vinyl labels on things around the house. Thus, it made perfect sense to get a vinyl cutter. In my case, I got a Silhouette Cameo. After some digging, I found a bundle deal on Amazon.com that was pretty good, all things considered.

What I wasn’t expecting is to love the Cameo as much as I do. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t buy it thinking I would hate it, but I just didn’t realize how much I’d absolutely adore it. We do occasionally have our spats, me and that machine, but for the most part we get along splendidly. If there is one machine I’d recommend to an aspiring crafter or one wanting to step up their game, it would be the Cameo. With it, I’ve cut fabric monograms; heat transfer vinyl designs for t-shirts & bags; vinyl cut-outs for water bottles and household items; and, it’s also done permanent vinyl cut-outs for artwork. Additionally, I have both a pen and a marker adapter for it, so it can sketch using almost any marker or gel pen I have around. It’s created some great greeting cards that way.

Oh, and what it does for gift wrap is amazing. I can easily cut monograms or some personally significant emblem for the gift recipient using contact paper (yes, as in shelf-liner!) and transfer that to a blank kraft paper bag or kraft wrapping paper. It looks so sharp and really makes for a personalized gift from beginning to end.

The Heat Press

I was having such a great time cutting heat transfer vinyl using my Cameo, but it wasn’t looking as professional as I wanted it to look once I ironed it onto an item. Solution: the PowerPress 15” x 15” Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press. Again, Amazon.com saved the day with having the best deal. That heat press is pretty fantastic, I have to say.

Case in point: Last weekend, Doc (the name by which I shall call my partner of almost five years, as he didn’t sign up to be included in a blog & so I’d like him to be able to retain some anonymity) asked me to make him a couple of t-shirts. The t-shirts were each to have one of two car company logos, as he has an obsession with cars & currently owns a vehicle from each of these two car brands, which shall remain anonymous so that I don’t get sued for what I did next…

I went online and Googled the respective car company logos. I found a couple of good options, saved those to my computer, and then used my Cameo software to trace said logos. By trace, I mean that the software literally creates a trace line around whatever design you’re tracing. That trace line is then used as the cutting guide for the Cameo. In this case, it traced the logos and then I cut them out of heat transfer vinyl (HTV). I popped over to Michael’s and grabbed a couple of blank t-shirts (on sale for $3 each) before coming back home to take the cut logos and affix them using the heat press. If I’d had the t-shirts on-hand already, it would’ve gone even faster, but I still can’t complain—for less than $10 (counting materials and fuel), I produced two high-quality shirts that look like they each cost at least twice that much.

I’ve used the heat press to affix HTV to burlap, baby clothes, maternity tops, t-shirts, and even to socks. It is a glorious machine that takes about 10 minutes to heat up and then it’s game on!

The Inkjet Printer

There’s nothing particularly impressive about my inkjet printer, but I do want to make note that it’s actually a good idea to have one just for crafting. You can get inkjet printers for really cheap when you hit sales or look on Craigslist. As in, for $20-$40, you could have an inkjet printer for crafting. That way, if it gets messed up, it isn’t the end of the world and doesn’t impact your day-to-day printing needs. So, I keep my laserjet printer and one inkjet printer just for day-to-day and work stuff; my other inkjet is specifically for crafting use. It happens to print very nicely onto burlap, in particular. (I’ll cover that process in another post, as it’s really quite fun & fascinating!)

The one I use for crafting is the Brother MFC-J430W version. However, I would actually recommend going with a top-loading style instead. Plus, top-loading ones are typically cheaper. I got mine for a pretty good price (perhaps a little higher than what you’d normally want to pay for a crafting printer, but it wasn’t originally purchased for use as a crafting printer) at OfficeMax during a sale they were having.

The Lamination Machine

This is a very recent addition to the machine line-up, but it’s one I’m really having some fun with. I ended up getting a Scotch Thermal Laminator (TL901) from, you guessed it—Amazon.com. Even with the additional cost of the laminating sheets, it was still a fantastic deal considering that my local OfficeMax charges $1.99 for each laminated sheet. After just 15 or so sheets, the machine has paid for itself. Anything after that is just the cost of the laminating supplies. Not too shabby, I’d say!

The Etching Equipment

I’ve already covered the etching equipment extensively, particularly in { Glass Etching: Part 2 }, so I won’t go into it much here. But, the main piece of equipment that was purchased for this was the Air Eraser from Harbor Freight. It runs alongside the Porter-Cable Air Compressor that I bought Doc last year.

