Glass Etching

Glass etching is one of our more templated crafts, so if you’re not feeling very creative when you walk through the door, don’t worry! We have a selection of crowd-pleasing stencils to choose from that take the guesswork out of things. Choose a pint or wine glass for etching, grab your stencils from the Glass Etching Station, and then etch away!

Important: While etching glass, we at Crafts & Drafts advise using the safety goggles and gloves provided in kit. Glass is etched with a chemical etcher that burns the skin if it gets in contact. Users assume all risk and responsibility, for themselves and those around them, when taking part in this activity.

Price

Pint or Wine Glass

1 - $30 / 2 - $50

Time to Complete

1 hour

Additional Info

• Waiver required
•  Templated craft
• Design options may vary
•  Not available to go

Materials in Kit

• Pint or wine glass, depending on customer choice
• Gloves and safety glasses
• Transfer Paper
• Weeding tool (it looks like a dentist pick)
• Armor Etch etching cream

Other Materials

• Vinyl Stencil (choose at the Glass Etching Station)
• Painters Tape (found at craft cart) (optional)
• Paintbrush (found at craft cart)

Instructions

Step 1	Take your vinyl stencil and weeding tool. Begin removing parts of the vinyl stencil that you want to be etched (anywhere the white stencil backing shows through). Go slowly and be careful to not remove small detail pieces (the inside of the ‘A’s’, e’s, etc)
Step 2	When you’re done weeding the stencil, take a piece of transfer paper, just large enough to cover your design and place the sticky side on top of the weeded design. Press the transfer paper firmly to the top of the design and rub back and forth several times, to make sure you get all the detail pieces stuck to the transfer paper.
Step 3	With the transfer paper attached to the front of the design, turn the stencil over and slowly remove the backing, again, making sure that each small detail piece attaches to the transfer tape and doesn’t stick to the backing of the stencil.
Step 4	Place your stencil, now solely attached to the transfer tape, on the area of the glass you want to etch. If you’re using a wine glass, place the stencil toward the upper half of the glass, as the bottom curve will keep you from getting a firm seal.
Step 5	Rub the vinyl firmly against the glass several times to flatten it out and remove any air bubbles and then remove the transfer tape. You should now only see your stencil on the glass. Flatten out any remaining air bubbles with your fingernail. For added protection from the etching cream, place pieces of painters tape around the stencil border.
Step 6	Put on safety gloves and glasses. Take a paintbrush and dip it into the Armor Etch. Glob the Armor Etch over the areas of the stencil you want etched, making sure to not get outside of the stencil. Anything that the etching cream touches on the glass will end up etched as well.
Step 7	Leave the etching cream on for 7-10 minutes.
Step 8	Carefully transport your glass to the black art sink between the bathrooms at the back of the bar and rinse off all the etching cream. NOTE: WHILE THE GLASS IS WET, IT WILL NOT LOOK ETCHED. IT MUST BE COMPLETELY DRY FOR THE FULL ETCH TO SHOW. Once it’s completely dry, pull back the corner of your stencil to verify how etched it is. If you’d like, repeat steps 6-8 again for a deeper etch.
Step 9	If you are happy with the level of etch on the glass, go ahead and peel off your stencils, and you're done!