The frosted look (for everything from hair and makeup to restaurant and home designs), became popular a generation ago with kitschy designs of teddy bears and flowers on beveled glass table decorations. Glass etching is one of the more popular
The frosted look (for everything from hair and makeup to restaurant and home designs), became popular a generation ago with kitschy designs of teddy bears and flowers on beveled glass table decorations.
Glass etching is one of the more popular crafts around Kaua‘i, with “island-style” patterns now available at Ben Franklin Crafts in Lihu‘e. They look similar to the island motifs commonly seen as vehicle stickers.
A beginner can purchase all that’s needed for about $25 and many of the items can be reused.
“People have been coming in for weddings and special occasions,” said Teri Morita, a crafts specialist. “And for home decor, you have kitchenware, windows on entry doors, vases …” The list goes on. Basically any glass or ceramic surface can be used. No sandblasting required.
Glass etching the easy way is done by brushing a cream over a stencil and rinsing it away. A set of matching champagne glasses is ready to use in less than 10 minutes.
For larger projects, glass etching can be done by professionals who break out the sandblasters or chemical resist equipment. Athome glass etching has been around for at least 20 years, said Pat Coloma, who said she has worked at Ben Franklin for over 10 years.
The top brands are from the Armour Company and Etchall.
“It’s always popular, but especially with this new way of doing it with sticker stencils,” she said. “Before these came out we had to cut our own designs,” she said.
More imaginative and experienced craftsters can make their own designs, or improvise with what’s available at the shop — a variety of florals, borders, doves and ribbontype designs.
The “island-style” patterns under the brand name Tropical Etch Craft Stencils, developed by the Honolulu-based Rubber Stamp Plantation, have been available for about three months. Tropical Etch offers turtle petroglyphs, plumeria, Chinese characters, bamboo, flowers, and sealife. Ben Franklin Crafts hosts daily crafts demonstrations, classes and workshops. A free glass etching demo using Tropical Etch will be held Saturday, Aug. 28 from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and a hands-on workshop for $10 (not including supplies) is set for Wednesday, Aug. 31 from noon to 1 p.m.
Lettie Lamerson, a craft associate at Craft Supply of Honolulu, said she conducts regular craft demonstrations, including glass etching, at the Pearl Highlands store.
“A lot of people come in to do etching for wedding centerpieces, bride and groom glasses, and gifts for weddings. We even have glass holiday ornaments,” she said. “I even had someone ask me about doing it on car windows.” Beware to keep etching cream from running onto your vehicle’s paint job.
To make unique stencils, all that’s needed is a package of blank sheets or white or clear Con-Tact Paper and an X-Acto or other sharp craft knife. A more geometric design can be achieved using masking tape. Freeform designs can be achieved by simply brushing on the cream, suggests the Internet site for the Do It Yourself TV Network.
Glass etching can be done in either a positive (covering the entire piece with etching cream to leave the design clear) or negative (mostly clear glass with just the design ‘etched’).
Glass etching is permanent, so be sure the design suits your tastes before brushing on the cream, Morita said.
And because etching cream contains acid ingredients, wear disposable gloves and eye protection, and use a bucket or other container to rinse the pieces to prevent the agent from staining or etching your kitchen sink.