Miscellaneous Stuff

In addition to the electronic machines, I do have a manual Sizzix die cutter that I bought before finding out about the Cameo. Fortunately, I got an amazing deal on the Sizzix through buying a barely-used one through Craigslist. It came with the dies that I was really wanting at the time—the shipping tag-shaped ones so that I could create fun gift tags. I can now do that with the Cameo, but it’s still easier to just use the Sizzix if I’m in a rush and just need a standard-size gift tag.

Additionally, I have a couple of other free-standing die cutters for circles and such. Those are also really helpful, as some materials just should not (or cannot) go into the Cameo. For example, I was working today on making decoupage ornaments using sewing patterns. The pattern paper is way too thin to stick to the Cameo mat without tearing it once I’d try to pull it back off. However, I wanted the paper cut into 2.5” circles for easier layering. So, I pulled out my little hand-held 2.5” circle die cut and used that instead. Worked like a charm.

Planning to Buy?

Of course, almost none of this operates on its own directly out of the box. With each machine comes a significant investment in materials and software. That’s the unfortunate reality. In fact, I think I spent more on supplies for the embroidery machine, for example, than I did on the actual machine itself. It just adds up really quickly. So, if you’re looking to buy a particular machine, don’t forget to budget at least 50-75% of the machine’s cost for additional supplies and materials to get you started. You may have to spend more than that in the long run, but that’s a good place to start estimating budget at least. (Though with the heat press, for example, additional supplies are minimal. I bought a t-square to help with alignment, and a lamp to keep next to the heat press so that the surface area is illuminated when I’m trying to align everything under a 320-degree heat platen…)

To the person looking to buy crafting equipment, I’d suggest doing the exact opposite of what I did. I’d recommend stepping back for a minute to look at what it is you ultimately want to do, what you have time to do, what you have space to do, and what you can afford to do. For me, I wanted to do it all—and I pretty much can now. But, there’s certainly been a price to pay in terms of both monetary cost and storage space. So, definitely be sure to factor all of that in—and then enjoy whatever it is that you buy, as that’s the whole point!

{ Kade in the Kitchen: Brown Sugar-Glazed Brussels Sprouts w/Bacon & Onion }

I don’t know why Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap. I mean, come on. They’re delicious! And, before you turn your nose up and say that they’re awful, disgusting little things that should be avoided at all cost, I say to you: bacon.

That’s right. Delicious, crispy, greasy bacon. Added right on in to the little Brussels sprouts that you’ll hardly even notice because you’re eating bacon. And, let’s face it: all is right in the world when there’s bacon within reach.

This recipe has it all—sweet, sour, and savory. And it couldn’t be easier to make!

First, I need to give credit to two bloggers who posted recipes from which my recipe ultimately derived. Each had elements that were great, but they weren’t quite what I had on-hand. Brussels sprouts are currently out of season, so the recipe with fresh ones didn’t quite work—but I did have a couple of bags of frozen ones on-hand. Plus, I have to avoid cooking with garlic during the week, as Doc will only eat garlicky foods after he sees his last patient on Saturday so that it’s out of his system by Monday when he has to again be right in front of someone’s face. It’s very considerate of him, but also annoying at times when it comes to making dishes that would be great with a little garlic enhancement. Alas, I digress.

Meanwhile, the recipe with frozen ones called for maple extract and shallots. I had neither. But, I do love me a good Vidalia onion. And that I also had.

I followed the basic instructions each had (both very similar), but came up with a time-saver solution that will produce more consistent results when it comes to the bacon itself. (And, again, it’s all about the bacon, right?)  I doubled these recipes to feed eight as a side dish, but even that wasn’t enough. They were gone before I knew it. There was one left in the bowl and I was going to eat it myself, but one of the dinner guests walked over and said he’d take care of it—and he didn’t want to waste time finding a fork, so he just grabbed it with his fingers. That’s how good this is. So, if you’re a Brussels sprouts-loving people in your household, plan accordingly & consider doubling this doubled version.

