Do It Yourself!
Glass Etching
(To see some finished glass
etching examples click HERE)
Supplies:
Glass
or Mirror
Exact-o knife (a swiveling
head exact-o is preferred)
Armor Etch
Brush or sponge
Instructions:
First, find any glass
or mirror that you want to etch. Be sure it's clean and
dry.
Next, remove the
contact paper backing, keeping it as flat to the table
as possible to avoid making any wrinkles or creases. If
you're applying the paper to something large, you may
want to remove the paper backing a bit at a time, as you
apply the sticky side to your glass.
Apply the contact as
smoothly as possible to your glass surface. If an area
has any bubbles or creases, stop applying and try to
mush them out before applying more contact paper.
Draw your design onto
the contact paper, which will serve as your stencil.
Here are some tips...
**Use a pencil so you can
erase and fix your stencil as needed.
**If you're tracing a
design, then you can do so using carbon paper. If you want a
make-shift carbon paper, you can make one by coloring hardly
w/ a lead pencil on a piece of paper, making it solid pencil.
**If you need ideas for your design, do a google image search
for ___whatever design element you want (such as flowers)___
clip art. Clip art designs are highly preferable to pictures
b/c they are already made with simpler lines, which you'll
need for the etching design.
When your design is
exactly as you want it, then grab an exact-o knife and
cut it out of the contact paper. Keep in mind that
whatever you cut out (showing the glass behind it) is
what will be etched. Everything hidden by the contact
paper will remain normal glass.
When your design is cut
out, double check all the edges of the contact paper
within your design, making sure they're very smooth and
there aren't any bubbles. You don't want the etching
solution to seep underneath the contact paper.
Now it's time to apply
the Armor Etch! Just grab whatever brush or sponge makes
you happy, and apply a very even, thick coat of the
Armor Etch. Don't skimp out on how much etching solution
you apply, or you'll be able to see the brush strokes.
The etching solution should look very solid, cloudy
white. After the etching solution is completely applied,
wait five minutes.
Rinse the solution off,
and then remove your contact paper. Wash your glass item
with soapy water or window cleaning solution to ensure
all etching solution is removed. Don't freak out if it
looks like your design disappears... it just doesn't
show up well when wet. So, dry it off.
Woo-hoo! You have a
beautifully etched glass now! What you've done is
permanently damage (in a pretty way of course) the
surface of the glass or mirror, so it won't wash off or
go away with time... it's permanent.
Last, if you make a
glass etching, send me a photo of it with your name and
what state you're from! I've recently decided to start
featuring my readers' finished results.
Don't forget to check
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Want to leave comments?
Go HERE! :)
Want to see some
examples of my glass etching? Click Here!
