etching glass - Try It - Like It

Etching a Keepsake

with etchall creme

I dried the flowers from my daughter’s homecoming dance and then found this glass jar at the Dollar Tree that they fit into. I then etched the date and school on the side of the glass as a keepsake for her. etchall creme made this possible.

Using a Cricut Maker, I cut vinyl and weeded away the parts of the vinyl that I wanted to etch.

Before etching use rubbing alcohol to clean the glass surface.

Place the vinyl onto the clean glass and make sure to rub it down well.

Apply the etchall creme onto the area to etch making sure not to go beyond the covered area. Wait 15 minutes for the glass to etch. After 15 minutes remove the creme and put it back into the container, it is reusable.

Now wash the surface under running water and remove the vinyl.

Here is a close-up image of the finished piece.

Suggested Materials:

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Cricut Maker® Machine Shop at: AZ \| O \| C	Cricut Standard Grip Mat Shop at: AZ \| C	Cricut Vinyl Shop at: AZ \| C
Dollar Tree Shop at: O	Etchall Shop at: AZ \| O	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ

How to Test Glass for Etching

Whether you are enhancing glass for yourself, a gift, or from a thrifting haul take the time to test the glass. I have learned my lesson the hard way so I am sharing this etching tip with you. Before proceeding with a glass etching project, take the time to test your glass. You can test multiple pieces all at once. Doing so will save you so much time, money, and effort. The process is simple and in the end, you will be glad you did so.

My go to etching cream is etchall. It has no smell and it is reusable.

Video Tutorial:

Etching a Glass Pitcher

When I saw this glass pitcher at Aldi’s I thought it would look lovely with a band of different etched leaves around the bottom. So I bought it and proceeded to etch the pitcher.

I cut out a variety of different leaf silhouettes and weeded away the leaves. If you would like this SVG file, it is available for free in my store here: [leaves]

The next step was to prepare the leaf silhouettes with transfer tape.

I removed the labels from the pitcher and cleaned the surface with rubbing alcohol before placing the leaves around the bottom of the pitcher.

etchall creme was applied to the vinyl leaf design and I waited 15 minutes for the glass to etch.

After cleaning off the etching creme and removing the vinyl, the glass wasn’t etched. I have never had this happen before so I looked into it further.

Different kinds of glass don’t etch or don’t etch well. This can happen with cremes and sandblasting.

Borosilicate
Cremes will not work on all types of borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass is a highly durable glass material made from silica sands and boron trioxide used to withstand incredibly high temperatures.

Tempered Glass
The only type of glass that should not be etched is tempered glass. Tempered glass has been heat-treated in a way that creates great tension within.

Pyrex
I’ve heard that older Pyrex casserole dishes, like those made before 1998 are harder to etch or don’t etch. But most of the Pyrex casserole dishes sold in the U.S. since then etch just as well as any other sort of glass.

Vintage Glass
I have also heard that vintage glassware doesn’t etch with creme.

So what do you do?
Do the “toothpick ” test on items. This would have saved me a lot of time and process. From now on, before moving forward, I will always test my glass pieces by applying a small dab of etching creme onto the bottom of the glass piece to see if it will etch. My lesson was learned, and I hope this post saves you some time as well.

How to Etch Glass

It is easy to etch glass with the right tools. Learn how in this tutorial.

with Etchall

Etching glass is a very simple process given the right tools. I enjoy working with Etchall Etching Creme. One reason is that Etchall is reusable so a small jar lasts a long time. Making these Salt and Pepper shakers was simple and fast but the result is fantastic. I wanted to make these for myself but they would make a great housewarming gift or hostess gift too.

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Materials:

Etchall Creme – receive 10% of orders with code: “Janet“
salt and pepper shakers
vinyl
Cricut Maker
baby wipes
tape
scissors
plastic pallet knife or similar
rubbing alcohol
paper towel
ribbon (optional)

Before you begin any glass etching project, you need to make sure the glass surface is clean and clear. It is best to use rubbing alcohol to clean your surface.

Cutting the vinyl, I used a Cricut Maker. In Design Space I used the Cricut font and typed the two letters I needed with space between them. Before cutting them out, I made sure the height and width fit the front of the shakers.

I centered each letter on the front of the shakers. For this application, I didn’t need to use transfer paper but if your design is more detailed, you will find it helpful. See the video tutorial below for application tips and centering the vinyl.

I applied a generous amount of etching creme to each shaker. There is no need to worry about using too much since it is reusable. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for use. Etchall works in 15 minutes of application.

Video Tutorial:

With a bit of ribbon added these are ready to fill or give as a gift.

Cricut Maker® Machine Shop at: AZ \| O \| C	Cricut Standard Grip Mat Shop at: AZ \| C	Cricut Vinyl Shop at: AZ \| C
Dollar Tree Shop at: O	Etchall Shop at: AZ \| O	Non-Stick Scissors Shop at: AZ