Ingredients:

8 slices of bacon, regular cut

2 Tbsp. salted butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 medium-large Vidalia onion, chopped thinly

2-12 oz. bags of frozen Brussels sprouts (still frozen—not thawed)

4-6 Tbsp. light brown sugar (4 Tbsp. is enough; 6 Tbsp. is glorious)

2-3 Tbsp. water (use less water if you use less brown sugar)

salt & pepper to taste (but honestly, I didn’t even bother with either)

Steps:

1) Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (makes for easier clean-up). Place bacon strips flat onto the baking sheet, then put into an unheated oven. Turn oven on to 400 degrees. (Yes, you’re heating the oven after the food is already in it. Trust me on this.) After 17-20 minutes from the time you put the baking sheet in the oven, you should have perfectly crisped bacon. Keep an eye on it to not overcook it. Once cooked, drain bacon on paper towels, then break (or chop) it into small pieces.

2) While the bacon is baking, melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook the onion at least until it’s tender; longer if you want crispier onion. Once it’s to your liking, remove the onion from the skillet and put it in a bowl; cover the bowl to keep as much heat in as possible. (Be sure to leave as much oil/butter in the skillet as possible when removing the onion. If there’s hardly any left, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in the skillet before moving on to the next step.)

3) To the same greased skillet, add the frozen Brussels sprouts. Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness has been achieved. You’ll want to stir them occasionally so they don’t burn. If your skillet is too large for a lid (like the cast iron skillet I used), or just doesn’t have a lid, use a baking sheet as the lid. It’s important to have that lid on in order to keep the moisture inside the pan so that the Brussels sprouts steam. If they start to get black or overcooked, turn down the heat. They will get slightly browned, but you don’t want burnt.

4) After the Brussels sprouts are cooked to your liking, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of them and then sprinkle the water over that. It will start to sizzle and evaporate very quickly, so be sure to immediately stir the Brussels sprouts to get them coated. Once they’re coated and the water has evaporated, taste a sprout to see if it’s sweet enough for you. If not, repeat with a little more brown sugar and a little more water until the glaze is to your liking.

5) Once the Brussels sprouts are coated to perfection, add the bacon pieces and cooked onion to the skillet. Stir all of it together and let it cook for about a minute—long enough to make sure the onion and bacon gets warmed and also coated with the brown sugar deliciousness. Add salt and/or pepper, if so desired. Serve immediately.

You should end up with something like this:

You’re welcome.

{ Glass Etching: Part 2 }

Harbor Freight Air Eraser Review/Tutorial

In { Glass Etching: Part 1 }, I mentioned that while initially researching glass etching, I had questions about whether or not the Harbor Freight Air Eraser works. (11/12/13 Update: Be sure to read the updated review of that particular tool at the end of this post.) In this post, I’ll review that, but you will also find out about the whole air eraser process in general, plus you’ll get to see the crazy contraption we created in lieu of a blasting box. But, first, I must back up to the beginning for those who haven’t heard of any of this before now…

Until just a couple of weeks ago, I was only familiar with the idea of glass etching using etching cream.  As it turns out, there’s a much more effective way to do so and it doesn’t require you to spend thousands of dollars on professional equipment!  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not going to be cheap if you’re starting from scratch, but there are ways to minimize the damage to the wallet & I’ll share with you how I was able to get going with this for about $60 total.

So, there’s a method of glass etching called sandblasting.  Within that concept, there are two primary methods home hobbyists use to etch. The most basic of those methods is through using what’s called an Air Eraser. (Just the name of it made it sound fun to me! I imagined I was going to be buying some kind of magic eraser that floated around in the air…) The Air Eraser is commonly purchased at Harbor Freight and is very reasonably priced.

This is what the Air Eraser looks like:

It utilizes the same concept as air brushing, but instead of paint, it’s abrasive that is being sprayed out of it at an incredibly high speed. 

The second primary sandblasting method involves a blasting box (which already has the air hose and sprayer built into it) and glass beads. This type of sandblasting supposedly gets a quicker, more consistent result than air erasing, but for my purposes, it's not worth spending the extra money at this point to go the glass bead route. So, I'm just going to focus here on the air eraser.

