{ 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!