I’ve been using my vinyl cutter recently to create custom glass etchings. Vinyl resists the acids in glass etching cream making it perfect for high resolution stenciling. The cream I use is can be found here (I picked some up at a Michael’s craft store). You’ll want to be careful and read the full Material Safety Data Sheet for armour etch. You can etch most glass but not pyrex (Borosilicate). The results are pretty neat:
Coaster with an etched crane
To start the process, you’ll need to create a vinyl cut and apply it to your glass:
Applying the vinyl negative
Now, put on your gloves (seriously) and paint on some etching cream. I also use an exhaust fan in a nearby window for added safety:
Paint on your etching cream and wait
After about 5 minutes, I rinse off the etching cream. The MSDS mentions that baking soda can help neutralize some of the acids; you’ll want to flush everything with lots of water. Here’s the final result:
Final result of vinyl resisted glass etch
More photos via flickr: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjz5247h
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Nice! How’d you make your vinyl negative?
I used an enduracut vinyl cutter:
http://www.signwarehouse.com/specials/creat_packg.htm
The rolands are a lot nicer, but it works
Cricut also makes smaller desktop cutters.