These are the main components required to use the air eraser:

1. Parts from the Air Eraser Kit:

• Air Eraser Tool
• Air Hose
  • Potentially an Adapter for the Air Hose

2. An Air Compressor

3. Abrasive (Aluminum Oxide is the only abrasive that can be used in the Air Eraser)

4. Safety Equipment

• Eye protection
• Face mask
• Gloves

5. Blasting Box

 

The condensed version of the process is that you’re going to hook one end of the air hose to an air compressor, while the other end is attached to the air eraser tool. The tool’s storage cup thingy (the technical term, of course) is filled with abrasive. Meanwhile, inside a blasting box (a lidded box in which you place the item to be etched; the box has arm holes through which your gloved hands will go), you’ll etch your item by holding the air tool like a pencil and then spraying from it onto the item being etched (within the stenciled area, of course). The force of the abrasive scratches away at the glass to create a very sharp looking etched surface.

 

This is a much more detailed step-by-step of each component and the overall process:

The Air Eraser Tool

The air eraser tool is very simple in terms of operation. The cap of the little container attached on the top needs to be opened and then filled with the abrasive. I recommend filling it over a garbage can, collection bowl, piece of paper, etc.—because if it spills, it’s a pain to get all of the graininess cleaned up. Then, securely attach the lid. My first air eraser turned out to not be made correctly, so even with the lid tightened down, abrasive would spray out from underneath the lid, making it completely unusable. I exchanged it for another and the second one works great. It’s absolutely key that the lid be secure, as the air pressure will escape otherwise & that reduces (or even eliminates) the ability to etch.  The air eraser is screwed onto one end of the air hose.

The Air Hose

The air hose is pretty straightforward, but there’s one key item missing from the air eraser tool kit at Harbor Freight: an adapter that allows it to connect to standard air compressor plugs. The air hose has a 1/4” end piece & it does not attach to the typical air compressor without an extra adapter. The good news is that the adapter is readily found at Lowe’s (probably at Home Depot, too) and only costs $1.50.  Of course, you’ll want to attach the adapter using wrenches to ensure a tight seal. The air hose can then be attached to the air compressor.

The Air Compressor

The air compressor is kind of a tricky deal. When you read the kit’s packaging, it basically says that you need an 11+ gallon air compressor. Ours is six gallons and that size is listed as being not recommended for use. But, here’s the thing: I’m not etching as a full-time deal. I just need 65 psi of air in short intervals. So, as it turns out, the 6-gallon air compressor works just fine.

As an example, to etch the letter “K” onto a 3.5” glass ornament, it took just under 60 seconds of air usage. When I got to my third ornament, the air compressor turned on to refill, but it was on for a very short amount of time, resulting in very little motor usage. So, I’m not too worried about burning the thing up by using it briefly and intermittently. You’re welcome to spend $300+ on larger air compressors, but you can get away with the smaller size, too. I wouldn’t necessarily go any smaller than six gallons, but that size will work just fine.

You do want to set the air pressure according to the tool’s instructions. In this case, the kit said 65 psi, so that’s what I used.

Abrasive

The abrasive is important to pay attention to, as the wrong kind/size can easily clog up the air eraser tool. Aluminum oxide is the only abrasive that can be used in this particular tool and a small sample is included. As mentioned above, additional abrasive is available at a pretty good price. You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but I didn’t think $10 for two lbs. was too bad. (Keep in mind that it doesn’t use a ton of abrasive if you’re just doing small items. If you plan on etching half the world’s surface, you may want to do some research to get a better price for abrasive.)

There are tutorials out there that can teach you how to alter the air eraser tool such that baking soda (which is a fraction of the cost of aluminum oxide) will work as the abrasive. I, however, do not want to mess with the tool, as I know I’ll just break it somehow, so I’ll pay a few extra bucks for aluminum oxide and call it a day.  Other people have adapted their tools to accept glass beads (again, not for me), but there are also more advanced tools specifically built for the use of glass beads as the abrasive. Again, this review is just looking at the use of the basic air eraser tool without any modifications.

Safety Equipment

It cannot be overstated as to how important safety gear is when it comes to using this tool. You are not only risking your vision, but your lungs, too, what with breathing in all of that abrasive. It’s definitely not healthy. The kit comes with one dinky face mask, but I’d recommend getting more (and better) masks and a pair of protective glasses or goggles, too. Plus, you’re going to want protective gloves. Blasting boxes (more on that in a sec) often have built-in gloves, but if you’re making your own, you’ll want to buy some that pretty much cover your arms. Harbor Freight has some sandblasting gloves for really cheap—much cheaper than I could find anywhere else. The thing about the gloves is that it’s not necessarily a safety factor on those when it comes to the air eraser (which is much less violent than I imagine more professional sandblasting tools to be), though it definitely helps protect the fingers closest to the spraying abrasive. Instead, the gloves help keep your arms from becoming coated in the abrasive—and that stuff gets EVERYWHERE and sticks!

