Etching Process Complete!

I finished etching the final piece of glass today. Although the final photo will not be done until next week, I went ahead and took a few shots of the process and the finished piece. I’ve got to remember to be better about taking pictures during the process – as I’m often so into actually making the thing that I often forget about pictures! I did manage to get a few of the process for this one. First, I taped off the edges of the mirror to make a nice border, and then placed the vinyl stick-on letters (found in the drafting section of Hobby Lobby) on a piece of plastic laid over the top of the mirror. This was to get the letter spacing and positioning of words where I wanted them before putting directly on the mirror.

Next, I drew some guidelines with a pencil onto the mirror to help keep all the letters straight. Once I had some guidelines in place, I began peeling the letters off and placing them directly on the mirror – one at a time. This was a little time consuming to get just right – some words were spaced too far out and I ran out of room and had to remove and restick. Fortunately the vinyl stick-on letters worked well for this. Once I got all the letters in place as I wanted them, it was time to put on the etching cream. Gloves on first – as this stuff is very corrosive and you don’t want it touching your hands! Working quickly – and with an old brush I didn’t mind damaging with the cream – I laid on thick layers of etching cream to the glass. All the areas where mirror is visible will be etched. The cream sits on surface for about 5-10 minutes and then rinsed off in the sink or tub. I washed the glass with soap as well after, just to make sure none of the cream remained. Now for the best part! Pulling off all the letters and tape to reveal the final piece!