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Here is a picture of a glass I etched for my grandparents anniversary tomorrow. 53 years. Designed in Corel Draw, cut on hp avery scrap vinyl, etched with Armouretch paste. The process itself was simple, though reverse-weeding the stencil was a bit of a pain.
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Nice job Tyler! Your Grandparents will really love their gift.I made all my grandkids their own personalized Christmas ornaments this year using ArmourEtch. They thought it was so cool to have their names etched on an ornament. Adrianne, yup...just use regular old vinyl...works like a charm (altho the weeding can be tedious at smaller sizes).
Karen
-------------------- Karen Sartain,'Pisel' on chat 11699 E Hwy 181 Willcox, Arizona 85643
We are not human beings on a spiritual journey.We are spiritual beings on a human journey."-Stephen Covey
Posts: 336 | From: Chiricahua National Monument, Az | Registered: Nov 1998
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I picked up a big bottle of it at Pat Catan's, which is a craft store in Cleveland. You can probably pick it up at any decent size craft store. It cost me $15 for a big bottle, and the stuff is reusable, which is cool. It will etch glass, but won't harm vinyl (hence using it as a stencil). I am going to use it to do some ed roth stuff (flying eyeball, etc) on the vent windows on my van. I will do a step-by-step for it, so everyone can see how easy (and how profitable it could be).
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I love ArmourEtch. Works great on mirrors, too. (But never did get any good pics of!) I did a really cool mirror for a guy that expanded his automotive repair shop - complete with the shop's name and a '57 Chevy Bel Air Sedan (Vector Art Vol 4 - talk about a bitch to weed!!!)
A couple things to keep in mind...
Use Hi Perf vinyl on things that don't have a completely flat surface. If you are working on glassware, steady the glass on a towel. Also, you can use cheapie masking tape around the edges and make a lil trough so the stuff doesn't creep down the side and unto unprotected area. Definately keep an eye on it.
Those really REALLY cheap plastic brushes work great for applying the etching cream and can be tossed when done. When doing larger areas, put a REALLY thick coat on, otherwise it won't etch evenly.
I never saved the stuff, just rinsed it off after 10-15 minutes. I do know that if you aren't gonna use it right away, stick with the smaller bottles because it does have a shelf life (not totally sure how long, tho.) You can pick it up at any craft store.
Oh, and for weeding those things that are really little, just put the transfer tape on first - BEFORE weeding - then flip upside down and reverse weed from the back. Just make sure you don't remove anything you need!!
Once you do it a few times, you will have a better idea of how to design things so you don't have such big areas to etch, and which part to etch vs not etched!!
Oh... another idea... try it on colored glass!! VERY COOL on blue!!
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN
Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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Here's another tip.. when weeding that small stuff, weed it AFTER applying the vinyl to the glass. That makes it even easier than reverse weeding from the transfer tape, plus you can actually see your design as it's gonna really look instead of being backwards.
You might want to try a Paasche Air Eraser to etch glass and plastic as well. It's a mini sandblaster that works kinda like an airbrush and you can get some extremely finely detailed etchings with it. You can even vary the etch effect in certain places to create the illusion of depth in your design. They're only $50..
Now I wish I had brought mine to Missouri with me.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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I tried it last night and it worked fairly well....I found the cream had a lot of hard chunks of 'something' in it...maybe what Dana was referring to? I bought it a couple of years ago...anyway, the vinyl worked really well for the mask...I had a few 'holidays' but retouched them with a little more cream and that helped.
Now I'm looking around me and thinking what else I can etch!!
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A, hahaha that sounds like me when I first got my air eraser... I had already etched all the scrap plexiglas and other junk I could find.. then I needed something real to etch..
I dug into the boxes of non-unpacked stuff from when I moved to Arizona (which still havent been unpacked now after 2 years) and found that glass jar.. had ta' flame it!
Later I find out from my mom that that jar has been in her family for years and has sentimental value. OOPS! Wow, and I just thought it was the old jar we used for orange juice when I was younger.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Just dont let any destructive kids get ahold of it (the acid etch). My son's so called friend took some of mine and spread it on an "enemy's" windshield. The guy came looking for my son thinking he was involved, he wasn't and everything is straitened out now. The destructive one is in jail now for other events along with his brother and dad.
Another tip, do something on both sides of the glass, gives it some pretty cool 3-d effects.
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Hi Tyler, Oh boy did you open a can of worms for my family, I showed what you did to my daughter in law and she dragged me to the craft store to get some Etch, then she raided my kitchen cabinets, then she made me sit at the computer and cut scrap for her. My mom is in love with a little yellow bird so we put him on 4 wine glasses and 4 drinking glasses, you would have thought we gave the woman the Hope diamond. We do a lot of car shows so we are going to do some small jars with a car on them and Hot Rod Money written on them and a few other things. Have any of you tryed coloring them in? If so how did it work out. Thanks Terry
-------------------- Terry Scott Family Graphics Deerfield Beach, Fl Posts: 58 | From: Deerfield Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: May 1999
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Hey Terry, No, I havent tried coloring any of the etchings in, though at the craft store i saw a 'stained glass' spray paint. It is a specially formulated, transparent coloring, and i bet you could get some neat effects with that. Put the stencil on, etch it, clean it off really good, then spray it before removing the stencil. I want to give it a try, myself.
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I have used that rub-n-buff stuff in a tube, comes in a variety of metallic colors. Actually worked really well - rub it over the etched area, then buffs off the smooth glass.
I wouldn't use it on anything that needs to be washed, just clean with a soft cloth.
I have used gallery glass - leading comes in the bottle, or pre-made. I use a piece of scotch tape around the nozzle to make it smaller for more detailed work. Used to do alot of 'doggie' stuff, using very basic outlines of dog breeds to customize treat jars, frames, mirrors, etc.
Next time your wife heads to the craft store, go with her and snoop around. Some pretty cool stuff in there to play with!!
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN
Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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There's also a transparent paint for glass that you can brush on, then you bake the glass in the oven so the paint actually hardens up like a glaze.. I forget the name of it right now though.
Food and dishwasher safe.
Dick Blick art supplies carries it, I'm sure other arts and craft places do too.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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