One other thing—though it’s not really a safety thing, I would also recommend wearing an apron to try to protect your clothing from the abrasive grains. Sure, by the time you get all of this on, you’ll look certifiably insane, but better to be safe than sorry. Speaking of looking insane, while I had already commandeered our gym for my tool assembly area, I decided to utilize the mirror wall while there…

And that’s even before I put the gloves on! (Notice the cute little air compressor filling up in the background.)

Blasting Box

So, here’s the thing—I’m cheap. I somehow usually manage to spend a lot of money overall, but I aim to be as frugal as possible for each individual item. That goal was no different for this project and the necessary blasting box. Blasting boxes serve to really protect you from flying abrasive and to keep the mess contained. There are several options out there, including some good $99 countertop options I saw at Harbor Freight. (While I keep mentioning Harbor Freight, I should point out that am in no way being endorsed by them. Going back to the thing about me being cheap…yeah, Harbor Freight’s prices are right up my alley!)  However, particularly not knowing if this whole etching thing would even work, I preemptively built my own using a 27-quart lidded plastic storage tub I got at Target for $7. It may scream “ghetto!”, but it works beautifully. Here’s a pic of it alongside my other air eraser stuff—aside from the compressor, of course:

On the front of it are two arms holes; on the side is a small hole through which to feed the air tube. Here, it’s pictured on the left because I’m a leftie, but obviously you could just drill on the other side for those of you not in your right brain. (You see what I did there? I make myself chuckle…)

While you don’t want the holes to be so small that your arms or the air hose don’t easily fit through, you also don’t want there to be too much space for the abrasive to escape. But, I view etching as an outside project anyway, so that helps in terms of not destroying the house even if abrasive escapes. I did my etching on the back patio & that kept most of the disaster outside. The rest of it seemed to stay mostly collected in the box itself.

The only thing I think I’m going to change to my version of the blasting box is to affix a push-button LED light on the inside of the box to help with visibility. I found myself taking the lid off repeatedly to make sure I was etching the whole surface. It’s not the end of the world to do that, but again, just make sure you have protective eyewear and a face mask on, and that you’re outside if you’re going to start spraying the abrasive outside of a lidded box.

The Costs

This is how my costs broke down to get started with this particular project, not counting the cost for the compressor since we already had one of those:

• Air Eraser Kit: $26
• 2-lb Bottle of Aluminum Oxide: $10
• Air Hose Adapter: $1.50
• Protective Goggles: $3
• Pkg of Face Masks: $5
• Gloves: $6
• Plastic Storage Tub: $7

Total, it was about $60 to get started. While that certainly is more than a bottle of etching cream, I think the end results from using the air eraser well justify the additional cost and make the etched items something you can be proud to give as gifts or display in your home.

Etching with the Air Eraser

This is the fun part—going crazy with a spray gun, essentially. OK, so don’t go too crazy, but do try to at least enjoy the process. At this point, I’ll assume you’ve followed the same steps as those found in { Glass Etching: Part 1 }, stopping just short of spreading etching cream, since we’re obviously not doing that with this method. One added thing you’ll have done is to cover all of the exposed surface of the un-etched piece (except for the area you want to etch, of course) with painter’s tape. I went ahead and got wide painter’s tape so that it took less time for this step. But, you’ll want to tape along the edge of the stencil, and then all around the rest of the surface so that it’s protected from the flying abrasive. If you were to slip even for a second with that thing spraying, you could easily create an etched spot where you don’t want one.

Now, using the air eraser tool like a pencil held at an angle about 1/8”-1/2” away from the surface you’re etching, start spraying the glass. You may need to tinker around with your air eraser tool to get the right of abrasive spraying out. Refer to the owner’s manual for info on what to do there. But, note that in order for it to work, you won’t see this huge cloud of sand hurtling out of the tool and onto the glass. It’s much more subtle than that. At first, I thought that I’d managed to get another broken tool after exchanging my first out due to the air escape problem. But, it turns out that it was working and I just wasn’t holding the tool correctly.

You’ll spray the area you want to etch and it will turn a light white color, almost like there’s a layer of dust on it. That means it’s working. One easy way to test it is to stop spraying and rub your finger over the surface (making sure to not lift up the stencil, of course) that looks dusty. If the light white doesn’t rub off like dust, then it’s etched and you’re good to continue. Work to etch the entire stencil area, paying close attention to the edges, and try to do it evenly so that it looks uniform. If you see some spots that still have a shine to it compared to the area around it, spray those spots and they should dull to the same degree of etching.

An easy way to make sure you haven’t missed any area is to simply turn the item around and hold it up to the light. In the case of a glass Christmas ornament, you’d then be looking through the back of the ornament and would see the stencil outline, but everything inside the stencil outline would be an even white color. If you notice clear spots, simply spray over them to get them etched. It’s as easy as that.

I found that the only annoying thing in the final part of the process is that my fingers started cramping from how I held the air eraser. I’m going to keep playing around with it to see if maybe I’m just holding it wrong, but that was my only gripe. That and the fact I ran out of stenciled items to etch, as I wanted to keep going!  Oh, that reminds me—be sure to periodically check your abrasive supply and refill as necessary. If you find that you’re no longer seeing any etching activity, first check the storage cup thingy to make sure there’s still abrasive there. If there is, but you’re still not seeing results, your nozzle may be clogged. Refer to the owner’s manual for info on taking care of that, but it’s an easy fix.

And that, friends, is how to use the Harbor Freight air eraser tool to etch your glass projects! Next up: more glass etching fun. (Yes, there’s even more to know! But, I promise what I’ve got to share is much less tedious than the technicalities listed in this post and results in an even cooler etched item!)

11/12/13 UPDATE: After a tremendously short run with my second HF Air Eraser (i.e., two days), it died. So, I bought a third one, only to find that it had the same problem as my first one—the abrasive container cup did not seal correctly, rendering the tool useless. It was at that point that I gave up on the Harbor Freight Air Eraser and bought a quality tool instead. It has already been worth every single extra penny. I went with the Paasche brand instead. Specifically, I got this one from Amazon.

It was considerably more money (about $90, with Prime shipping), but right out of the box I knew I was in for a different experience. Even though it’s practically identical to the HF version, the quality of the materials is significantly greater. And the best part: it actually works! In fact, it almost works too well. Whereas with the HF AE (when I had the one working anyway), I would find myself going over an area repeatedly to make sure it was evenly etched. With the Paasche tool, I followed the same process…and promptly cut right through the glass ornament I was etching! It’s a very powerful tool and gets the job done.

My advice: spare yourself the headache and skip the HF Air Eraser; spend the extra money to get a tool that does the job.

{ Glass Etching: Part 1 }

If you're like the me of a couple of months ago, you don't really have a clue how glass is etched--or at least, not how to do it very well. In my exploration on this subject, I progressively had a few key questions along the way that I hope to answer sufficiently in this post and subsequent posts:

1. How do you etch glass? What does it take to make the etching happen?
2. Does etching cream work to etch glass? Is it as effective as air erasing (or sandblasting)?
3. How do you use an air eraser? Does the Harbor Freight air eraser work? (The HF air eraser is a very common equipment option for home hobbyists looking to get into etching.) And, how does it work?

The project ideas I had in mind going into this were to do clear glass Christmas ornaments etched with our monograms and various Christmas designs, as well as to be able to etch vases, bowls, etc., for personalized gifts.  So, I started with Armor Etch etching cream. Does Armor Etch etching cream work? Kind of. This is what I learned in response to that and my aforementioned questions:

1) Glass is etched by one of two methods: etching creams basically eat away at the glass through a chemical process, leaving it slightly textured and white in color; sandblasting shoots tiny abrasive molecules (even baking soda can be an effective abrasive--that's how small of a molecule we're talking here) at the glass surface and essentially chips away at it to leave a white surface that's more defined than that provided by etching cream. Etching does weaken glass, so it is advised you don't put etched pieces in the dishwasher. I've never etched crystal objects, but if you're doing so, read up on that so that you don't shatter it. Somewhere I read that etched crystal will shatter if you run cold water on it. I didn't look into it further, so that could be a complete lie, but my advice: if etching crystal, first read from experts on the matter.

There are a million and one tutorials already out there on what steps to take to etch glass, but the basics are that you:

• Select an item to etch. Get creative.
  
  Perhaps you are taking flowers to someone; why not etch their name or initials on the vase? You can get some really inexpensive vases at Michael's (be sure to either print a coupon from their site or take your smartphone so you can pull up the coupon for use at checkout) and I've found that Whole Foods, interestingly enough, has some of the best flowers around. And their prices are surprisingly good (especially for Whole Foods!). Forget $30+ at the florists or cheap carnation bunches from the grocery store. You can get fancy for cheap!
  
  I also really like the idea of etching your casserole dishes. It would make it very easy to know which dish to reclaim after a potluck or party. While I've seen some that etch along the side, I think my favorite is one that was etched on the in the right-hand corner of the underneath side, close to the edge. The positioning made it look really cool, rather than just having it centered like one would expect. And, while of course you want your food to be liked, if it turns out that your dish isn't emptied, having it towards the front (and scooping from that edge first) allows you to easily see whose casserole dish it is.  (Just be sure to mirror your stencil before cutting it so that the sticky part of the stencil sticks to the underneath part of the dish without reversing the name.)
  
  You can take that idea a step further and give etched casserole dishes when taking a meal to someone who is sick, recovering, just moved in, just had a baby, etc. Casserole dishes are cheap (think Target, grocery store, maybe even the dollar store), but personalizing the item with glass etching really takes it to a higher level of righteousness.  Do remember that you can't effectively etch glass coated in plastic, as many casserole dishes are, so be sure you're etching ones not coated. You usually can tell by the feel of it; it may also be listed on the packaging.
  
  When it comes to things to etch, one of my favorite ideas (which also makes me now wish I had a fish) is one that's contained on the cover of a book of unique ideas for glass etching: 

 

(How groovy is that?!)

• Cut your stencil.
  
  I'm fortunate to have a Silhouette Cameo (more on that and my other crafting equipment in another post, but for those not familiar with the Cameo, it is a cutting machine that allows you to easily cut shapes out of paper, vinyl, fabric, etc. It is particularly helpful when doing stencils), so that's what I use for my own stencils. However, I do know you can cut your own (you'll not be finding instructions for that on this blog, as my cutting by hand would be krafty to the extreme) and another idea is to get pre-cut stencils at craft stores. Martha Stewart has a large selection of them at Michael's. They may be elsewhere and there may be other brands, too, but that's what I'm personally aware of. Be sure to get vinyl stencils that cling. (Reusable ones, preferably.) Martha Stewart also offers paper stencils. I can't imagine those working with etching cream.
  
  This is where you can get extra creative--it doesn't just have to be a name or monogram. Need some ideas? Don't forget to check out Pinterest for loads of them!
  
  
• Affix your stencil to your object.
  
  This isn't hard, except when you're talking about curved items such as ornaments. You can't just lay the straight stencil on the curve without it looking all sorts of crazy. I've still not mastered this, but I'm working at it & will do a later post with more details once I figure out some good solutions.  But, straight stencils on flat or perfectly round surfaces (like cylindrical vases) are easy.  Just make sure to go over the stencil repeatedly to make sure it's on there good and that the vinyl edges within the shape you're etching are all firmly affixed to the object's surface. Otherwise, etching cream will go under the stencil & leave your object looking extra special. (And not in a good way.)
  
  Here's an example of a stencil on a curved object; notice the puckered edges. Those didn't matter to me, as that's away from the area I was etching. I just had to make sure the interior edges of the shape were all smooth. But, it was still a beast to get that "K" on there without the interior edges of the shape puckering up.
  
  
  
  
  Once you have the stencil on the object, it is helpful to use painter's tape around the edges of the stencil so that you give the surface area extra protection. That way, if you get a little crazy and start spreading the etching cream all over creation without thinking (no personal experience on that or anything...), you're protected. I'm all for one protecting themselves from their own stupidity, so take the extra measure of using the tape. Especially if there's not a lot of edge space to work with on the stencil surface. (See the picture above for an example of this; notice that the lower left curve on the "K" gets very close to the edge. Yeah, that.)
  
  Also, I read somewhere that it's helpful to leave the stencil on overnight to let the vinyl relax and settle so that you have a cleaner edge. I have tried that and I've tried doing the etching immediately after applying the stencil; I personally didn't notice a difference, other than that I needlessly spent a day of impatience waiting to try the etch. If, however, you find that you're not getting clean edges and you've made sure to get that stencil on there firmly, perhaps try the overnight method. (It may also have something to do with temperature of the room, too, as cold vinyl doesn't relax as well as warm vinyl.)


• Apply the etching cream.
  
  Liberally coat the stencil area with etching cream. As in, glop that stuff on there like you mean it. Make sure you get every edge and curve and nook and cranny covered. I love using the cheap foam brushes for stuff like this. I can use it, then chuck it. Sure, they may rinse easily, but that's too much work when the brushes are dirt cheap to begin with. (They're cheapest at Michael's when you buy a variety pack, but yesterday I scored the $0.49 1" foam brushes for 14/$1. Watch for those types of sales. They're delightful.)  A regular paint brush, maybe even a popsicle stick--who knows?--just use something to get the cream on very thickly AND evenly.
  
  And then wait.
  
  Follow the directions on the bottle, but I waited around 20 minutes for the stuff I used. I know some people say cream works in 60 seconds. That's not been my experience. Perhaps it's a different brand?  Not sure. But, you also need to pay attention to make sure that if you do leave the cream on for a long time that it doesn't also start disintegrating your stencil.
  
  
• Remove the etching cream.
  
  VERY important tip I read somewhere: etching cream is reusable, so don't rinse it down the drain! Instead, carefully scrape it off and back into the bottle for use later. (The foam brush works well for this, too.)  This is such a fantastic money-saving tip (etching cream ain't cheap!) and I'm so glad I happened across it. (I wish I could remember who posted it so I could give them credit. But, thank you random lady out there in the interweb!)
  
  
• Remove the stencil.
  
  Carefully remove the stencil (and surrounding painter's tape, if using the stupidity prevention method) and immediately rinse the item under running water. Remember that if the cream is there to etch, having little bits of it anywhere else on the object is going to leave little etched spots, too. So, rinse thoroughly.  One thing to pay attention to if rinsing an ornament: make sure water doesn't run down inside through the top opening. If it does, remove the metal hanger and prop the ornament upside down on a paper towel so that it can dry.
  
  
• Enjoy your etched item.
  
  -The End-

2) Etching cream does etch glass, as promised. However, it does not produce the kind of result I had hoped for. Here's an example of etching cream (on the right) compared to sandblasting (on the left) of an identical clear glass ornament:

As you can see, there's an extreme difference between the two & the sandblasting result was much more what I had in mine. However, that's not to say that etching cream isn't effective. It's just not as effective.

The topic of air erasing is so complex (yet simple...there's a fun dichotomy there) that it deserves its own post. That will be coming up next. It'll be a fun pictorial adventure worth waiting for with bated breath!

{ Here we go! }

Hello, People of the Internets!

After mulling it over, I finally decided that my alter-ego, Marty Stewart, needed an outlet through which to share all of the various craft projects I work on--but most importantly, I wanted to share what I learn along the way so that perhaps someone out there won't have to make the same mistakes. (Plus, sometimes it's really hard to find information on various niche subjects, so I thought it would be good for me to have one place in which to keep all of my notes for future reference.)

So, here it is--Marty Stewart's outlet: "krafty kade", the blog

And, yes, I do know that "krafty" should be spelled with a "c". However, the use of the "k" serves two purposes here:

1) It goes nicely with "kade".

2) I'm no Martha Stewart. That is, much like imitation crab commonly sold as "krab",  I try my hardest--but I often fall short of being the real thing. So, just like those who fall short of being classy become known as "klassy" in my book (they tried their hardest, bless them, but they didn't quite make it), my crafting ability is not perfected by any stretch of the imagination. So, I'm "krafty".

All of that is to say, as I share my various projects along my crafting journey, I'd appreciate tips, hints, and advice--but negative criticism (or attacks on others who may share insight) is not welcomed or tolerated here. I already know if something isn't quite right; I don't need the extra reminders to understand that.  However, shared expertise is much appreciated and hoped for. Oh, and in case you didn't already know or couldn't tell from this entry, I'm very wordy. I don't apologize for it; it's part of who I am & so most entries here will probably be a little lengthy.

As far as what those entries will be, I can't say that I have an interest in just one specific type of crafting, so they will cover the gamut: gift wrapping, sewing, embroidery, stenciling, decorative vinyl transfers, heat vinyl transfers (HTV), general decorating, and I may even throw in some cooking, as I view that as a craft skill. But first, we'll be kicking off with my current obsession and project: glass etching. Stay tuned...